Any experience with "Insect Shield" clothing?

J

Joel Stave

Joined
Oct 10, 1998
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627
There's a line of clothing I just became aware of called "Insect Shield". They have a website and are sold by a bunch of stores (REI, LL Bean, etc). Basically, they claim to have permethrin (the chrysanthemum stuff) somehow bound to, or woven into the fabric in such a way that it will survive a minimum of 70 washings and remain effective at repelling insects. It's also not wildly more expensive than regular clothing.

In my experience things that sound too good to be true, generally are, but before I write it off as snake-oil I thought I'd ask this forum if anyone has used these clothes. If so, did they work? How long for?

Thanks for any info anyone can give.
 
There are quite a few mosquitoes (and ticks and no-see-ums) up in this country from mid May to the end of June. When hiking I wear a long sleeved sweat shirt, baseball hat and either long pants or shorts, depending on the weather. When wearing long pants I am basically free from attack except for my hands and face, which require a little bug dope. When wearing shorts I will also apply bug dope to my legs.

I have a hard time seeing what the advantage of specialized "insect shield" clothing is.
 
It probably works as advertised, but the clothing will only protect you where regular non-treated clothing already provides shielding of your skin.

Mosquitos are attracted by CO2 (what you exhale) and lactic acid (sweat, bad breath, body odor) as well as other odors given off by humans. They can detect CO2 emissions from 100 yards away.

So unless you are able to stop breathing and sweating during your enjoyment of the outdoors, just being outside is an invitation to 'skeeters to come & dine on you.

You will still need to protect exposed face, neck, hands, ankles, etc.
 
I have a couple of the LL Bean T-Shirts that I picked up at a thrift store. I wore one one day and the permethrin in the cloth made my skin feel funny. I think that something that didn't lay right on the skin would probably be better. I have read good reviews of the stuff though saying that even if you are wearing a shirt it will keep the insects away from most of your body.

Chad
 
I've used the net/mesh clothing with the fishnet layer under it (to keep it up off your skin) in Alaska/Northern Canada. It is not chemically treated, like the Buzz Off! products. It works well unless you are going through heavy brush or thorny stuff. However, if the wind picks up you could get a little cool unless you put a windbreaker over the mesh/net layer.

DancesWithKnives
 
CWL said:
It probably works as advertised, but the clothing will only protect you where regular non-treated clothing already provides shielding of your skin.
Click to expand...

They make the claim that a hat and a short-sleeved shirt will protect face and arms as well.
 
I'll bet they make more claims than trips to Alaska!:D I wouldn't trust that setup in a heavy bug area.

DancesWithKnives
 
The old-timers used to wear long underwear year-round: wool in winter, cotton in summer to keep the bugs off. The lightweight mesh bug jackets work well against mosquitoes up in the Yukon but blackflies seem to get in through the tiniest crevice. Lots of bug dope, or baby oil (they don't like oily skin) help. You can also try to fumigate the ones around your face with a pipe or a cigar. Some of the long-time northerners and indigenous people just get used to 'em.
 
That's a good point. I once went by that summer music festival that they hold just off the highway, up toward Ft. McPherson. Some of the locals would just tamp down the vegetation and set camp with swarms of bugs around them, seemingly unconcerned. They claimed they weren't using bug dope.

DancesWithKnives
 
when i went to iraq they sprayed all our uniforms with the stuff. it seemed to work
 
It has been proven to work in lab tests, IIRC, but I wouldn't bother buying the special clothing. Just use the spray or soak version and treat the clothes you already have. I have treated my tent, hammock, and sleeping bag, and I never see bugs on any of them, even on Cumberland island where the tick and skeeter to human ratio is about a quadrillion to one.

The WalMarts in the Atlanta area have the Repel version of the Permethrin on clearance right now, so the WalMarts in your area might as well.
 
I have two Ex Officio Buzz-Off Insect Shield shirts. I took them on a trip to the Sylvania Wilderness last summer, and they really came in handy. My wife wore one and I wore one every minute we were on land, as the mosquitos were absolutely horrible. The shirts worked exactly as advertised, and we weren't bit wherever the shirts covered. The shirts really helped us enjoy the trip.
 
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