How much DEET lotion do i need to bring
 

Going to vietnam/cambodia for about 14 days. How much of the "time release" Ultrathon or Sawyer DEET lotion do i need to bring? Is 1 2oz. tube per person enough? I immage it needs to be applied to all exposed skin every day. We'll be wearing long pants (or skirt for my wife sometimes), and long or short sleeve
shirts.

Don't want to run out, but also don't want to bring much more than necessary, and i don't know how far a tube goes.

thanks
jason

I'm not familiar with the products you mention. In the UK...Jungle Formula is the one we take. We usually take a couple of bottles of lotion and a couple of packs of wipes. The info on our product says that it is effective for six hours.

Using this combination of Deet protection we have never had any problems with insect bites over many years of travel to the Far East.

The wipes are 'oh so handy' and easy to have with you at all times.

In some areas you may go you may want 90-100% DEET and apply it 2 times a day. When we took shots for Java, Cambodia, etc. our immunologist told us 2-3 weeks of strong DEET is fine as long as it is kept far away from cuts or sores or eyes, nostrils, etc. You probably need twice the amount you are planning. This hopefully is not your last trip and DEET will remain effective for several years if kept at room temp and top is on tight.

Look for something called "Permethrin" which is sprayed onto your clothing. It's very effective. one treatment lasts six weeks and through several laundry sessions. If you treat your clothes, you will have less skin area to treat.

Check out the REI site and type in "mosquito repellent" in their search box.

The bug repellent that I get is REI's "Jungle Juice". It's extremely effective as well, but is oily.

The third item you need is "Afterbite". After you are bitten, rub this on immediately and it'll stop the itching.

REI is a sportings goods store and carries the best outdoors items, IMHO.

Good luck! and have a great trip! Maybe a trip report on your return? :)

The Ultrathon or Sawyer DEET lotion is an excellent choice as it is time-release. The Permethrin spray for clothing is also helpful.

Stan's advise about 90-100 deet is curious, as deet concentrations that high are not meant for use on skin. Concentrations over 50% do not increase effectiveness according to the research in this area. I wouldn't use "Jungle Juice" as the deet concentration is typically 90-100% and it's unpleasant to use as noted. Afterbite can be helpful.

I guess none of us answered the question of whether 2 tubes is enough. I always bring an extra "just in case." You can find deet repellants in SE Asia, but you won't find that specific repellant.

this reco comes from a deet supplier

"For occassional application throughout the day we would recommend a 50-60ml bottle per week and for constant application a 100-120ml per week per person"

Convert your ounces to milliliters and your all set :)

Aloha!

Hawaiiantraveler, hrm, that sounds like a lot...that would be be 2 tubes per person per week. I was hoping i'd have to use much less since it lasts 12 hours...

maybe i'll email 3M directly.

thanks for the tips everyone!

i used none at all...just relied on the malerone...stupid??

If malaria was the only illness that is carried by mosquitoes it wouldn't be a problem, Bob. But Dengue is endemic in all of SE Asia and there have been big outbreaks. Your only protection against dengue is preventing mosquito bites. The type of mosquito that carries dengue is active during the day. Of course, in rural areas, Japanese Enc, is also carried by mosquitos.

PS does Karen know you don't use repellant???

Gpanda, how can you resist this setup?

maybe it's too obvious for him...

Seems risky to me to rely only on malarone/doxy ... as Kathie said, you'd be at risk for dengue fever...which by the sounds of it, is not much fun at all

BTW: 3M emailed me back, and said they couldn't help much, but said 1 tube will yield about 60 dime size dollops.

I think i might go with the Sawyer product which comes in 6 oz. bottles, and claims to last 17 hours or more..so 1 application per day should be good..i'll bring 2 of those.

have DeepWoods OFF for Sportsmen, and it contains 98.11% DEET. So this is no good?

It isn't that it is no good. It's that a 98.11% concentration of deet is no more effective than 50% and is more likely to cause skin irritation, etc. In general, concentrations that high are not meant for application to the skin.

We tried the DeepWoods Off before our trip...burned our skin and was slimy feeling. We used 15% DEET OFF spray bought in Siem Reap and some other OFF lotion bought in Singapore. We did not get any bites...we were diligent about reapplying after 3 hours. We're still using the OFF 15% now in Thailand with good results. I prefer the spray to lotion because it's faster and easier for me to apply it.

I have just been to a health and security workshop run by Voluntary Services Overseas pre a years posting in Sierra Leone. The health advisors there recommend using 50% deet.
As to how much to take, apart from how often you apply,surely that also depends upon:
a. How big you are.
b. How much of your skin is exposed

My cousin, who like me is a mosquito magnet says he uses Repel which has lemon and eucalyptus in it. He swears by it.

What you don't want to wear: hairspray and shave lotion. These attract mosquitoes.