Hunters’ options for avoiding bothersome bugs now include fabrics woven to thwart mosquitoes’ best efforts and treated to drive away ticks bent on burrowing beneath clothes.

Sitka Gear has helped pioneer a number of areas of technology in the high performance garment world. Though quite pricey, their clothing is indisputably very well made. Along with keeping their wearer warm, dry and concealed from game, items in their Equinox Guard line deter mosquitoes and repel ticks as well.

Their challenge, as they saw it, was to create a breathable, stretchable, ultra-lightweight fabric that could be printed in the company’s camouflage patterns. Christina Rapa, a textile specialist with the company, searched through fabric construction methods to meet those needs.

“Could we find knitting machines with fine-enough gauge and not compromise on the durability of the fabric?” she asked. “To top it off, printing on extremely lightweight and stretchy fabrics can be challenging in itself.”

They solved the problem through a type of knitting machines built to create precisely-knit, high-gauge fabrics.

“We were able to develop a unique textile that passed all the testing without compromising on quality or color clarity,” Rapa said.

To that, the company added a permethrin tick repellent treatment that bonds so thoroughly with the fabric it is expected to remain effective throughout the projected life of the product.

To see these clothes locally, visit Hunters Haven in Tupelo or go online to sitkagear.com.

Thermacell, permethrin

Both mosquitoes and ticks are worth the effort of repelling because they’re not only a physical aggravation, but are potential bearers of disease as well. Ticks are especially menacing, as the high incidence of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Lyme disease and countless other blood-borne maladies attest.

Essentially any garment designed for use in the outdoors can be treated with permethrin, and anyone who needs to sit still in the spring will want to have a Thermacell to keep mosquitoes off of their face at any rate.

The Thermacell uses a little bottle of butane and a tiny ember of flame to heat a pad treated with mosquito repellent. The chemical used in this process is synthetic and is chemically similar to that found in chrysanthemums. The pads last a few hours, the bottles of fuel last several dozen hours and the personal version of the device itself lasts until you lose it. The whole thing is a self-contained unit you can carry around or strap into a holster, even when it’s running. And it works.

The company offers larger-scale options for repelling mosquitoes around a picnic table or throughout a backyard or campsite. Check them out at thermacell.com.

The best results in the repelling of insects comes from a combined effort. Clothing that will be worn into tick country, which is just about everywhere this spring, can be treated in advance with permethrin. Sawyer Products makes a superior formulation and is available at Hunter’s Haven in Tupelo and in similar stores throughout the region.

Follow your product’s specific directions but, generally, clothes are treated by hanging them up outside and spraying them down with permethrin, which is allowed to fully dry before the clothes are worn. Hang the clothes and gear up outdoors to spray them. Don’t spray permethrin onto clothes you’re already wearing. Permethrin is never to be applied directly to your skin but, on clothes, it does a great job of keeping ticks from crawling over boots, up pant legs, around backpacks, down collars and through belt lines.

The best protection from tick- and mosquito-borne diseases, not to mention comfort, is found through a combination of clothing treated with permethrin in advance and mosquitoes repelled through Thermacell fumes. This does a better job of repelling than the use of repellent applied directly to skin, and it’s much more comfortable to use as well.

The Sitka gear will be a tremendously welcome addition to the mix, but you’ll still want a Thermacell to keep mosquitoes out of your face at the very least.

 

Other good gear for go-time

Folding ground seat

Unlike a folding chair or stool, a camo ground seat is a seat cushion with a back on it that uses webbed nylon straps between one and the other for support. It’s quiet, light weight and makes a huge difference when you have to sit anywhere out of the ordinary. Perfect for turkey hunting, this seat is a go-anywhere, do-anything gem. It would be good in any back-support-free sitting situation.

 

Hydrating backpack

Not a backpack with a hard water bottle that tucks into a pocket, this is a backpack with a fair-sized bladder inside, with an attached hose that runs out the top of the pack then through loops along one strap, then culminates in a straw-type fitting for direct drinking. It’s a great way to make sure you have water close at hand.

Whether you’re sitting in a treestand or hiking through the woods, this is something that’ll keep you well watered since you can have a sip whenever you want it along the way.

Because it fits into your pack, you don’t create empty bottles to crackle and slosh. You don’t have to stop and dig in your pack to get your water out or put it back in, so the handiness of it keeps you from ever getting thirsty and miserable in the first place.