[pct-l] REPELLING MOSQUITOES AND TICKS

Mon Feb 13 09:59:01 CST 2012

I was wondering about the 3M Ultrathon repellant does it actually last as long as they say?   Can you give us a procedure on how you process your cloths with permethrin?   

Why not use a 13% concentration, how long to soak, do you rinse after, does the make up of the cloth matter, etc.?

Thanks,  Jim

________________________________
 From: Jerry Goller <geartester at comcast.net>
To: 'Edward Anderson' <mendoridered at yahoo.com> 
Sent: Sunday, February 12, 2012 2:53 PM
Subject: RE: [pct-l] SOCKS/mosquitoes

It is a lot cheaper to just buy some Permethrin and soak your clothes. You
can get it at K-Mart in the garden section or vet supply places. You can
also, of course, get it online. The process used by ExOfficio was first
developed by the military about a decade earlier. The military uses a 13%
concentration. That gives the clothes about 52 washings of effective life.
The stuff from the garden section comes in 2.5% which lasts me a full
season. It is extremely effective.

The percentage dictates how long the treatment lasts, not how effective it
is. The cheapest way to do it is buy it online from vet supply sites in 35%
concentrations and dilute it down to around 5%.

If you are worried about chemicals, Permethrin is the active ingredient in
head lice treatment for children. It gets applied hundreds of thousands of
times each year on school kid's heads.

I also treat my wide floppy brimmed hat to keep them off my neck and face.
If I am in a ferocious cloud of them I will wipe a strip of 3M Ultrathon
repellant along my cheek bones and the backs of my hands. 

My normal backpacking area is the Uinta Mountains in northeastern Utah.
Mosquitoes are pretty bad all summer and unbelievable during the runoff. I
never get a bite.

But much more important to me is that Permethrin will also stop ticks. I am
much more worried about the life impacting diseases than the irritation. 

I've been using this method for at least 12 years.

Jerry

http://www.backpackgeartest.org/: the most comprehensive interactive gear
reviews on the planet.

-----Original Message-----
From: pct-l-bounces at backcountry.net [mailto:pct-l-bounces at backcountry.net]
On Behalf Of Edward Anderson
Sent: Sunday, February 12, 2012 12:40
To: Diane Soini of Santa Barbara Hikes; pct-l at backcountry.net
Subject: Re: [pct-l] SOCKS/mosquitoes

I had mentioned this on the list a year ago. Thought I should mention it
again.

I wore insect and tick repellent cloths on the PCT. It is made by ExOfficio
and is sometimes labeled Buzz Off. I wore the socks, the pants (they make
them both with full pant legs and also one with zip-off legs so that they
can become shorts), the shirt (a great design, with expandable breast
pockets and open-able, insect screened air vents.The sleeves can be rolled
up and buttoned), and the cap with cape to cover your neck. While mosquitoes
might fly around you, they don't land on the fabric - and therefore don't
sting you through it. I only had to use Deet on my cheeks, forehead, and on
the backs of my hands. I also used Deet on my horse in camp, on areas not
protected by his blanket, which I had sprayed before starting.

That approach worked well for me in areas where there were insects and
ticks.

They stock those products at REI and you can also buy them on the web.

MendoRider-Hiker

________________________________
From: Diane Soini of Santa Barbara Hikes <diane at santabarbarahikes.com>
To: pct-l at backcountry.net
Sent: Sunday, February 12, 2012 11:13 AM
Subject: Re: [pct-l] SOCKS

Egads, north of Ashland I had to wear a skirt OVER my pants because I was
being eaten alive by snowmelt mosquitoes. I needed double-layer fabric at my
knees, butt, shoulders and elbows (wore 2 shirts for that). Later (a year
later) I wore a skirt by itself on the JMT, a real skirt, not a skort. It is
awesome to wear a skirt while backpacking. You can put on layers over your
legs without removing the skirt. It's pretty easy to pee. Plus you just look
way intimidating in your girly skirt overtaking some macho man with his big
mountaineering equipment.

That reminds me, I got a Mountain Hardware Elkommando kilt, mens medium,
last year for my b-day. I've lost 25lbs and now it's way too big. If anyone
needs a kilt for this season, let me know. I have worn it only a few times.
You can pay the shipping.

Diane

On Feb 12, 2012, at 10:00 AM, pct-l-request at backcountry.net wrote:

> Oh, and just to weigh in on the pants issue: I wore long pants until
> Ashland, then I switched to Brooks running shorts. I would never go  
> back.
> My legs feel so restricted in pants now. I think I said "Ohmigod I  
> love
> shorts!!" five times a day for the next week after I got them. I  
> don't care
> about the dirt, you get so dirty either way. I still have the  
> shorts, too.
> Plus, you worked hard for those legs. Show them off. :)
>
> I also wore dirty girls.
>
> Seahorse

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