Expert Advice Needed on Camping and Bug Repellent
 

I'll be tent camping with my two young Cub Scouts for three nights in July, Northern Illinois.

I haven't done this since I was a young Scout myself. I have Fibromyalgia, so am more concerned with assuring my physical comfort than most might be . . . ! What is the most effective insect repellent I can use? I've always heard about the wonders of Avon's SSS, but never tried it. How about those repellent wrist bands -- are they any good?

Advice on this and any other camping don't-leave-home-withouts would be greatly appreciated! BTW, the first year my husband took the boys, he was given the "Camp Hilton" award because of the sheer mass of STUFF he dragged along with him. I'm determined to win the opposite award, whatever that may be.

The only insect repellent that I have found consistently effective is DEET, as close to 100% as I can find. Skin So Soft and all natural repellents have never worked for me, much as I wish they had; neither does stuff with a low--say, 10%--concentration of DEET. 100% DEET is nasty stuff, but has warded off mosquitoes, noseeums, biting black flies...it also took some of the plastic off my husband's watch and wiped the Nikon logo clear off my camera!
Happy trails!

The good thing about skin so soft is that you can bathe with it for about a week before you go camping and that helps. Make sure nobody's using fruit or berry shampoos! Also, if you're not allergic to it like I am, using a lot of BOUNCE in everything that you launder and take with you helps keep the bugs away. We even hang up some bounce around the campsite.

Insects (and bears!) are attracted to any food stuffs so you need to take lots of ziploc bags for the food, keep everything wrapped except when you're actually eating it, and double-wrap the garbage tightly.

One word for you SusanM, DEET! Forget about the other stuff. I am a mosquito magnet, so if I sound obsessed, it's with good reason.

Personally, I like a stick form of Cutters, because I can apply it without inhaling it (like a spray) or getting it on my hands (like a lotion). I can even swipe it on my face in the middle of the night without risk of getting it in my eyes.

In keeping with your desire to take the least amount of stuff, it's much smaller than a can or bottle or repellant. I usually keep it in my pocket to reapply whenever I notice the nasty little critters starting to land on me. I'd get a stick for yourself and one for each of the Cubs.

Good luck with everything else!

Thanks for the advice -- sounds like Cutters it is. It also sounds as though I'll have have to switch shampoos for a while, as I always buy the fruitiest-smelling one I can find!

I'm going to get laughed at for this one, but I HATE the odors of most of the insect repellents almost as much as the insects, and especially hate having that smell on me, and the greasy feeling, when I go to bed.

I've had pretty good success of keeping bugs away by putting a capful of household bleach into a sink (or container), then WASHING myself with it, after I've taken a shower. Yes, I can smell it on myself too, and in the morning I'll put on the usually repellent, but for overnight the bleach does the trick pretty well.

Deet is, I believe, a generic name. Anything with Deet in it will repel bugs - Cutter's, Off, etc. Make sure it has at least 30% Deet in order to be effective.

I usually go to my local camping goods store, REI. They carry an insect repellent that comes in a very small bottle but goes a long way. All their stuff is for hikers and campers, so they tend to come in small but powerful packages.

Also get something called AFTER-BITE. Once you have been bitten, the after bite prevents the bite from getting too itchy.

Both these products have worked wonders for me in several different places around the world.

Another suggestion would be a miner's light, which you can also get at a camping goods store. It's got a powerful beam of light which you wear around your head, frees up your hands. It also doubles as a night reading lamp for me. Again, it's small and compact, so you don't have to have a bulky big flashlight to get the same amount of light.

Once you are in a camping goods store, you will see lots of things you think you will need on your trip. Just don't go overboard buying all that stuff! LOL!

Have a great time! :)

Easy, the "miner's light" (I call it a bike light) is a great idea for camping with two kids! That way your hands are free for whatever needs doing, but you still have light. Excellent, Easy!

We have used Cutter's for many, many years. No problems, and mosquitos like my wife. It comes in either a spray or a liquid in a bottle.

Curious

You also might want to invest in mosquito netting. it's very cheap, just a few dollars, but works wonders.

Susan,

Here is some information I cribbed from the New York City govt webpage for public health:

---snip---
Female mosquitoes bite people and animals because they need the protein found in blood to help develop their eggs. Mosquitoes are attracted to people by skin odors and carbon dioxide from breath. Many repellents contain a chemical, N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide (DEET), which repels the mosquito, making the person unattractive for feeding. Repellents are effective only at short distances from the treated surface, so you may still see mosquitoes flying nearby. As long as you are not getting bitten, there is no reason to apply more DEET.

DEET has been tested against a variety of biting insects and has been shown to be very effective. The more DEET a repellent contains the longer time it can protect you from mosquito bites. A higher percentage of DEET in a repellent does not mean that your protection is better - just that it will last longer. DEET concentrations higher than 50% do not increase the length of protection.
How does the percentage of DEET in a product relate to the amount of protection it gives?

Based on a recent study:

* A product containing 23.8% DEET provided an average of 5 hours of protection from mosquito bites.
* A product containing 20% DEET provided almost 4 hours of protection
* A product with 6.65% DEET provided almost 2 hours of protection
* Products with 4.75% DEET or 2% soybean oil were both able to provide roughly one and a half (1.5) hours of protection.
---snip---

I would look for a small spritz bottle of Cutter's or OFF. Because your sons are young, I would not buy any of the strong concentrations of DEET. It's a powerful chemical, in high concentrations it melts plastic (which my Swiss Army knife and I discovered the hard way).

Long pants and long sleeved shirts in light colors are also helpful to some extent in keeping mosquitos at bay.

Make sure the cubbies keep their tent door zipped up even when they aren't in it. Keeps the bugs out.

In my camping store, the Miner's Light that was referred to above is called a Head Lamp and is found with the rocker climbers equipment. it's supremely handy, way better than a flashlight.

Again, check out the stick form of Cutters. Much more control in application and I think you end up using less. Not much smell, no danger of melting plastic.

My husband and I camp alot and have found that DEET is the best thing to use, the higher the concentration, the better.

BUT, it is highly recommended to wash the DEET off before going to bed, there have been cases of this product affecting the nervous system. By washing it off, the chances of this can be dramatically lowered. Most brands recommend this right on the bottle.

I also think you sleep better without that stickyness all over your skin!
Happy Camping!

REI has a sale that started today so you might want to check to see if there is any other gear you need. The headlamps are great...and they are pretty inexpensive, starting around $20 for something that will hold up.

Here's a checklist of what my boy scouts have put together for their camping trips:
hiking boots
backpack
water bottle
jacket/fleece
poncho
wicking shirt
regular t-shirts
hiking socks/regular socks
underwear
bathing suit
watch
sleeping mat
sleeping bag
mess kit
pocket knife
towel
mosquito netting
poles
comb
soap
toothbrush/paste
hand gel
tylenol/advil
personal first aid kit
glasses
bug spray
flashlight
batteries
paper towels for wet shoes
snacks/patrol food
drinks
boy scout handbook

They add and subtract based on the weather (winter vs summer/spring camping) etc.
Hope it's useful.

Seriously, go to this web site and look at this bug jacket - it is the BEST bug repellent one can buy (and NONTOXIC too):

http://www.bugshirt.com/diagrams.htm

I have nothing to do with this company - I just happen to own one of these shrits and swear by it.

Hi, Marilyn! Glad you like my miner/biker light idea! :)

I recently upgraded my basic $20 one to a fancy LED adjustable one of close to $70. Will let you know how it works out!

When in Europe, I've been known to break out my miner's light when shlepping my luggage up several flights of stairs in a pension - I never know if the automatic light is going to go out or not before I reach the top button! LOL!

Susan: If you are interested in the the REI version of 100% Deet, it's called Jungle Juice and comes in a very small bottle. Still pretty lethal stuff tho.

And don't forget the AFTERBITE!

If you don't like the nasty feeling of bug repellent on your skin, spraying it on hat, clothes and not even getting it on your skin works unless the bugs are really bad.

The issues faced when camping are simple - keeping warm, dry and comfortable. If these needs are met, you can deal with bugs, racoons, dirt in food, etc. (Hence your husband's bringing everything he owned from home)

Warm - the obvious layers - it is usually colder than you think.

Dry - nothing worse than camping in the rain - except sleeping in a leaky tent. Make absolutely positive you have a tent that does not leak, ground cloth under, set up so if it rains you are not downstream, etc. If it rains, make sure your clothes and other supplies do not get soaked. Or, do what we did when it rained when we camped - go home or to a hotel (probably not an option with Scouts)

Comfortable - all above, plus you need a good sleeping surface. Air mattress is best, but those foam roll-up things are a secnd choice. Don't try to sleep on the ground - only kids can do that and be able to walk in the AM. Strong coffee in the AM is also important - make some the night before and put it in a thermos. (A little brandy at night around the camp fire also helps - but don't know how Boy Scouts feel about that!)

SusanM
Try www.campmor.com for camping equipment. They can add you to a mailing list to get their catalog which we have found very useful. Their camping items seem to be less expensive than the REI and EMS stores, yet still have name brands.

Thanks again for all the great replies and advice. Determined as I am to travel lightly, I think I'll bring my hubby's cot, since the underside will serve as a good storage place for backpacks, etc. I'll go poke around at the sporting goods store today -- I know what you mean about taking care not to go overboard, though!

SusanM

The effectiveness of DEET is obvious from these posts, but Susan, do try it before you leave. Some people are very sensitive to DEET and end up with a rash or other problems that are no better than the insects would be. Since you have fibromyalgia, you may have a quirky system that wouldn't like DEET. I have to be careful where I put it and how much I put on -- bothers me, doesn't bother my husband at all. Just a word to the wise.

Campmor is a great website, as is sierratradingpost.com, but those are best for when you already know what you want. Definitely go to your local outdoor store and look at the gear and ask lots of questions. Instead of a cot look for a Thermarest pad...they are small self inflating pads, about 1" thick and are great. Our kids (and myself) use the 3/4 length since its less weight to pack. The foam pads are ok, but just our personal preference is for the thermarests.

Is this a car camping trip or backpacking? That makes a big difference on what gear to take. I dont want to bore you with unnecessary advice, lol!

BTW, the headlamps are great for on Halloween for the kids too! Hands free!

Easytraveler--those nicer headlamps really are great! our kids have the basic versions while we have the nicer. my dh is a mountain climber and got all of into this and its been a lot of fun!

I need all of this stuff just to go out in my backyard! We have a huge mosquito population. I hate to put that nasty stuff on to go outside for 5 minutes to do laundry so I can tell you what to do once you are bitten - cortizone cream. Apply cortizone cream just as soon as you discover the bite - even if you just feel it and can't see it yet - and it will go away. It doesn't work like that if you apply it an hour or two later - only when it's new.

Have a fun trip!

If you don't want to use cortizone cream, old fashioned "witch hazel" is also great for mosquito bites.

SusanM: If you wear long sleeved clothing and/or long pants, you can spray the Deet based repellants on the clothes. If you use shirts/pants with wicking material, you won't feel damp and sticky (like wearing cotton) and be protected. You can also hang a few of the repellant wrist bands inside the tent at night, especially around the openings.

Hi, all! Really glad that headlight thing meets with so much approval! :)

On mosquitoes: in Asia, they burn a special incense stick called a "mosquito coil". It's thin and looks like an incense stick, except that it comes coiled. It's very effective and you don't have to rub anything on your skin. Good only if you are going to be pretty stationary and not hiking.

If memory serves me correctly, I saw something like a candle in REI and it serves pretty much the same purpose. Isn't citronelli (sp?) the secret ingredient?

I think mosquito coils only work in an enclosed area like a hotel room. I guess you could burn one at the door of the tent, but can't imagine it would work "outside."