[pct-l] REPELLING MOSQUITOES AND TICKS

Tue Feb 14 14:31:33 CST 2012

3M Ultrathon Insect Repellent with Sponge Applicator

    Includes sponge applicator to keep hands clean
    Continuous protection up to 12 hours
    1.5-oz tube of lotion 

Developed for the military and tested in the insect-infested jungles of
Central America to be the most effective and longest-lasting repellent.
Ultrathon is slower to evaporate making it effective long after other
repellents have dissipated. Stay bite-free and more importantly
disease-free by repelling mosquitoes that may carry West Nile Virus and
ticks that may carry Lyme disease. Also repels biting flies, chiggers
and gnats. Resists perspiration, rain and water splashes. Lotion has
34.34% DEET for continuous protection up to 12 hours. Convenient sponge
applicator keeps hands clean. 1.5-oz tube.

Does it really last 12 hours?  How long does 1.5 ounces last?  

Yes, 3M is that good. 

I use a 2.5% concentration of Permethrin simply because it is readily
available locally and lasts for a season.

Jerry

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

-----Original Message-----
From: James Vesely [mailto:JVesely at edmsupply.com] 
Sent: Monday, February 13, 2012 08:59
To: Jerry Goller; pct-l at backcountry.net
Subject: RE: [pct-l] REPELLING MOSQUITOES AND TICKS

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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