| CaliforniaLyme 2005-08-25, 11:49 am |
| http://www.billingsgazette.com/inde...news/2005/08/2=
5/build/outdoors/55-gear-junkie.inc
Gear junkie: Clothing keeps bugs at a distance
Stephen Regenold
GEAR JUNKIE
A recent newspaper comic strip I read depicted a small boy asking his
father about the most dangerous animal in the woods. Without a flinch,
the father replied that the most dangerous animal is indeed the tiny,
inconspicuous wood tick.
I have a friend who has suffered the ill effects of Lyme disease. It's
a long, horrible and draining sickness that I would not wish on an
enemy, and since this person's diagnosis I've been doubly conscious of
the small dangers in the woods.
In addition to bug spray, long socks and a good bodily inspection after
any day outside, I've been testing clothing this summer made to ward
off insects, including ticks, mosquitoes, flies, gnats, ants and other
creepy crawlers. Ex Officio infuses its Buzz Off clothing line with
Permethrin, a man-made form of a natural insect repellent found in the
Chrysanthemum plant.
The company (www.exofficio.com) sells shorts, shirts, pants, hats,
socks, bandanas and kids clothing in its Buzz Off line. Garments retain
the chemical that repels insects through 25 washings, according to Ex
Officio. Using the clothing either reduces the need to apply
insect-repellent creams, lotions and sprays, or it adds another layer
of protection when used in addition to the traditional antidotes.
In my tests, the bugs did seem to disdain anything with the Buzz Off
name attached to it. I tried out the nylon Convertible Pants ($79), the
polyester/rayon Crosscheck Long Sleeve Shirt ($69), the Super Hiker
Sock ($20) and the Buzz Off Hat ($28). Flies noticeably avoided contact
with my head one particularly buggy day in the woods while wearing the
hat. My hiking partner was swatting and slowly accumulating bite welts
on the back of his neck, but I was left pretty much untouched.
It's hard to say whether or not the clothes warded off ticks in my
tests. But after one particularly long day in the woods I came home,
showered and found not a single small, evil parasite on my body.
Beyond its bug-eschewing qualities, the Buzz Off line is composed of
highly-functional, good-quality clothing. The Convertible Pants are
airy and breathable, for example, and the zip-off legs are a nice extra
touch. They dry quick when wet and are durable enough for moderate
bushwhacking. The Buzz Off Hat is made of a similar lightweight nylon
that breathes well, even on hot and humid days. It has a neck-covering
cape that protects from both the sun and the bugs, and it folds up and
away when not in use.
Stephen Regenold is a freelance writer and the founding editor of the
climbing magazine Vertical Jones. Gear Junkie began two years ago in
the Minneapolis Star Tribune and now runs in papers including the
Seattle Post-Intelligencer, the Albuquerque Journal and the Reno
Gazette-Journal. He can be reached at sregenold@hotmail.com.
Copyright =A9 The Billings Gazette, a division of Lee Enterprises.
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