Bug Shirts

Let me say first off; we didn’t get paid by the manufacturer to produce this video, it’s just a simple gear review. We produce these reviews merely to show our camping and paddling friends what’s out there on the market.

I can tolerate bugs pretty well when we’re out in the bush but Merri has always had a problem with them, up till now. She’s been using this bug shirt for the past year and it’s made a huge difference. She is so impressed with it that she wanted to produce this short video showing close-ups of its features.

http://youtu.be/0t1PDbXhBWM

Review incomplete
The Elite Original Bug Shirt is also made in cotton for hot climates.



I have a nylon version for Shield country and a cotton version for the Everglades.



The bugs are far worse in the Everglades…about the same as the Arctic!

Nylon or cotton
I would think the nylon would be cooler than cotton in hot weather? Lucky we had so few bugs this past summer I didnt need to buy one of these. I cant tolerate DEET. Massive headache with that stuff for me. The Lemon bug repel stuff only works so so.



Thankes for the review.

nope
nylon is a sauna in hot weather. Its no accident that clothing stores in South Florida have what look like nylon shirts, but these shirts actually have a high percent of cotton. Plus with the cotton bug shirt if you get hot, you can wet it down and still have bug protection.

2nd that Nylon no no for Hot Weather
Up near Algonquin Park, Ontario, Canada you would think

it would be nice during the summer paddling season.

Nylon Bug Jacket was a Roasting Bag in the sunshine.



While an OR Permethrin fabric treatment shirt works;

I find that too warm at times as well.


Buggy logic
The Original Bug Shirt is a fine product, I’m sure.



What I never understood was the touting of the mesh panels for ventilation. If that’s true, then why not go with an all mesh bug shirt, which can be had for $20 and is more packable. That should provide even more ventilation. Yet some say it’s too hot.



I’ve always found regular long shirts, pants and socks to be enough, especially when treated with permethrin. It’s also important to have a permethrin treated hat. Beyond that, the Sea-to-Summit permethrin head net, which can be rolled into ping pong ball size, provides face and neck protection, and you can wear a narrow brimmed hat under it.



I love Mark’s paddling videos, but this one comes off more like a commercial endorsement than a critical and informational review of insect protection.

I have had one of these

– Last Updated: Dec-16-12 10:58 AM EST –

I bought the nylon model Bug Shirt shown in the review about four or five years ago at Canoecopia.

I find that the nylon can be pretty warm which prevents me from using it as much as I thought I would, yet I DO use it and would probably buy another one (maybe the cotton one) if I lost mine. My girlfriend likes it a lot too as she hates deet.

I wish it had another mesh panel in the back at least.

The hood on it is a fantastic design and has really well thought out features.

I find that I use it THE MOST for taking the dog for a walk at night when we are at our cottage in Northern Wi, in a wooed area right on Green Bay.
The skeets and ticks can be really bad, and being able to toss this thing on at night instead of having to spray down can be a godsend.
This past summer was so dry here that the bugs bever got very bad. I don't think I even wore the shirt, but my girlfriend did a number of times. Other summers it has seen near daily use.

easy
no need to wear anything underneath. Its fairly comfy then even when wearing a pack. The mesh does not bite in.



I also use the OBS as a windbreaker. Its double duty then.

Ticks
Ticks are bad, bad, bad. Vectors of many diseases, which I have gotten twice.



You can, of course, get ticks from branches. But for the most part they will get you from below, on your socks and pants.



The OBS won’t help you there. You need the OBP.



Having been twice bit and hospitalized, I now use long pants tucked in socks, recently the permethrin treated kind, when bush hogging and logging in my back 10 acres.

I love my OBS.
One of the best pieces of gear I have. Highly recommended. I prefer it over all mesh jackets. You can wear the OBS all by itself when warm and it is very comfortable against the skin. Mine has been used a lot on long trips and it is still like new.