Permethrin is an insect repellant and insecticide that bonds to fabric and can be used on your clothes, tent, or hammock to prevent Lyme Disease, Rocky Mountain Spotted fever, or the Zika Virus by killing ticks, mosquitos, and insects that land on …

Permethrin is a pesticide that you spray on clothing to kill black flies, ticks, and mosquitoes but has no harmful side effects on humans if used properly. It is the active ingredient used in the Insect Repellent Clothing sold by Outdoor Research …

If you spray your tent with Permethrin to protect yourself from Lyme-disease-carrying ticks and blood-sucking mosquitos, you should spray the inner tent or insect netting and not the rain fly, which is waterproof and will prevent the Permethrin from soaking in. Permethrin …

The outdoor gear company, Wenzel, has started making family camping tents pre-treated with Permethrin, which repels and kill mosquitos and ticks, including those that carry Lyme Disease. I think this is a fantastic development and hope higher-end backpacking tent manufacturers follow Wenzel’s …

Lyme Disease is reaching epidemic proportions on the Appalachian Trail yet hikers still insist on hiking in short sleeve shirts and short pants. The easiest way to protect yourself from Lyme Disease is to wear long pants, a long sleeve shirt, and hat …

DEET in all concentrations can harm outdoor gear and clothing made with synthetics, like nylon and waterproof/breathable membranes, as well as plastics. It doesn’t harm outerwear or gear made with natural materials, however, including cotton, wool, aluminum, or steel. While DEET is …

Some people think I’m cracked when it comes to the preventive measures I take to avoid tick bites and getting Lyme Disease. But I still haven’t contracted Lyme Disease after 5000 miles of hiking, backpacking, and off-trail hiking through prime tick habit on the …

I wear a Sea-to-Summit Head Net with Insect Shield when I hike and backpack during bug season. When coupled with a wide-brimmed hat like my OR Bugout Brim, wearing a head net is far more comfortable and effective than coating my ears, …

Given the number of non-hikers that ask me about ticks and Lyme disease, it appears that either the awareness of tick-borne illness or it’s territorial spread are increasing, or both. According to the CDC, cases of Lyme disease are concentrated in the …

The most effective way to prevent infection by disease-carrying insects including ticks and mosquitoes is to wear insect repellent clothing pre-treated with Permethrin. Invisible and odorless, it has no unpleasant smell or feel. It can be washed and dried just like a …

Wouldn’t it be great if you could buy Darn Tough Hiker Boot Socks with Insect Shield to protect yourself against Lyme disease-carrying ticks? Unfortunately, you can’t, but you can take matters into your own hands and send your socks out to be …

Nobody gets just one chigger bite. You get a whole mess of them, more often than not, and they itch like hell. But chigger bites are preventable and the itching they cause goes away in a few days. Unlike ticks, chiggers do …

I’ve got another section hike coming up on the Long Trail and I’ve made a few changes to my gear list. This next section will be a 4 day trip covering slightly over 47 miles over much more difficult terrain. After this …

Outdoor Research ActiveIce Sun Spectrum Gloves are lightweight fingerless gloves that protect your hands from the sun’s harmful rays. They’re great for hiking, backpacking, paddling, running, or fishing because they eliminate the need to carry suntan lotion while protecting your hands from …