Dressing For Success

Backpacking is such an incredible activity! It's so much fun to hike out into the wilderness, camp overnight, and get up in the morning to do more hiking. Whether you plan on backpacking for one night or many nights, you do need to be prepared with the right gear. A core component of that gear is insect-repellent clothing.

What is insect-repellent clothing?

Insect-repellent clothing is just clothing that has been treated with pesticides to cause it to repel bugs and insects. Usually, the insecticide used is permethrin. It doesn't have a strong scent, but it is not appealing to bugs and will keep them from landing on the clothing. Insect-repellent clothing is usually made from really tightly woven material, too. This makes it impossible for the bugs to bite you through the cloth, which they may do with thinner materials.

What kinds of bugs will the clothing keep away?

This clothing should repel all sorts of different bugs, but there are three kinds of bugs, in particular, that you want to repel. Ticks are the first one. Insect-repelling clothing will help keep them from latching on to your skin and passing on diseases like Lyme and anaplasmosis. Mosquitoes will also stay away, which is important because they can spread diseases like Zika Virus and West Nile Virus. The third insect to keep away is black flies, which can leave lots of itchy welts and drive you bonkers out in the woods!

What articles of clothing should you purchase?

You can find all sorts of different articles of insect-repellent clothing, from hats to pants. If you have the budget to do so, it is a good idea to buy a pair of insect repellent pants, a shirt, and a hat. However, if you don't have the funds to buy all three, buying just pants and a hat is adequate. The pants will keep ticks off your legs, and the hat will keep mosquitoes and flies away from your head and face. You may have a few bugs around your midsection, but since that area is still covered up, it should not be too bad.

Backpacking will be a lot more fun when you are not being swarmed by bugs. Invest in some insect-repellent clothing before you head off into the woods. You'll enjoy not having to spray yourself with bug spray every few hours, and you won't have to worry about itchy bites.