[pct-l] Supplex long pants and shirt

[goforth at cnw.com (Joanne Lennox)]

I've used very thin loose supplex pants and shirts on three Mexico to canada
trips.  the mosquitoes can get through the fabric, but usually don't.  It
takes time for the bug to thread his way through the pants, and often he is
too far from  skin, and in the meantime, I have often moved creating a
negative situation on his side (NOtice that I use the masculine for these
nasties!!!).  I do not get bitten when I am hiking.

Where there are a lot of mosquitoes and in camp when I am sitting cross
legged, I will be bitten on any areas that are tight or flush to skin - the
knees, top of hip. point of shoulder.  I unconsciously have formed of
routine of sweep my hand ovr these areas frequently.  I sometimes take deet
bug stuff - drop a few drops on the BACK of my hand, smear the other hand's
back and wrists, and face and neck with the backs of my hands.  I have been
using the same jungle juice that I got in REI 30 years ago (I probably used
Deet less than 10 times on my PCT thruhike).  I do not like to have DEET on
the front of my hands or on fingers because I do not like the proximity of
these to the food I eat.  I am also careful about puting DEET anywhere near
my eyes.  I occaisionally sweep the back of my hand over the fabric on my
knees, but i have to be really suffering to do this.  I carry the DEET
mostly as a pychological crutch:  If it gets really bad, I know I have it
along

My sense is that DEET might deteriorate any fabric that is made from
petroleum products(Nylon, etc).  I have seen that it dissolves and makes
sticky plastics.( Don't get it near watches, altitmeters, cameras,
computers, etc)

Joanne