Bug spray damage your gear?

I use DEET regularly, never had a problem transferring it camera gear, spraying on the back of your hands as Chas suggests is the go, just keep it off your palms. I genrerally am wearing a hat so I'll give that a light spray to keep mossies away from my head.

I wear a top quality bug suit and do not trust any chemical on my skin. I once used the off stuff and had a real uncomfortable woozy reaction to it and had to wash it off. But I figure the less chemicals in my life the better and something that kills can't be good for me.

Paul

Chas wrote:As per David above..and I spend a bit of time in bug city!

I use Repel on my clothing which is permanone, and Deet when necessary (on skin only).

Apply the Deet to the top off hands and work it on exposed skin like a cat . Do not put it on your forehead, if you sweat it will go into yours eyes...blurry vision and excessive tearing will result.

If conditions allow I will always opt for my Elite Bug Shirt first.
FYI- we have the Elite Bug Shirts http://www.essentialphotogear.com/produ ... d2a1a66181

Repel is fantastic for mosquito and tick, and is the exact same ingredient used in Bug-Off clothing
To use effectively... hang clothes on hanger outdoors and spray liberally with Repel, place in trash bag and seal for 1 hr, remove and hang to dry. I do my shirts, pants, socks and hat. Good for a number of washings.

Chas

Hmm...never heard of sealing them in a trash bag for an hour...I just drape them over an outdoor railing to dry right after spraying.

Hi Chas,
Your link for the bug shirt is truncated and does not work. Long web addresses don't work from the quick reply box. You need to use the reply box at the top and use the URL code on top.

Steve

Stephen Feingold wrote:Hi Chas,
Your link for the bug shirt is truncated and does not work. Long web addresses don't work from the quick reply box. You need to use the reply box at the top and use the URL code on top.

Steve

Steve - http://www.essentialphotogear.com/prodd ... ?prod=BGEE

Chas

That jacket is quite a bit more stylish than the buzz-off clothes that I use Similarly priced, too.

Thanks for the FYI on the new / alternative chemicals, was not aware of them.

Just for clarification, I think DEET is fantastic, if used correctly. (i.e. butterfly, frog photographers...?!?). Like anywhere, we've got our fair share of tick-infested spots even in DC suburbia, and DEET is critical for lyme disease prevention. I try to spray it on my clothes instead. Allergy wise, topical exposure isn't too bad (minor skin irritation), but the problem is when DEET gets into a mucous membrane. For instance, my last incident- was traveling in a van packed full of biologists getting ready to hit the field. Folks were anxious and decided to prep en-route, getting out the bug spray in the van. I accidentally got sprayed in the eyes (insert dirty joke here), didn't have an EPI-pen on me and ended up spending the remainder of the day in the emergency room. Quite painful!!