Posts Tagged mosquito repellent
Insect Blocker Shirts From Columbia Sportswear
Whether you’re camping in a national park, on safari in Africa, or backpacking around Southeast Asia, the common denominator nuisance is probably going to be mosquitoes. In some places they’ll just leave itchy welts and annoy the crap out of you at dusk. In some parts of the world, however, they can turn your vacation into your first experience with malaria or dengue fever. Not fun.
It’s like a war on terror though trying to prevent these bites, with multiple levels of defense and no margin of error. One good weapon to have in that arsenal is treated clothing that repels mozzies. You can buy a can of what you need to spray on whatever clothing you have, but I’m a big fan of travel clothing that has the stuff baked in already, like this Bug Shield shirt from Columbia with Insect Blocker.
Insect Blocker is something the mosquitoes can smell and they don’t like it one bit. (For good measure, it also keeps away gnats, ticks, ants, flies, chiggers, and midges.) For us humans, however, the shirt just smells like a shirt. Or like smelly you after a few days in it.
This feels, smells, and wears just like your standard hi-tech travel shirt, but with added protection when you need it. It’s got the wicking nylon that dries quickly, a bit a stretch so you can move around easily, and UPF 40 sunblock protection. It’s got that feature that can be useful during the day when there’s no mosquito threat: sleeves that roll up and button. There’s a mesh panel behind the shoulder and some venting under each arm to let the air circulate. The Velcro pocket has another secret zipper pocket inside where you can covertly stash some cash.
But won’t the treatment wear out? Well, as with other insect-blocking items we’ve reviewed here, it will eventually. But we’re talking 70 washings before that happens. So unless you’re a tour guide naturalist or you make it a habit to go hiking at dusk each day, there’s a good chance you’ll never get to that point.
Like I said, this is a weapon, not a total solution, so remember the whole system: cover your skin (especially ankles), avoid black, use a net or coils when needed, and—the most important thing—use good insect repellent. Here’s Pam’s review of the Ultrathon version.
There’s nothing really groundbreaking or unusual about this Columbia Bug Shield shirt—it’s a follower rather than a leader. But it comes in five sizes and six colors. They also make a women’s version, a crew version, toddler crew, and pants. You can get it online at Columbia.com for the $80 list price or sit tight and wait until it goes on sale after the mosquitoes go into hiding. Or check prices at these online retailers:
Columbia Bug Shield Shirt at Backcountry.com
Columbia Men’s Bug Shield Shirt at Altrec
* Get Free Shipping No Minimum at Columbia.com with promo code F11FREESHIP!
See more of our travel clothing reviews
Posted by Tim L. in Adventure Gear, General Gear, Travel Light on September 8th, 2011
Cool New Travel Gear on the Way
I spent most of last week checking out new travel gear, travel clothing, and gadgets that are going to hit store shelves later this year. I was at the Outdoor Retailer show, where the companies roll out the fall and winter lines for later this year that they’re hoping will wow buyers.
Some of the things I’ll review in detail soon and am therefore not including them here, like the SOL Emergency Kit from Adventure Medical (take a guess what that stands for), and some nifty Gecko sandals from GoLite Footwear. Here are others though that I couldn’t get my greedy mitts on yet because they’re still in prototype mode.
We love double-duty gear here and Merrell is expanding a line that seems meant for us in the Adventure Rest collection. You can see the current Charade version here and see some before and after pics at the top, but it’s just the tip of what’s to come. Yes, this may look eerily similar to the Storm Logic jacket I reviewed earlier from another company, but Merrell says they’ve patented this particular jacket version: it stuffs into a neck pillow that is shaped like a real neck pillow instead of being a mere tube. Watch for a whole slew of these travel-ready jackets, vests, and shirts before next winter.
Eton is a company really walking the walk when it comes to renewable energy and they make all kinds of great products that will keep you powered up and safe no matter where you are and no matter what disaster has hit. I checked out their new Raptor kit. It has a load of cool functions packed into a lightweight, $130 list price package: solar charger, altimeter, barometer, compass, radio, weather alert system, alarm clock…shall I stop now? Well, that solar charger goes into a 1800mAh rechargeable Lithium Ion Battery that can fire up your cell phone as well.
Anyone who’s been following what I write here or elsewhere knows I’m a huge fan of the SteriPen. I would conservatively estimate I’ve personally kept at least 500 plastic water bottles out of landfills by using various models in around a dozen developing countries while traveling. Now there are even fewer excuses not to carry one because they’re introducing an even lighter (2.6 ounces), smaller Steripen Freedom model that comes with the one big feature everyone has been screaming for: it’s rechargeable! Not just in a wall socket either, but also in a USB port. So when this comes out in July or August, buy one of these nifty gadgets. Stop buying bottled water once and for all when you travel in places where you can’t drink the water straight from the tap. No more excuses.
I’m not happy about this trend, but there were all kinds of gloves on display that will allow you to send out tweets and facebook updates about how much you’re freezing your a#% off or how you just conquered that gnarly mogul run on the slopes. Because how will life go on otherwise?
Since I saw people punching messages on their iPhone while snow was coming down hard and snowboarders were crashing right next to them on the slopes, I guess there’s a demand for this and 180s has been at the forefront. They have some TecTouch gloves out now and more are on the way. I tried them, they work, and they scare me. But maybe I’m old. Or maybe I just like to enjoy the outdoors in peace—without collisions. Props to them though for creating a new market.
It’s hard to get too excited about mosquito nets, I know, but ask anybody who has come down with malaria or dengue fever and they’ll tell you it’s one of life’s worst badass experiences. I’ve raved about Cocoon sleep sacks before, but they are putting out a parade of impressive mosquito nets that pack down to nothing but are loaded with handy features. The model I especially liked has spreader bars at the top that fold up like numchuck tent poles, colored tabs to tell you what goes where, and rock pockets to keep the net flush to the floor. Spring for the InsectShield version so you can be doubly protected. The absolute most expensive model you can get is around $130: a small price to pay for health insurance.
Posted by Tim L. in Adventure Gear, General Gear, Travel Light on January 26th, 2011
ExOfficio Insect Shield Halo Shirt Keeps the Mozzies Away
Mozzies? Well if you travel internationally in the tropics, you hear that word a lot—a slang term for mosquitoes—often accompanied by some kind of swear word. When you’re in a place with hungry mosquitoes it’s always annoying, but when those bugs carry malaria or dengue fever, you need an arsenal of weapons to stay healthy.
This Halo Check shirt with Insect Shield takes ExOfficio’s usual double-duty usefulness to a higher level, hitting all the right points for active travelers and keeping the bugs away as well. This fabric treatment is a no-brainer really once you get past the cost: there’s no odor, no harm to your skin, and no change to the feel of the fabric. Yet it holds up for 70 washings or so. I don’t know about you, but there are very few items of travel clothing I own that have been washed that many times.
The shirt itself has most of the attributes I love from ExOfficio . It’s lightweight nylon that doesn’t wrinkle, it dries quickly after a sink washing, it’s ventilated, and there’s a 30+ SPF sun protection. Provided you’re not in a place that’s super hot and humid, it’ll wick away the sweat. With the color I tried out—the khaki checked one—it doesn’t show sweaty areas too badly either.
As usual, there are lots of nice thoughtful extra features built in as well. It has snaps instead of buttons, which I really like. A mesh liner extends much of the way down the inside. There’s a 
fabric hook on the back for hanging it up and a flap and snap system to hold the sleeves up when you roll them up. (Rolled up during the day when the mosquitoes aren’t around, down at night to protect the arms.) Each breast pocket has a regular pocket and a handy zippered hidden pocket for stashing some cash or a credit card.
This is a great all-around, double-duty travel shirt that should keep looking good for years and keep the mosquitoes away for however long it takes you to wear it enough to need to wash it 70 times. It lists for $90, but prices will vary depending on who is selling it and what colors aren’t moving. As I wrote this, some colors were selling for around $50, so shop around.
There’s a version for women and a version for men, some in solid colors, others in checked patterns.
See more at the source, ExOfficio.com: Halo Check Shirt for Men and Halo Check Shirt for Women
Get the ExOfficio Halo shirt at Amazon.
ExOfficio Insect Shield Halo Check Shirt – Men’s or Women’s at REI.
Check prices at Magellan’s – Halo ExOfficio shirt
Posted by Tim L. in Adventure Gear, General Gear, Travel Light on July 15th, 2010
InsectShield Bandanas and Hats
I typed up this review in advance while looking out at the waves lapping on the beach of Tulum, palm trees swaying in the breeze and tropical birds singing in a morning chorus. But last night I slept under a mosquito net and I have a mosquito coil burning next to the lounge chair I’m in to keep the vampires at bay. At times it’s like getting dive-bombed.
Fortunately, I’m armed with a whole other arsenal of weapons, including some clothing with insect protection built right into the fabric. ExOfficio has for years had a line of Buzz Off products that were treated with built-in Permethrin, but this InsectShield line is even more durable, lasting 70 washings before the 0.52% of repellent wears off. It’s invisible, odorless, and—in my experience quite effective. You still have to spray something on exposed skin though, as this will only protect what it is covering.
Mosquitoes flying around your legs and ankles are annoying enough (a good reason to wear some InsectShield pants), but it’s even more maddening when 
they are flying around your head. That buzzing in the ears is enough to make some people flail around like a dancing lunatic and walking around with bug bites on your face is never fun.
Fortunately, you can protect your head or neck for only $12 with the ExOfficio InsectShield bandannas pictured here. They come in a variety of colors and each has little mozzies on it so you don’t get it mixed up with a plain bandanna. Any long-term traveler learns that the bandanna can be a great double-duty item too, working as a head cover, sweat rag, impromptu napkin, valuables holder, and more.
Then there’s this InsectShield Adventure hat, which I’ve been using for six weeks now. There’s nothing even slightly fashionable about this hat and I’ll admit it’s probably not the kind of thing you want to wear while posing for photos. It’s a floppy hat that will protect you from the sun and from bugs and only weighs two ounces 
though, so function wins out over form. It knows its job and does it well, not really caring if you look cool or not. (Hey, at least the chin strap is detachable.)
If you’re going to be in hot sunny places for a while, you need a wide-brimmed hat anyway, so get this, the bucket hat, or the Cotton Sun Bucket model and keep the mosquitoes at bay at the same time. If you don’t mind being a redneck, you can get a baseball cap one instead—or that with a flap coming off the back to cover that neck.
The Adventure Hat lists for $36 but sometimes you’ll find it on sale for less at the ExOfficio site or at Backcountry.com.
See the full line of InsectShield products.
See the other ExOfficio reviews at Practical Travel Gear.
Posted by Tim L. in Adventure Gear, Kids and Family, Travel Light on July 22nd, 2009
Clip-On Mosquito Repellent by OFF
The other evening my husband and I headed out our back door for a hike. Immediately we were swarmed by mosquitoes (the rainy weather we had in Colorado last month has done a number on our bug population). I turned around to grab the Clip-On Mosquito Repellent I’d received as part of a marketing campaign I’d opted into via BzzAgent.com. I figured it would be a great opportunity to see if the funny looking, battery-operated contraption works.
It doesn’t.
And it’s totally dorky, too.
Seriously, I wouldn’t be caught dead with the bright-blue, whirring fan attached to my body anywhere out in public. I wore it while walking trail around my house because it’s deserted. But if I wore it on a trafficked hiking trail, I might get in trouble for disturbing the peace. The “quiet fan that circulates the repellent” is not quiet.
The device’s premise is a good one — instead of spraying OFF on your body, you wear the Clip-On, and a fan distributes the repellent from a disc inside. However (and I found this out after I went on my hike), while wearing the Clip-On, you can’t move! The marketing materials say that you might be able to use the odorless Clip-On while gardening, camping or lounging at the beach — but if you walk around, you have to wait a couple minutes for the area around your body to “rebuild its protection.” So, there was no way I would have been protected on my hour-long walk. And I wasn’t — I came home with at least three new bug bites.
So, I tested the Clip-On as it was meant to be used the following night, by placing the fan on my patio table while we ate dinner at dusk. Again, it didn’t work, even though I was sitting down-wind from the device. I got at least two new bug bites.
I know all parents would love to find a non-toxic, all-natural mosquito repellent that isn’t harmful to our kids. No one likes rubbing Cutter or Deep-Woods OFF on little bodies during a camping trip (but those products do work). However, the Clip-On is not the answer, that’s for sure. Even though the Clip-On repellent never comes in contact with skin, the box is still loaded with precautions: “Harmful if swallowed, inhaled or absorbed through the skin. Avoid breathing vapor. Wash thoroughly after handling….” In fact, the little spinning fan resembles a toy, so this product could be even more dangerous around children than a can of OFF or a container of mosquito-repelling wipes.
Thumbs down on the Clip-On, since it didn’t repel the mosquitoes around me and because it’s just goofy.
But if you want to sample it for yourself, buy the Clip-On at your local superstore for about $13; two refills (each of which last for 12 hours) retail for about $6. And don’t forget the AA batteries.
Posted by Kara in Travel Light on July 6th, 2009
