Protection from insects during trekking

I think one of the main reasons some people dislike trekking is because in the wild you are prone to attack by insects, and while mosquito bites and sand fly bites are bearable for some, other find them really really irritating - at least, enough to keep them off the wilderness.

Personally, I expect some mosquito bites, leeches and sand fly bites here and there after every trek. We are pitching out tents in their “homes” anyway! But then again, some things can be done to lessen the extent of these irritations.

Recently, I received a sample package of a type of shower foam. I forgot what the name of the thing is already, but I saw it on sale in Guardian pharmacies. It supposed to be a shower foam insect repellent. I haven’t tested how effective it is, and I guess I will give it a go during my next trek!

Normally, I do take measures to at rid mosquitoes or at least, minimize my bites. My skin is quite sensitive and is irritated easily, but I guess the pleasures of trekking heavily over weighs these irritations. My first “tool” is my mosquito coil and container! This is what I use during trekking, in the day. With a snaplink, I attach the container to my backpack, and so far, the smoke and smell from the coil has been pretty effective in getting rid of mosquitoes.

Secondly - insect repellent. Some may argue that no matter what repellent you use, mosquitoes will still get you. I have to agree with that, but I think they are effective to at least reduce the number of bites. For trekking newbies, one note of caution though, do test our your repellent at home before your trip, so that you are sure that your skin is not sensitive to that particular brand of repellent. There are a couple of kinds in the market, all of which would normally cost less than S$10. Some come in the form of sprays, some in the form of creams. I prefer the cream types, because they are more compact to carry.

Lastly - clothing cover. My usual practise now is to sleep in a sleeping bag at night, but prior to this, I used to cover myself up. Wear long pants, and long sleeved shirts, and socks to sleep! This alone can help reduce your bites by a lot! Also, remember to zip up your tent mosquito net at night! Mosquitoes are most active at night, so it may help if you just pitch away from stagnant water! Some other types of repellent include the electronic repellent, which is a device that transmits a very high frequency sound that irritates the insects - but I have not had the chance to use these before.

Tags: insect repellant for trekking