I was contemplating ordering a shirt from LL Bean, and was wondering if anyone has used this clothing before. My only experience with permethrin has been spraying my field/work trousers with the commercially available stuff (seems to work). Do the shirts keep skeeters, blackflies & deerflies away from your head?
Or am I going to be the lab test rat?
Jim
When I was working
at Lee’s I heard nothing but good things about buzz-off.
I would recommend it for going somewhere hot, balmy, and buggy.
But don’t dryclean the stuff it kills the chemical treatment.
And do the local outfitter a favor, don’t shop at ll bean.
kwikle
Thanks for the response. Unfortunately, my local outfitter folded shop in December.
Jim
oh the irony
too bad about the local outfitter
The local outfitter
did not fold because of lack of sales to me! NF tents, Suunto wrist computer, Patagonia & NF clothing, MSR stove, Asolo boots…If it was a stocked item, my $ were spent locally. As for REI, last year’s dividend was $12.49. That should give you some idea of how much I spent mailorder.
Jim
Keeping bugs off
I wouldn’t recommend buying impregnated clothing. I have used both permethrin and high concentration DEET sprays (the cans give you dire warnings not to apply it to your skin) on clothing for both field work and vacations, including a trip to Tanzania. The nice thing about those is you can apply them to most articles of clothing you have, and not have to pay a premium for one piece of clothing, and not have much of an option for what you wear.
Head nets
I had a head net in africa but didn’t need it. I find if you put a little skinsosoft on your face in addition to treated clothes and hat, you’ll be fine.
buzz off treatment
is about ten dollars more than the untreated item. You can get some bug protection simply from wearing neutral tan colors and applying an insect deterrent only when needed.
There is a lot of stuff coming with Buzz off. I have invested in a shirt with it because I like the color and find it might be attractive to bugs too. But I find no need to go with sox and pants and tshirts( unless you have a blue fetish, blackflies love blue). The Hat might be handy with Buzz off too.
It does work. Its been well tested at LLBean; they dont sell experimental goods as their customer satisfaction guarantee makes that an unwise investment!
I agree to support your local retailer. Mine is LLBean; also my employer.
RE: Buzz Off
My main question was whether or not an impregnated shirt will keep buzzers away from your face.
I am a big fan of the Original Bug Shirt, but sometimes I just do not like to have the net in front of my face. I was hoping that the Buzz Off shirts would solve that problem.
Jim
they are supposed to
but I havent tested mine yet. Its two months till I will find a bug.
If you buy make sure you can return if it doesnt meet your needs.
IT wears off!
– Last Updated: Mar-18-05 4:33 PM EST –
READ the fine print. The treatment wears off after 25 washings! I don't know about you but I wash my clothes after every wearing. Therefore, that fancy shirt I bought Memorial day will have no protection by the Fourth of July.
Or to put it another way, the previous poster will have no protection by the time the bugs show.
Read the fine print again
This shirt was lab tested according to standards set by the fabric industry. The print says that it has been tested and is effective for at least 25 washings. It does NOT say that it is useless after 26 washings as the testing standards do not call for a 26th washing. In the garment industry the lifetime of an article is taken to be 25 washings ( and I agree that most people use their clothes for more than that).
I believe you can expect to enjoy the benefits of Buzz off for a long time. It has been field tested extensively but not by me (you can check at llbean.com about how to become a tester of product)