Deet vs Picaridin

[MikeW]

I've always used deet with good results, but don't like the possibility of it ruining my gear. Anyone use picaridin and how did it work? Thanks

[Dusty]

How about ruining your health? I use lemon oil mixed with skin so soft. So far it works for me here in NC. Deet is poison.
Dusty

[srparr]

I used to use deet exclusively on the island, until one trip where my brother-in-law had some on his hands and then opened my map to look it over. It now sports two thumbprints that have been eaten into the plastic paper by the deet!

I've switched over to using picaridin exclusively. Deet works about the best I've seen, but it does destroy plastics as well as having a disagreeable smell. Picaridin works almost as well for me, and does not have these drawbacks. Other things I've tried (skin-so-soft, eucalyptus, etc.) have not worked at all (for me). I will say that I seem to have to reapply picaridin more freqeuntly than deet, and I do go for the stronger concentrations (20% is the highest I've found).

I have not used pemethrin, but I understand it also works well. For those not familiar with it, you apply it to clothing and it is fairly long lasting (lasts thru multiple washings). Because of this I am a bit leery of putting pemethrin impregnated clothing thru the home washing machine. Probably just being silly, but it is a neurotoxin so if I ever used it I'd be very sure to follow the safety instructions. On the other hand, you can buy "bug off" clothing from Ex Officio that come with pemethrin already applied.

[JustinB]

I have had good success with Picaridin the past few years, although I haven't tested it on Isle Royale bugs yet (I'll have to report back in a few weeks). As srparr mentioned, the potential for DEET to ruin gear is a big drawback for me. Picaridin require reapplication sooner than DEET, but it doesn't stink or feel greasy, so I don't mind as much. I have had much better results with 20% compared to 7%, although it seems harder to find the 20% this year for some reason. I have had success with it keeping away mosquitos and ticks very effectively, and it definitely helps with horse flies. I haven't been around black flies enough to see how it will work with them, but hopefully it will work well!

[JustinB]

Just wanted to follow up after a week on the island. The 20% picaridin worked fine for the mosquitos during mid-June, and I ended up using less than 1 ounce total for a week. There were still some persistent bugs that would try to land on clothing, but they definitely kept their distance from any picaridin-treated skin. We didn't see too many black flies, but the spray helped with most of the other bugs too.