How to keep mosquitos away

skyestoury
skyestoury Member Posts: 35
in EXPERT ADVICE

Here is my best advice on how to keep mosquitos away when on the trail and at camp.

I am the type of person who gets tons of mosquito bites on trips and my skin reacts really badly to them. So, after a lot of trying different products, I finally created a system that works well for me and I wanted to share it to help out others who are always swarmed by mosquitos.

  1. Sawyer Permethrin gear spray: I don't always use this, but it does really help to spray your clothing down with it. Must be done in advance and let dry before you wear the gear, hence why I don't always use it.
  2. Sawyer Picaridin lotion: this I put all over any exposed skin, it lasts for up to 12 hours but I usually reapply after 4 hours or when I get to camp. This lotion works wonders and can be used on its own. But for when the bugs are really bad, I add deet on top.
  3. Off Deep Woods Deet spray: though I know a lot of people try to stay away from deet, this one works really well and kind of smells good in a weird way... I spray this on all of my exposed skin after I put on the picaridin lotion.
  4. Thermacell backpacker: this I use at camp when sitting around or eating. It is small and connects to a fuel canister which you already have with you. It creates a 10 foot bubble that keeps bugs out pretty well. A few will still get in, but it makes a huge difference.

This combination has worked really well for me! When I used to just use one or the other, I would still come home with multiple bites. But when I use the combination of picaridin lotion and deet spray, I only get one or two bites, and only on skin that wasn't protected (usually my feet if I change shoes, or my back when I take my pack off).

Hope this helps others who hate mosquitos!

Comments

  • petergierlach
    petergierlach Member Posts: 12

    Thank you for this! I always get absolutely destroyed so I will try these recommendations on my next trip.

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