Hats, bugspray, boots, sunscreen

[John Brownlow]

Spring is sprung / The grass is riz / I wonder where / The Deet is?

I was shooting in a swamp last week and assailed by sun and mosquitoes. Luckily I found a cache of 10-year old 90% Deet, but it will only last a little while. Meantime my trusty Filson Packer Hat (http://www.filson.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2092241&cp=2118241&parentPage=family) has finally given up the ghost. I'm tempted by something with a wider brim, like the Filson Bush hat (http://www.filson.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2092427&cp=2118241&parentPage=family), but I also just bought one of these MEC French Foreign Legion hats (http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524442502465&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302698795&bmUID=1147011196944) as a stop-gap.

What hats do you guys where? (NB Tilleys are out... my wife is under strict orders to take out a hit on me if I ever start wearing Tilleys or playing golf).

What about bugspray? What's the strongest Deet mix you can buy legally, and where? What about bugshirts?

Sunscreen? I use the 30SPF gel stuff, which I like a lot, but maybe there's something better?

What about the holy grail of a combined scentless sunscreen and bug repellent??

Then there's the issue of boots... I have a fantastic pair of Columbia Ice Dragons which are fantastic for swamp-hopping in winter (on snowshoes) and early spring, but too hot for summer... I'm thinking about a new pair of hiking boots... probably goretex... I like them really high for lugging a backpack and hacking through ankle-twisting brush. My biggest problem with most boots is that my feet are wide with long toes so anything with a narrow fit becomes excruciatingly uncomfortable on a long hike... any recommendations?

[John Kasaian]

Eat lots of garlic or take garlic tablets. Start the regimen several days before headin' out. Avon Skin So Soft. Both repel mosquitos around my neck of the woods. YMMV ("Your Mosquitos May Vary")

[bruce terry]

John - Real men are bare-headed, bare-chested and bare-footed.....and they eat the bugs before the bugs eat them.... :)

[KenM]

Hey, what's wrong with a Tilley? I swore up and down that I would never wear one, but I tell you, they do a great job at keeping the sun of my head (something that's *really* important since I'm well, you know...) and off my neck.

Makes a great lens shade too.

[David A. Goldfarb]

I like Neutrogena sunscreen--High SPF, doesn't feel greasy, and scent is minimal.

This company makes excellent sun hats-- http://www.sundayafternoons.com/ I got one at a visitors' center up around Mt. Charleston, NV, when I realized I left my hat at home, and I'm very happy with it. It's really light and well vented and rolls or folds up easily for packing and has a long neck flap.

Ex Officio long-sleeved shirts are great in the sun and hot weather. They are UV resistant and also well ventilated and they wick away moisture. They are also easy to wash and dry quickly in a hotel sink, if you like to travel light. The pockets are big enough for a 4x5" Grafmatic. My wife got me one once, and now I've got two, and she's got one, and they're also my father's favorite shirts out in Las Vegas where my parents live these days.

DEET--I use Ben's 100, and it will probably take me years to go through one bottle.

[Richard Wasserman]

I used to not pay too much attention to mosquitos, but would occasionaly slather myself with DEET, until I was infected with West Nile Virus. I now take it a bit more seriously. I found that Avon's Skin So Soft works well. I have tried eating garlic which also seems to help, but it also repelled my family. I am looking into bug repellant clothing as I am going to spend a month in the rainforest of Guatemala next year photographing an archaeological dig at a recently discovered Myan city. It is situated next to a swamp and Malaria is a real risk.

John, I know you don't want to hear it, but I also wear a Tilley. In my case it's a T6 Nylantium (who comes up with these names?). It's not as hot a canvas hat, but does lack somewhat in the stylishness department. I bought a cap recently similar to the MEC Foreign Legion hat, but I haven't worn it enough to know how I like it.

I wear Vasque Goretex lined boots. Sorry, I don't remember which ones, but they are waterproof, comfortable, and not too hot. My feet are fairly average in width, etc., so YMMV.

[Ralph Barker]

I have a pair of Vasque Goretex/Leather boots that I bought at REI that have served well for summer wear. For winter and snow, I use Herman Survivors insulated boots.

As to hats, I've yet to find the perfect mix of "cool" and practical, but the Tilley comes close. The chin string looks a little dorky, but it has saved losing the hat to wind more than a couple of times.

The other advantage of the garlic (fresh, not pills) regimen that John K. suggested is that it also keeps the composition vampires away. ;-) Most of the time, however, I use the REI insect repellent, and their sunscreen.

[David A. Goldfarb]

Hey, I just saw that my hat's on sale--$24.95--

http://www.sundayafternoons.com/index.cgi?id=94803818518&d=single&item_id=SL-AH&c=Sale_Room&sc=Adventure_Hat&nr=&pc=

Boots--I like my leather & Goretex traditional Vasque Sundowners. I just loosen them up and wear lighter socks in the summer. My wife has a pair of lighter Vasque hiking shoes, though, with something like a cordura upper and Goretex layer, and she seems happy with them.

[chris jordan]

Dudes, I found the ultimate mosquito repellant a few years back, and it's cheap and all natural. I paid nine bucks for a tube of REI's best repellant, and the stuff was awesome-- clouds of mosquitos hung nearby but I got almost no bites. I read the ingredients list, and the active ingredient was 5% cucumber oil. So the next time out I went to a funky perfume/aroma/massage-type shop and got a little bottle of pure cucumber oil. It keeps the skeeters FAR away, and it also smells nice. It's been my faithful companion on spring trips into the Cascades ever since.

[Mike H.]

Gortex boots from REI (They ARE the Best)

"KINeSYS" Sport Performance Sunscreen Spray, Fragrance Free, Oil-Free, Alcohol-Free (that comes in a second bottle), 30+ SPF, $11.95 from Solumbra

Explorer Shirt, light weight, ventilated, "wicks away perspiration and promotes superior airflow", 30+ SPF, $89.95 from Solumbra (will even make Hermit feel stylish).

SUNS basketball special CHAMPIONSHIP sports hat. Available from Team Sports Shops.

Deet, Deet and MORE Deet. Cucumbers? Rub them all over you and eat them, too? Yuck!

[Frank Petronio]

I have strange feet -- size 17 4E flat with bone spurs and orthotics -- and I always had a hard time with boots. Last year I broke down and get some made by http://www.russellmoccasin.com/ and couldn't be happier. I avoided the fancy leathers and they weren't too expensive. I'd like to get a lighter pair next. They should last forever since they can be resoled and maintained.

I've had various modern hiking boots too (usually too small though) and I don't mind the extra weight for well made traditonal boot. I'm not climbing 5.14s in Pakistan, so old fashioned "Dick Cheney" hunting boots are probably more realistic anyway.

BTW, my feet grew almost two sizes in my middle age. They just sort of mushed out. So if you think your feet are the same as when you were 21 you might want to check again.

New Balance and Columbia seem to have a good line-up of large, wide stock model shoes too, and they hold up well. Since stores rarely stock them, I order online.

If only my other extremities were as large as my feet... ;-)

[tim atherton]

These days I prefer one of these:

http://www.leevalley.com/garden/page.aspx?c=2&p=49753&cat=2,42407,33245

otherwise it's 25 year old wool felt safari hat from Briggs Hatters in London or my old standard British Army jungle hat... (though I did find a nice waxed aussie one too recently for the rain)

I've used extreme DEET (the army used to have stuff in tiny bottles that was 98% or something and would melt almost anything part from flesh) - these days I find the stuff that's slightly stronger than for kids is just fine - you just apply it frequently - once it's on it does just as well. (have to try this cuke thing though - perhaps taking cucumb3r sandwiches for lunch would help...?)

I have an excellent bug jacket - Skeeter-Guard I think it's called (not sure it's made any more) - it has elastic cords built into it that wrinkles it and keeps it the mess off the skin and the hood can be zipped up full face- I've used it on many canoe trip into the Barrens etc where the mossies are the biggest and most vicious you'll ever see in N America and it worked well.

As for boots - I don't know about high boots - but the best boots for british/anglo saxon feet are the Brasher Boots - lightest comfiest ones you'll ever find - otherwise a pair of old green hunter wellies :-)

[tim atherton]

the Brasher Hillmaster series - but they aren't high (and the countrymaster shoes are superb for comfy feet after a days urban cityscape work)

[Dan Fromm]

Re bugspray, see the current issue of Consumer Reports, which contains ratings of DEET-based and other repellents. They don't mention supplementing a DEET-based spray with a permethrin spray applied to clothing, but in the past they've said the two in combination are more effective than DEET alone. I use the two, and they're effective for mosquitoes and ticks.

No spray has worked all that well, at least for me, for repelling chiggers. I'm very sensitive to their bite, used to come back from field trips to the tropics with my ankles and calves purple and very painful. When the bites get infected they can take months to heal. My solution, since I collect fish and one can't go, um, naked in the water when the shocker is running, has been to wear my waders all day long. Looks ridiculous but keeps the mites at bay.

Now when I get a chigger bite I treat it very agressively with 1% topical cortisone and topical Polymixin-Bacitracin-Neosporin ointments. The two together reduce the swelling and greatly discourage infection.

[Ted Harris]

One of the earlier posters mentioned Ex Officio but for its UV resistance, another thought .... BUZZ OFF. Ex Officio, Orvis, LL Bean and presumably others all market clothing that has been chemically treated to ward off all the nasty bugs. I discovered the stuff two years ago and was skeptical at first. Now I am sold. I was out Friday and yesterday with black flys in abundance and, while others were commenting, I was left alone ... I was wearing a Buzz Off shirt and hat.

As for boots, a couple of general suggstions and then some specifics:

1) Your overall use and disposition will determine whether new high tech boots or more traditional ones are right for you. The high tech boots can sometimes be resoled but that is usually only the high end ones and it is tricky with the glued on soles, the traditional boots with a Norwegiaan Welt (sewn) or similar can easily be resoled many times so they lat and last after they are broken in.

2) The give and resiliancy of the high tech boots have both pluses and ninuses. There are those that argue they will give you mor eprotection in the event your foot twists on a root or you step on a sharp rock. Others point out that the imact of the root or rock goes right through them. Again choice.

3) While there are as many defcenders and detractors of the various high tech boots there are a couple of traditional boots that get almost universally top reviews from all those who wear/have worn them. The two that come most readily to mind are any of the Limmer Boots (http://www.limmerboot.com) ... a new pair of their light-weights which reside on my feet being broken in at this very moment and the Scarpa Rio's. The testimonials for these boots come from ATC through hikers, AMC trail workers, etc. IOW people who put hundreds of rough miles a year on their boots. In my case I have a dearly loved pair of Raichle Colorado boots that jus tno longer fit as my foot has gotten wider at the toes so it was time for something new. I tried some of the high tech models, a Salomon Revo GTX almost made it, before I ended up with the Limmers. I went with Limmer for a couple of reasons. First, never met anunhappy Limmer wearer; second, it is a family owned and run business now in the third generation of bootmaking and finally they are nearby so I went and had them fitted by Peter Limmer who is as expert as you will find. Contrary to experiences we have all had at the various "outfitters" like REI and EMS these guys know feet and boots and I spent over an hour with them till we were both satisfied with the boots on my feet. After I have broken them in for a few weeks or a month they may do a bit of stretching here and padding there to meet my special needs but no till the leather has had its chance to mold to my feet. They make their boots in half sizes and regular and wide widths which means that unless you have a very odd foot you will find a fit. If you are within a drive of Invervale, NH it is worth the drive to get them to do the fitting. You will also see a listing of a dozen or so retail outlets around the country and if you have to go that route call the Limmers on the phone first and discuss probable fits.

Bottom line for me with these boots is I wanted to wear them out the door after I tried them on and it was only their protestations that I really should try them indoors for a few days that kept me doing so. They still feel great and I know I could go out on a significant hike with some weight on my back right now .... oh yeah as you will read "light-weigh" here is a relative term they are light relative to the Limmer standards not relative to the rest of the boots in the world but your feet will thank you for the support and protection. For thowe that say what about Gortex, remember that you will get as good or better waterproofing from a traditional pair of leather boots that you properly treat with the right grease.

4) Limmer's might not fit you as well as one of the other traditional boots or you migh tbe more comfortable with something you can actually try on, I know I am. If I lived in the UK I suspect it would be a pair of Alt-Berg's that I was breaking in right now. As for the Scarpa Rio's they get nearly as many raves as Limmers and I can add the personal raves from my son who has been wearing a pair for around 10 years. They have climed most of the 14K+ peaks in Colorado and done a through trek of the John Muir trail on his feet while we he was carrying more than 60 pounds.

Both the Limmer's I am describing and the Scarpa Rio's are more or less off the shelf boots. If you can afford the $$ and the weight for custom boots then Limmer's are still one of the best out there and boots from Charles Van Gorkom are another .... there are others but I just don't know who they are. Whatever you do make dead sure the boots fit before you venture out in the wildnerness in them or you could be very very sorry.

[Joseph O'Neil]

Sunscreen - get a product that has eitherrh "Parsol" or "Titanium dioxide" as an active ingredient. You'll find sunscreens with either one hard to find and generally more expensive than other ones, but I've had a dermatoligist tell me those are the two of the most effective/important ingridents in sunscreen.

Boots - I take an "F" width. Ever try finding size 12 anything with and F width? You usually get laughed at just asking for EEE width. Anyhow, I have found it isn't so much the brand, because even in premium brands there's a varaion, but rather - usually - but not always - hiking/outdoor boots that are also safety boots - hard to find to be sure - often fit me the best. YMMV.

Bug Spray - any brand with DEET in it, but spray on all natural fabrics. Deet, if storng enough, can do a real number on some man made / syntheic fabrics.

Hats - aw man - you Tilley IS the hat. I'd rather go out naked with without my Tilley. But you need the right one - get the T2, it has an extra wide brim and it doesn't have that "Tilley look" about it. I was in the hat shop in Key West that sells Tilley couple months ago, and they asked me who made the hat. I had to take it off and show the label inside before they would believe me. I've had the exact same thing happen in several shop that sell Tilleys, so don't write them off completely.

..but I'm with you on the golf thing....

:)

joe

[Martin Miller]

Now you've gotten down to the real nitty gritty of large-format photography!

Some years ago the Army did extensive tests in Alaska and settled on a DEET mixture with a special long lasting polymer developed by 3M to replace their 98% liquid stuff that I remember from my Army days. This new compound is only about 32% DEET and goes on like a cream. It's protection apparently lasts something like 12 hours. Unfortunately, the only commercial source of it now is (ugh!) Amway and they call it HourGuard 12. Use this on all exposed skin and spray your clothes (off your body and let dry) with Permethrin, which is an insecticide. The effect of the Permethrin will last through several washings.

I used this regiment faithfully in Alaska (where the mosquito is the state bird) several years ago with excellent results - no bites in 3 weeks in spite of fearsome swarms.

[Frank Petronio]

Aren't you guys worried about long term exposure to DEET? I mean it does cause damage to your nervousssssssssystem...

Seriously. If the skeeters are that thick don't they get into the camera?

[John Brownlow]

Frank -- when hacking around in the Canadian bush you worry about long term exposure to Deet for about 1 second before you start worrying more about being lifted bodily by a swarm of the bastards and helicoptered away to their lair.

I was on a canoe trip a couple of years ago with a mild-mannered accountant who seemed unaccountably un-bothered by the mosquitoes. The rest of us would be yelling and swearing and slapping ourselves and Brian just mooched on with a canoe on his head. That was until we hit a 4km portage which took us up hill and down dale but mostly through a cedar swamp. I had dumped my canoe and was going back for gear when I crested a hill and saw that Brian had finally snapped. He had gone stark staring mad and was jerking and slapping himself, gnashing his teeth and swearing at the top of his lungs. There was no point in even talking to him. I just grabbed him and pulled him to the canoe and we powered out into the lake, pursued by a huge swarm of insects. We were a mile out by the time we lost the last one.

Later that night when he had calmed down and we had given him a stiff shot of Lagavulin we counted his bites. We stopped counting after one leg. It had 500.

[Andre Noble]

Is DEET the main ingredient in "OFF"? If so, I noticed that "OFF!" removes paint from things you touch with it. It can't be good long term for your skin.

[John Brownlow]

Oh, and they DO get into the camera. On the noblex they settle on the drum while it is rotating and crawl in through the slit. You have to wait for them to die and shake them out.

[Bruce M. Herman]

They still sell the 3M product at the Anchorage REI. Perhaps the other REI's have it, too.

When the bugs aren't horrible I spray a shirt and a hat with a brim with DEET, as opposed to spraying my skin. There are some bugs here, white socks being only one of several, that are undeterred by DEET. As much as I like summer, winter is not without its own attractions... or lack of detractions!

[David Karp]

For sunscreen, make sure your sunscreen has avobenzone in it. My dermatologist recommends sunscreens with this ingredient, and only sunscreens with this ingredient. Coincidentally, my wife's good friend is a doctor, and she was at the beach with her friend and their kids. She wondered why her kids were red and she was using a 45 SPF screen on her kids, while her friend's kids were not red. Her friend is a dermatologist and her kids were wearing sunscreen with avobenzone. My wife's friend's kids were not. Now that is all we use.

For mosquitos, we found some stuff at the store in Yosemite when we ran out of deet. I think it was made with eucaliptus. We used it on ourselves and the kids, and it worked pretty well. Probably not as good as deet, but we felt better putting it on the kids.

[Rory Roopnarine]

Hiya everybody. With the rise in the incidence of West Nile virus in the United States, new concerns arose on the safety of DEET for use in adults, children, lactating mothers, and pregnancy. Thankfully, there have been thousands of hours of DEET use data available. All the trials, to date, have shown that DEET is safe for all groups. Manufacturers are working on ways to reduce the amount of DEET absorbed through the skin. However, some individuals (approx. 1:5,000) will be sensitive to DEET, usually manifested first by intense itching. There is a new insect repellent under study, Picaridin, that is less irritating than DEET.

[paulr]

Sunscreen ... my observations from climbing, where my lilly white flesh might be under high altitude sun from sunrise to sunset, is that there's no substitute for using a lot of it, and reapplying it often. No matter how high the SPF, or how "sweatproof" it is, none of it lasts as long as you might like. I've gone all day with SPF 15 and been ok if I apply it all the time. But being lazy with SPF 45 has gotten me fried.

Some are better than others. The ones that contain pigment, like titanium dioxide, are technically called sunblocks. they're good if you have sensitive skin, but they all sweat off much faster than chemical sunscreens. So for hiking, climbing, or cycling, I go with the chemical sunscreens. I don't have a pet brand, but I've had good luck with neutrogena and a few others. I usually go to a local climbing shop and get whatever they have that's spf 30 or higher, is perfume free, and claims to be hypoallergenic and sweatproof. These days all the ones that meet thise criteria seem to be good enough.

Bug stuff ... i read somewhere that you get few added benefits when the DEET content is above 30%. I'd beware of anything stronger anyhow. i once had a bottle of muskol which is 100% DEET. furniture varnish would stick to my hands and arms! anything that disolves wood finishes is probably best not smeared all over your body. That being said, DEET's been in use for a long time, and I've never seen a study that found health issues with it.

Boots ... i can help with hiking and climbing boots, but if you need something high enough for clomping through swamps, maybe go somewhere that sells to hunters.

[John Brownlow]

Thanks for the pointer to the consumer reports bug repellent test. The results were very interesting. Top was 98% Deet but the 3M Ultrathon with only 34% Deet was second, with about 7+ hrs protection. Looks like a winner.

[John Kasaian]

Eating fresh garlic will also help you live longer according to Mel Brooks ' 4,000 year old man:

When the Angel of Death taps you on the shoulder, you turn and say

"Whos there?"

The Angel of Death leaves.

My wife recently banned me from garlic fries at the base ball stadium.

Should I be concerned???

[Chris Avery]

3M Ultrathon, lasts a long long time, comes in a small tube, so you can carry more lenses.

[Dan Jolicoeur]

One Answer;
BENS 100

[Jeffrey Sipress]

Nothing beats DEET.

Dan, you said 'when the shocker is running'.... is that what I thnk it is...??

[Dan Fromm]

Backpack electroshocker, Jeffrey. In the right conditions very effective.

[Frank Petronio]

You're jossing us right? They really sell one of those things?

Don't shockers attract more bugs?

[Dan Fromm]

Prank, I never post in jest.

Use Google to find references to backpack electroshockers and electrofishing. There are also boat-mounted and truck-mounted shockers. They're used by ichthyologists and fisheries biologists. Not, as far as I know, by entomologists. It really doesn't do to be in the water bare-legged near one.

I don't own one, can't justify the expense. And even a little backpack shocker is too big and heavy and (danger! danger!) filled with gasoline or vapors to be easy to transport by air. But I've been in the field in Panama and Nicaragua with teams from STRI and MNCN-Madrid who had 'em. The Spaniards had a cute little one that was, in fact if not in law, air transportable.

You're thinking of those backyard bug zappers. Entirely different, and much, much cheaper.

[Jeffrey Sipress]

That's not fishing. It's wildlife genocide. And scientists use these? Are they afraid of worms, or maybe salmon egg bait is too slimey to touch? I am the one who is shocked that anyone can and will actually do that sort of thing. Yeah, I'm a tree hugger, too. Especially just after I photograph one.

[Dan Fromm]

Common complaint, Jeffrey that I think it misplaced.

The only way to get a good sample when doing survey work is to use all of the gears possible. Cast net, seine, "research" gill net, shocker, explosive cord or dynamite, poison, and sometimes even dip nets. Your view of what's necessary and adequate is distorted by living in North America -- some parts of our continent, e.g., California, have depauperate fish faunas -- and being, I gather, an angler.

"Tree huggers" simply don't understand that the world has ended already. The best we can hope to do now is document what's still there. Preservation, except perhaps preservation focused on a few feature creatures, isn't possible. Too many people. I have a reasonable baseline in southern Central America and its all over there. Over.

You grossly misuse the word genocide. You have no idea of the quantities of fishes in existence or of the quantities taken by scientific collectors. We don't scratch the surface.

[Daniel Taylor]

i have a hat simialr to that, xcept it is a pendleton and it is crushable as well. i have been looking for a decent shirt to wear out in the field that doesn't draw too much attn and is comfortable!! i've seen those shirts used by guys who fish-they have a a vented like back that keeps you cool, yet keeps the buggers out.. as far as buggers go in general, i don't get bit. guess they don't like my blood or something! but since i lived up here in washington(state), have not gotten bitten once by the buggers...however, does douglas firs count...wish i could a repelent against them!!damn they make me itch like crazy!! shoe wise, i have a pair old hking boots that have lasted yrs and don't show signs of quitting just yet...so i will keep using them, but am not blind enough to keep an eye out for future replacements!