Picaradin, Insect Repellant

[ExploreABitMore]

Has anyone tried this more natural alternative to DEET? Supposedly, a few studies say it outperformed DEET, but I'll believe that when I see it. Just ordered some, so I guess I'll find out soon enough, but just curious if anybody else has tried it before against the mosquitos of the Sierra - a rather rapacious bunch of mosquitos, if you ask me.

Also, got the OR Bug Bucket Hat. Mosquitos aren't gonna slow me down this summer

[AlmostThere]

I tried it. I didn't buy a second bottle. I have to wonder if it only works with particular body chemistries -- other people swear by it, but it seemed to be about as effective as water....

[Willythedog]

Works good for me. I use it when mtbing around the bay to backpacking in the sierra. The fact that DEET melts stuff kinda seem a little shady to me.

[snevill]

A friend of mine used it on a trip with me while I was using DEET. I didn't get any bites, he was chewed to pieces and miserable.

[kpeter]

I replaced all my DEET with Picardin last summer, and it seemed to work well. However, I did not have a heavy mosquito trip last year, so I can't say I have tested it under tough conditions.

Picardin is far more popular in Europe and Australia than DEET, where it has been available since 1998. It became available here in 2005 but has only been marketed much for a couple of years, so it has not had as much time to catch on in the US as it has elsewhere.

The WHO recommends Picardin over DEET for combating mosquito born diseases, so it can't be all bad. But perhaps DEET has some unique property that makes it especially good against Sierra mosquitoes.

I'll probably be hitting worse mosquito trips this year, so I'll form a stronger opinion in a few months.

https://www.outdoors.org/articles/amc-o ... repellent/

[ExploreABitMore]

Thanks guys, I'll probably continue to carry my %100 DEET with me at first to be safe, and hopefully find I can replace it with the Picaradin, or maybe just use the DEET when the skeeters get really bad. I figure the less DEET I use, the better, even if I can't totally eliminate it.

[ExploreABitMore]

https://www.outdoors.org/articles/amc-o ... repellent/

This was interesting:

The percentage of DEET or picaridin in a repellent determines its protection time, with higher concentrations offering longer protection. DEET is available in concentrations from 4 percent to 100 percent; picaridin levels range from 7 to 20 percent.

When it comes to picaridin, recent studies have indicated that a concentration of 7 percent is equivalent to about 10 percent DEET (one to two hours of protection), and a 20 percent concentration offers the same protection (four to five hours) as an equivalent DEET concentration.

I don't find DEET to be very effective below %40, but I only use it when they are really swarming. And, when those skeeters are really aggressive, %100 DEET seemed to be what I needed to get them off me. Kind of sounds like Picaradin needs higher concentrations to reach the same effectiveness? Is this why some folks seem to think DEET is better - they're using a higher concentration? Is Picaradin harmful at higher concentrations ( well, more so than DEET )?

[longri]

I tried Picardin shortly after it became available in the U.S. That was about ten years ago. My experience was that it was much less effective and it smelled far worse than DEET, due to whatever fragrance they added to it. It was like rotting cantaloupes.

Some years after this it became available in a higher concentration (and hopefully less smelly version) and I always meant to give it another go, but so far I haven't.

Frankly, DEET works just fine for me. No problems with it on my skin or affecting anything plastic I carry. So my motivation to find an alternative isn't particularly high. I wish there were an effective repellent for gnats and flies. Those insects cause me as much grief as mosquitoes, maybe more.

[maverick]

Newest bug spray study: http://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsod ... rom-biting

[ExploreABitMore]

Newest bug spray study: http://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsod ... rom-biting

Sounds like I should just start wearing Victoria's Secret Bombshell perfume