[pct-l] Deet

[themtgoat at yahoo.com (The Mountain Goat)]

I concur with the Honorable Richard Woods, 
Used deet on the PCT 2005, after getting tired of doing the 100 yard dash every 1 minute or so after Dicks pass, and before Pooh's Corner. 
The pesky rascals were plenty fast enough with my 3.1 MPH pace, no match for my sprint, but alas, I was no good at sprinting past 100 yards or so with a 16 LB pack. Hence the application of Deet to fend of my blood thirsty enemies.

It seems to work well, and luckly, no part of my person is currently made out of any form of Plastic. But if it was I would get the deet proof grade :-)

Good luck to the class of 06, and don't forget deet may be your best friend somewhere in the Sierras depending on the snow this year...

-Mountain Goat-


Richard Woods      wpsnotebook at charter.net        
     Wed Feb  8 09:46:42 CST 2006

I completed a maritime survival course in Alaska (I Survived in '85).
One topic was insect repellent.
One fact I'm sure of is that the effectiveness of Deet-based  
repellents coincides with the percentage of deet in them. In Alaska,  
where mosquitos should have fuselage numbers, the only truly  
effective repellant is 100% deet. From personal experience, don't  
bother with cans, creams, sprays, with anything less than 100% deet.  
Typically comes in a four-ounce bottle. Yes, this is the stuff that  
dissolves plastic, and has a really nasty odor. However it does last  
and is also effective against ticks, and, to lesser extent, deer and  
black flies if I remember correctly. As I'm sure you all know, it has  
to be used carefully, and has some significant downsides. Also the  
usual disclaimer applies: what works for me might not work for you  
and verse-vice-a.

Last summer, my very unscientific personal comparison test of two  
types of repellents ended voluntarily by the end of the first day on  
the trail. I compared the effectiveness, for me, in the local  
conditions, and at that level of exertion for me, of 100% deet and  
Cutter Advanced (Picaridin) lotion. First I tried this new Picaridin- 
based lotion. Seemed to be effective for about an hour, except that  
it came off wherever I was sweating/chafing. However, by the end of  
the day, I was moving faster than I wanted to, just to stay ahead of  
the clouds of mosquitos in pursuit of my warm, sweaty, CO2-producing  
carcass. They caught up with me just in time for dinner, and I  
relented and slapped on some 100% deet so I could finish dinner and  
retreat into my tent. I gave away the Picaridin lotion to a SoBo  
section hiker who had forgotten his at home. A little protection is  
better than nothing.

		
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