Buff Upgrade!

Posted on | August 17, 2008 | 6 Comments

Over at the SectionHiker blog there is a new posting about buffs called “Buff Bandana“. However the reason I’m mentioning it here is that he has come up with a trick that makes the buff even more useful.

“One variation I used this year was as a bug mask at night when the black flies were biting. I sprayed permethrin,…“

Basically what SectionHiker does is similar to what I did with my ground sheet, sleeping bag, pillow, bivy bag and Hex3. I used the Nikwax SkitoStop Insect Control for Fabrics (which is water based, and therefore least likely to do damage to the items sprayed – I hope) to treat my gear so it would ward off insects like midges and mossies (although it was ineffective with slugs, as the slug slime on my pillow proved).

If you follow the link in the “Buff Bandana” posting to their other article on permethrin you will read that this is a spray on insecticide for clothing. So basically you can turn all your current clothing into insect proof clothing. It’s a handy product to know about, but not sure about whether this is something that could be shipped over here, or if customs etc would get funny about it.

Not sure if I would agree with the recommendation to use DEET for the non covered areas. We all know how toxic DEET is to our fancy high tech gear. So instead I think I would recommend using something like the Nikwax SkitoStop stuff or even the PreVent products. Which are DEET free and won’t do damage to our expensive clothing.

You can listen to Nikwax talk about the SkitoStop stuff in the following podcast from The Outdoors Station.

Friedrichshafen Part Four

Download MP3 File

Category: Blog

Comments

6 Responses to “Buff Upgrade!”

Fenlander
August 17th, 2008 @ 8:20 pm

Best anti-bug (or most things) is to eat a rwa garlic clove a day.
It’s also supposed to be good for the circulation.
Fenlander
Fenlander
August 17th, 2008 @ 8:22 pm

FOR ‘RWA’ read raw!!!!!
alan.sloman
August 18th, 2008 @ 11:37 am

I thought Marmite did the trick?
Trevor D Gamble
January 19th, 2009 @ 11:34 am

The garlic capsules too I’ve heard off, and for mozzies to repel them I’ve also heard a lot of travellers take Brewers Yeast tablets too as well; as these are high in B vits and available from most health food stores in big tubs for a fairly low price usually. One then sweats both these substances through ones skin pores and the mossies just apparently do not like it! I also have a back up of a UCO candle lantern loaded for mozzie attack with citronella candles! A headnet completes my insect defences for most places too, and as natural an insect repellant stuff as I can find. If it is bad out there though I will deploy the Deet! Diluted ones though as the 100% types eat me as much as the mozzies do I’ve found, dissolving my skin!
Darren
January 19th, 2009 @ 11:44 am

Trevor, thanks once more for a great comment. I too use the headnet as well as part of my midge/mozzie protection.
Hot Stuff From Outdoor Retailer Winter Market ‘09
January 25th, 2009 @ 12:38 pm

[...] suggestion I forwarded to them based on the idea from SectionHiker (see original post on subject here). No idea when this High UV Protection Buff with insect shield will make it over here [...]