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[pct-l] Re: Mosquito Advice
Iwas turned off by DEET after reading the warning label (will eat through plactic,
clothes, and furniture, but completely SAFE for skin! ... as if!). I've tried a
lot of the other things, such as AVON Skin So Soft, eating garlic, and smoky fires,
and none worked effectively.
The only thing I found that left me bug free and sane was to wear tight-weave
material that they can't bite through. When they were bad on the PCT I just
slipped on my rain pants and shell and I was fine. We had headnets which worked
great and weighed next to nothing and halfway through the hike ordered BUGZ shirts
from REI ($30, well worth it).
One word of advice - you can minimize your exposure to them while resting / camping
by going where they aren't, mainly dry breezey places. As annoying as they are,
mosquitoes are lousy flyers and dissappear with the slightest breeze or if you walk
fast enough. Have fun out there this summer, future blood donors!
Vaughn, Ron wrote:
I would also add some advice about the bugs in the Sierras. having seen
> almost no bugs up to Kennedy Meadows, I was shocked at the massive
> mosquito swarms I saw and felt in the Sierras. Any PCT thru-hiker that
> doesn't carry a headnet in the Sierras is risking insanity. I killed 24
> mosquitoes with one swat.
>
> I used large quantities of DEET as a repellant, which was slightly
> effective. Has anyone had any success with other bug repellant
> concoctions? I also had some success camping at high elevations to
> reduce the bugs at night, although that was never totally successful.
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