Bug Spray

Rachel · 03-11-2011, 08:03 AM

Do you pack bug spray when you go hiking or do you prefer those little off fans you clip to your belt?

I haven't tried the fan so I still use bug spray. I'm the person who gets eaten alive while everyone else has one bite.

ChadTower · 03-11-2011, 09:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rachel

I'm the person who gets eaten alive while everyone else has one bite.

I have often wondered about this. Does this really happen or is it in that one person's head? There is one person in every group who claims the bugs like them more. Do they really?

outwest · 03-11-2011, 10:21 AM

I have tried just about every spray known to man but honestly I am just one of those that tends to get hit by random things when I go outside. I have been this way my entire life, my family says its because I am so sweet but I am calling fibs on that one.

Grandpa · 03-11-2011, 11:09 AM

I've wondered about the little fan things Off is making, but having to carry batteries and the risk of batteries going dead on a long backpack makes the little bottles of deet still work the best bet for me.

Rachel · 03-11-2011, 03:43 PM

Good point, Grandpa, I didn't think of that.

Chad--Yes, it really happens. Others will seriously get 1-2 bites, while I have 20 on my legs alone. It sucks.

Grandpa · 03-11-2011, 09:41 PM

And Yes Chad, the skeeters are desperate when they get to me. If I'm in a group, I'm the last thing on the menu. Only when I hike alone am I bothered much.

oldsarge · 03-12-2011, 08:11 AM

My sister used the "OFF" brand fan device and says it worked for her. I think I'd prefer to carry one bottle of bug juice as opposed to a fan clippy thingy and extra batteries. In Panama, As an experiment, Special Forces had us using vitamin B complex in large doses to ward off mosquitoes. The key to this working is that you are sweating profusely from carrying a large pack and walking all day. Here's the kicker...it works fine, no mosquitoes came near us at all, it's because we had a body odder that was so bad we couldn't stand each other. You could actually smell my squad from a distance, not something you want when trying to be tactical and stay hidden. This was the last time we ever did this.

JollyRogers · 03-15-2011, 01:47 AM

I prefer the stick-type of bug repellent because it is less likely to evaporate or run off from sweat. Think DEET in the form of a deoderant stick.
It is also easy to gage how much you have left.

I carry clothing and gear to cover up when they come out in force. (Gloves, headnet, long sleeve shirt, pants, etc.) I also carry some mosquito coils to burn around camp. I will just break a small piece off, wedge it in a log pointing up and light it at times when the mosquitoes are thickest.

Stormypath · 03-15-2011, 06:46 PM

I carry a bottle of deet with me. I hate being eaten alive by bugs. If they swarm, they tend to bother me, otherwise they will leave me alone. I eat a lot of garlic, I have been told that is a deterrent.

Refrigerator · 03-15-2011, 07:50 PM

any with 30 percent deet. 100 percent is a little nuclear for me.