I asked a question over on the Hammock Forums about how many folks treated their hammock bodies with permethrin spray. While I would not say that it is universally done, the replies were overwhelmingly yes/positive.
I have been using the Sawyer’s spray for some years now, treating tent bodies & netting, my cotton Original Bug Shirt, socks, pantlegs etc. So far I have had good luck (in as much as I have not had a tick embed herself).
Out of curiosity, how many of you are permethrin users?
Jim
I use it on my clothes
I’ve had pretty good luck using it on socks, pants, shirts and hats.
Never thought to use it on a tent.
I would test some on the fabric
some bug repellents amd pesticide sprays will melt nylon and vinyl. I have a lovely hole in the bottom of my Eureka thanks to a leaky pump bottle of Repel Permethrin and it happened almost overnight.
Eureka told me that some are petroleum based ( the stuff that makes it spread on your skin and smell good) and thats the culprit, not the active ingredients.
If I am going to be in a heavy tick area, I usually take either Sevin or Permethrin dust and give my tent site a light coating around the perimeter of the ground cloth.
Sawyers sez
that their product is safe for those uses.
It is DEET that you have to be careful with. Urethane coatings, some varnishes, plastic hardware and I bet today’s plastic camera bodies and lenses may be damaged.
Tommy, at Assateague (AKA Tick Central) a couple of years ago I bemusedly watched a tick try to crawl up my permethrin-treated sock. It seemed unable to tell which way was up - good for a human, bad for ticks looking for the highest point on a mamal. Apparently the permethrin was doing it’s job of interfering with the transmission of nerve pulses. After about ten minutes I tired of the show and squished it with the pliers of my multitool. I am a believer
Jim
Make sure
it is thoroughly dry before you make contact with it, of course…