Insect Shield clothing makes a great holiday gift
Looking for the ideal Christmas gift for the active outdoors family?
Insect Shield Repellent Apparel protects against mosquitoes, ticks, ants, flies, chiggers, and midges (no-see-ums.) Insect Shield Repellent Gear (such as tents and hammocks) repels mosquitoes, ticks, flies and fleas. This includes insects with the potential to carry diseases such as Malaria, West Nile Virus, Dengue Fever and Lyme disease.
In the summer of 2013, our KidsOutAndAbout.com editor for Westchester County, NY—the heart of tick country—reviewed Insect Shield clothing. The article was so popular that readers asked where they could purchase Insect Shield gear, and what was available. We provide this information, and Anne's review, just in time for the holidays! The products are ideal for a variety of recreational activities such as hiking, fishing, gardening, canoeing and camping – just about everyone on the holiday gift list. The technology is EPA registered and can be worn or used by the entire family.
Bug Protection without the ICK
by Anne Siller
The CDC map to the right shows where Lyme Disease (a tick-borne illness) had spread as of 2011. My family, in Peekskill, NY, lives right in the bullseye. Such is the risk for us that even after just playing in our yard, everybody has to go through a “tick check.” And while not every tick bite results in Lyme disease, each one does present its own set of problems, most notably how to get the thing off your child. One only has to chase around a screaming 5-year-old with tweezers and a vat of Vasoline once to realize the benefits of prevention.
West Nile Virus incidence is higher in other parts of the country (see the map to the left also from the CDC). It is a mosquito-borne virus that is more prevalent in the Midwest and South. We have our ticks, in Texas y'all have your skeeters.
Enter Insect Shield.
Insect Shield creates insect-repellent clothing that has proven effective against not just ticks but many bugs, including fleas, ants, flies and that notorious vector for disease, mosquitoes. They use a patent-pending process by which a formulation of the insect repellant permethrin is embedded in clothing. The “shield” lasts through 70 launderings, the life of the garment. (Did you read that? Through 70 washes!) As they say in their brochure, the insect repellant is near your skin, but not on it. I particularly loved the clothes and socks--they are especially indispensable when we go camping or hiking. They make a walk through the woods less worrisome for me: Nobody has to get sprayed with something that is labeled as highly flammable.
Can you guess what the first thing everyone does when I show them one of our hats or bandannas treated with Insect Shield? That's right: They smell it. Know what it smells like? Nothing. The fabric smells like... fabric. And not even like fabric that's been treated with preservatives, like new sheets. They smell like anything your kids might put on that morning.
Of course, the ultimate question is: Does it work? As far as I can tell, it does. I think it wouldn't provide perfect protection in extreme circumstances--if, say, we walked into a cloud of bugs, it's not as though the bugs would all flee, shrieking. But for a normal walk through the woods, if my kids have on their Insect Shield socks and tees, and either a hat or the bandanna, I'm comfortable. And so are they!
Thank you, science.
Okay, so where can I get this stuff?
Insect Shield clothing is sold through lots of retailers, like Amazon, LL Bean, Gander Mtn, Dick's Sporting Goods, and many others. Here is a list from the Insect Shield web site. You can also check out their online catalog here (socks! buy socks! love the socks!). Their youth clothing section is here -- not a huge variety, though there are hats and tees for both girls and boys. Oh! And I just noticed! They have outdoor blankets with Insect Shield! I need one of THOSE! (A great idea for a present from Grandma!)