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Repellents
Browse information about insect repellents by selecting a repellent type below:
FAQs
Our insect repellents have a shelf life of 10+ years when properly stored in a cool/dry location away from direct UV exposure. Opening the bottle has no effect on the shelf life.
We would suggest treating all of your clothing and gear with Sawyer Permethrin which is a synthetic pyrethrum that comes naturally from a chrysanthemum flower! It lasts 6 weeks or 6 washings and is ultimately weightless while out on the trail. It both repels and kills ticks, mosquitoes, chiggers, mites and 55 other species of insects. Spraying all of your clothing and gear will give you a much larger surface area of protection against those insects.
For additional protection, apply Sawyer 20% Picaridin (comes in spray or lotion form and multiple sizes) on all of your exposed skin. Picaridin is a synthetic of a natural coming from the pepperine family. It is gear friendly, low odor, low grease, and family friendly. Also, it is the longest lasting topical repellent on the market - spray at 12 hours and lotion at 14 hours!
So, Sawyer Permethrin treated clothing paired with Sawyer Picaridin on exposed skin will give you the ultimate protection against insects, including those pesky mosquitoes!
Quite possibly. DEET should not damage cotton, wool, or nylon. Do not apply to or near acetate, rayon, spandex or other synthetics, furniture, plastic, watch crystals, leather and painted or varnished surfaces including automobiles. Be sure to read the labels, and if in doubt try a sample on an obscure surface area and check it after 24 hours of exposure to DEET.
The lotions will usually last longer simply because you will have more control over how much product is used (recommended amount is .5 ounces per application). Similarly, the pump spray would last longer than the aerosol, which gives the least control, but is arguably the easiest to use.
FYI, because of the way they slow down the evaporation of the product, lotions will last approx. 2 hours longer than sprays of comparable concentrations. However, sprays have the advantage of being able to be applied to clothing and remain effective much longer on clothing than on skin. Since repellents work as a 3″ barrier, clothing applications can often protect 6″ of exposed skin and significantly reduce your usage on skin. So all things considered, whether to use a lotion or a spray is just a matter of personal preference.
Some yes, but mostly no. If flies are going to be an issue we recommend using the Sawyer 20% Picaridin topical insect repellent. Picaridin is much more effective against flies than DEET, especially at 20% which is higher than other Picaridin formulas available on the market.
Yes. We would recommend applying the sunscreen first. The trick to a comfortable and effective application of sunscreen it to put it on first thing in the morning or at least 10 minutes before sun exposure to help it fully absorb into your skin. Our SPF 30 sunscreen is a bonding base formula which makes it very breathable while still very effective. You can learn more about this formula at sawyer.com/sunscreen
The reason you were told to “get something with at least 30% DEET” is because under older guidelines this was true. Simply put, the higher the percentage of DEET in a given formula, the longer and more effective the protection from insects. Until the introduction of Sawyer Controlled Release Insect Repellent, we would have recommended Sawyer Maxi-DEET® 100% DEET Insect Repellent for the skin. People often confuse concentration with dosage. Lower “dosages” of 100% DEET or DEET mixed in a Controlled Release lotion or even a standard lotion work better than alcohol-based sprays.As an added measure, you may still consider 100% DEET for times of extreme bug density. However, the real question is not how much DEET you start out with, but how much of the active ingredient, DEET, is available at any given time (even hours later) to repel those nasty mosquitoes.Skin repellent with Slow Release Technology–Sawyer Controlled Release 20% DEET Insect Repellent uses sub-micron encapsulation to entrap the DEET. An effective and long lasting insect repellent for use on the skin is a slow release technology that keeps the repellent on the surface of the skin much longer than other formulas. This provides for slower absorption and extended effectiveness against biting insects. The Sawyer Controlled Release Insect Repellent formula provides this type of technology in a formula that is both effective and very comfortable to use.