Hot Weather Camping means bugs
It’s summer, so you’re probably camping by water. And that means bugs.
The basis of anyone’s anti-bug arsenal needs to be a DEET-based bug spray. Natural alternatives and home remedies have been scientifically proven to be ineffective. Humans have applied more than 8 billion doses of DEET in the past 50 years, and in that time there have been only 50 documented cases of side effects. The infinitesimally small risk you run by applying DEET is far outweighed by the much higher risk of mosquito-born infections.
What concentration of DEET is best? The New England Journal of Medicine found a concentration of 23.8 percent to be ideal. Anything higher doesn’t provide more protection.
One problem DEET does have is that it can reduce the effectiveness of sunscreen by up to one-third. Try to apply your sunscreen at least 20 minutes before DEET to minimize its effect.
By now you’ve probably seen various outdoor clothing brands advertising bug-repellant properties in their clothing. L.L.Bean calls its line No Fly Zone, for example, but all work by impregnating the clothes with permethrin. This insecticide kills bugs like mosquitoes, ticks, and chiggers on contact, and I can verify that it really does work to prevent them from landing on or climbing through treated clothing, but it doesn’t keep them from buzzing around you or landing on exposed skin like a DEET bug spray will.
You can also spray permethrin onto any clothing or camping gear. Built in from new, the treatment is said to last up to 70 wash cycles. Spray it on clothing and gear yourself and it’ll last through five or six. In addition to pants, socks, shirts, and such, I spray permethrin on my hat, camp chair, tent, and sleeping bag.
