Buzz Off clothing?

OrionGirl

OrionGirl

No freelancing!
Aug 14, 2001
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Sheila
Just looking for some reviews. If you have tried any of the clothing lines that are mosquito repellent impregnated, please let me hear what you thought of it, how effective it was, how long it worked, etc. My sister is hiking Mt. Kilamanjaro next month and is considering getting some to take along (in addition to getting all the vaccines and taking DEET spray along).

Thanks!
 
I've not head of it. It sound like a good idea. Is it just skeeter repelant or does it work on these *explitive* bitting flies we've got in Tahoe?
 
Check the Orvis webpage. It's supposed to work on a variety of biting insects. Effective through 25 washings, and not supposed to cause a reaction.
 
Hmmm, I planted trees for 4 years and never heard of that. I also saw lots of people trying lots of alternative bug repellents. Hint: hippies hate DEET, and there are a surprising number of hippy-style people planting trees. None of them work very well from the number of bug bites they were covered with.

But, from your description it should work. The advice on the 95% DEET bottle (which I hear they don't make anymore, for shame) is to spray it on clothing, not skin, so one of our approaches was to soak a bandana in the stuff and wear that.

On the other hand, I've found that judicial use of the aeresol stuff (23.5% DEET if memory serves) works wonders.
 
If it was just a matter of dealing with the itchy bumps, no big deal--she's more concerned about malaria. Genetically we are of European decent, bit of Amerindian--nothing that conveys resistance to tropical bugs.
 
Yeah, I figured it was a malaria thing. So far as I know, the only human 'adaptation' to keep us safe from malaria is sickle cell anemia in north africans, the parasite can't infect the bent up red blood cells.

There are pills that are supposed to help prevent malaria, I don't know how effective they are or how long in advance you have to start taking them. I know an old friend of mine got malaria while on the pills, but he failed in one of the main requirements: taking the pills!

IME, clothing coverage is the only 100% way to keep them off, and even then a little spray is helpful since mosquitoes will bite through thin cloth. Also it seems like repellants have a fairly limited range and the bugs do seem quite adept at fininding missed spots.

The clothing sounds like something I've done, soaking clothes in repellant, but if she's wearing shorts/t-shirt, she'll still need to spray repellent on exposed skin.

On a slightly off topic note, I'm just a little jealous of your sister, that sounds like it would be a great hike.
 
:) Yeah--she's really excited to be going. She's hiked/snowshoed most of the peaks in Colorado, and done quite a bit up here in Wyoming as well. She's going with a group, including one of our cousins. They're taking one of the longer routes, but still only 2-3 days in tropical areas where the bugs will be a problem.

She will be wearing long sleeved shirts and pants--no problem there. And she will be taking an anti-malarial as well, along with getting all the vaccinations.
 
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