Mosquitos and water purification

[TheObserver]

Wondering what you guys use to keep mosquitos at bay best you can? I have a mosquito jacket but not the best visibility.

Did not use it the last two weeks and must have been bitten upwards of 200 times on my back, they are really bad this year.

Also doing more backpacking stuff what do you guys use to make water safe? Boiling obviously the surefire way but tabs or those bottles/pens are so lightweight but never tried em not sure of there efficacy

[Bustercluck]

Mosquitoes are going to mosquito. Wear a bug net and loose clothes or suffer(and suffer). Lol.

Here’s a water purification chart. I got giardia last fall and it’s pretty serious, 10 times worse than covid. I have a hard time drinking the tabs in my water, the flavour is unbearable, especially when you know how mountain water is supposed to taste. I have an msr mini works and my friend has the guardian. I highly recommend the guardian. It pumps fast, no need for any other purification and you can pull water out of a small creek, but expensive.

https://i.imgur.com/PmGVsKF.png

[Arctic Lake]

I’m getting eaten alive doing yard work in gardens this year . Not sure if this is an old wives tale but once heard they like certain blood types more than others
Arctic Lake

[Gateholio]

I absolutely believe they like certain people more than others. I would get attacked while my girlfriend was immune. But it could be that the mosquitoes like the taste of beer, too.

Thermacell devices work great.

So does DEET.

[TheObserver]

Mosquitoes are going to mosquito. Wear a bug net and loose clothes or suffer(and suffer). Lol.

Here’s a water purification chart. I got giardia last fall and it’s pretty serious, 10 times worse than covid. I have a hard time drinking the tabs in my water, the flavour is unbearable, especially when you know how mountain water is supposed to taste. I have an msr mini works and my friend has the guardian. I highly recommend the guardian. It pumps fast, no need for any other purification and you can pull water out of a small creek, but expensive.

https://i.imgur.com/PmGVsKF.png

Was up at my spots in region 8 and 2 hiking all day and man am I covered in bites my back is just ridiculous.

Is the guardian made by MSR and is it a gravity filter?

[TheObserver]

I absolutely believe they like certain people more than others. I would get attacked while my girlfriend was immune. But it could be that the mosquitoes like the taste of beer, too.

Thermacell devices work great.

So does DEET.

Hahaha yeah they are just scum man relentless little *******s. I've thought about applied reppelent but not sure if thats good scent too have

[Blacktail 270]

Backpacker thermacell is the ticket for hanging out in an area and Pristine water purification tabs work great without the taste that can go with some tabs. Tabs are always in my pack.

[RustyBrit]

Try a few different tabs. I got mine from Amazon and they are essentially flavourless. Also make sure they are “1 tab/1 L of water”. My parter got tabs and they were terrible tasting AND 1 tab / 750 mls. With a nalgene that’s useless. We threw the tabs in the trash and ordered some more of the good ones. They are dirt cheap insurance. I usually pump/filter and then tab to be 100% sure if it’s gross water.

[Bustercluck]

Was up at my spots in region 8 and 2 hiking all day and man am I covered in bites my back is just ridiculous.

Is the guardian made by MSR and is it a gravity filter?

The guardian is made by msr and it’s a pump style. I personally wouldn’t go with a gravity feed unless I was staying in the same spot for days and had lots of people to give water too. I also have an msr (dolomite?) water bag that threads onto my pump which is the same thread as a wide mouth nalgene. If you’re going on an overnighter you want at least a 4 litre bag and a 1 litre water bottle

[HarryToolips]

For mosquitoes I have a bug bet to drape over my head when I sleep if they're really bad...other than that I use nothing not even spray..

For water purification, I use the drops, otherwise just pick my source wisely... there's even ways to obtain clean water without an actual source, like tying a shirt to your leg and walking through grass with the dew in the morning..

[landphil]

I absolutely believe they like certain people more than others. I would get attacked while my girlfriend was immune. But it could be that the mosquitoes like the taste of beer, too.


I’m close to immune to them so it’s not the beer / BAC. Wife gets eaten alive by them, and the bites swell up like crazy.

I grew up in region 5, so I’ve donated my share of blood, and do think we can develop a bit of tolerance / immunity to their bites. Or maybe I’m just too bitter, or taste like shit??

[Treed]

Thermacells work really well. I was surprised at how effective they are. In terms of water purification, why not use UV, especially if you are pulling water out of clear mountain streams?? I get it’s not so good with water with silt loading, but are their people with personal experience with it not working? I’ve used it for the last several years but only on maybe 10-15 litres.

[HappyJack]

Another Thermacell endorsement here, 100% better than any other coil/candle/scent/spray etc that they have ever put on the market. A liquid repellant with 99% Deet was our go to in years past but I don't think you can purchase it in that strength anymore.

[Stone Sheep Steve]

We always take head nets on backpack hunts. Best dollar you will ever spend.

When glassing we pull them up in the front so we look like we work at McDonalds. Always keep your ears covered.
We also take a deet product. I like Ben’s which is 30% deet. They make small bottles for backpacking. Put it in a ziploc.

SSS

[wideopenthrottle]

I grew up in mosquito country...I rarely ever notice them bite me now and don't get itchy.....blackflies can take a chunk out of me, leaving an open wound still bleeding and I hardly notice them most of the time but those little no-see-um's have always left welts that look like someone put half a marble under my skin and itch like hell...when I moved to the LML I had a little bottle of repex (100% deet)....it is still unopened 33 years later and lives in my survival kit...heheh...maybe one day I'll be in a place where the mozzies will be so thick they fly around in a cloud 2 to 3 inches away from your entire head/face...waiting for the bug dope to wear off....like where I grew up..almost enough to drive you crazy...heheh

[180grainer]

I've heard that you're not suppose to eat bananas during skid season. I've tried Deep Woods and Colman 30% deet. Neither has worked. Really bad this year most likely do to all the rain.

[IronNoggin]

Both backpack and camp sized Thermacells. They work extremely well.

For water I have packed the 1 liter Life Straw ever since contracting both Giardia & Cryptosporidium at the same time:

https://lifestraw.com/products/lifestraw-go-1l?variant=40780202606703

Last Kechika run, everyone in camp collected Giardia except me. Quite obviously due to dedicated use of the life straw.

Cheers,
Nog

[wildcatter]

Both backpack and camp sized Thermacells. They work extremely well.

For water I have packed the 1 liter Life Straw ever since contracting both Giardia & Cryptosporidium at the same time:

https://lifestraw.com/products/lifestraw-go-1l?variant=40780202606703

Last Kechika run, everyone in camp collected Giardia except me. Quite obviously due to dedicated use of the life straw.

Cheers,
Nog

Does the Thermacell work while you are walking?
Reading reviews on Amazon some say it's not when you are moving.

[Greenthumbed]

I usually just tough out the mosquitoes. They have to be really bad for me to use some kind of spray. I spent years working in the bush durning the height of mosquito season. I feel like I’ve seen it as bad as it gets. I always just tell myself that it can be a lot worse. It’s a bit of a mind over matter thing and it works.

[Ferenc]

I've heard that you're not suppose to eat bananas during skid season. I've tried Deep Woods and Colman 30% deet. Neither has worked. Really bad this year most likely do to all the rain.

Give the “Watkins” repellant brand a try, in the lotion .. not the spray.

[180grainer]

Give the “Watkins” repellant brand a try, in the lotion .. not the spray.
Thanks.....I will.

[Norwestalta]

Buddy of mine has a gold claim in quesnel and says if he doesn't wash for a while the skeeters don't bother him. The day after he gets to town for a bath is when they the worst. The get progressively less bothersome the dirtier and more ripe he gets.

[landphil]

Give the “Watkins” repellant brand a try, in the lotion .. not the spray.

That’s exactly what I use the odd time I feel the need, and regularly growing up. In my experience it works as well as high % deet repellants at only 28.9%, don’t ask me how, and don’t get it on plastic like vehicle interior door panels, etc.

[Deadshot]

Try a few different tabs. I got mine from Amazon and they are essentially flavourless. Also make sure they are “1 tab/1 L of water”. My parter got tabs and they were terrible tasting AND 1 tab / 750 mls. With a nalgene that’s useless. We threw the tabs in the trash and ordered some more of the good ones. They are dirt cheap insurance. I usually pump/filter and then tab to be 100% sure if it’s gross water.
Do you have a name for the “good ones”?

[REMINGTON JIM]

Just was at lac da jeune for 3 days and NOT a mosquito to be seen ! 4200 ft high there - rain and sunshine but no BUGS ! Unreal never seen this here ! RJ

[Treed]

I was 200 km east of Vanderhoof in June. The mosquitoes and black flies were really bad. Bug net bad. I got a permethrin treated shirt last year for work in the grasslands in June. Worked wonders on the mosquitos and kept the black flies from crawling in the neck and sleeves.

[Harvest the Land]

I too like to use the LifeStraw products Nog suggested.

Used to work in Forestry for 8 years back in late 90's early 2000's all over western Canada and lived in some insanely buggy areas as a result. I lived off DEET in those days, but once I learned that DEET has been linked to cancer almost 20 years ago, I immediately stopped using it. Most of the time I wear a thick long sleeve shirt that bugs can't bite through, as well has a bug net for the head only (that thing is pure gold!). It even keeps the no-see-ums out. Takes a bit of getting used to looking through it, but it makes all difference for those of us who seem to be bug magnets.

You can make your own bug dope out of different types of plants/herbs like Yarrow. If anyone is interested in a non-toxic, non-deet, non-chemical Herbal bug spray that's made out of Herbs and works awesome, look for a product called Herbal Protec-X. You do have to apply it a bit more regularly than the deet based bug sprays but once you get a good layer on it seems to last longer. (and I figure its worth the trouble to avoid spraying poison onto your skin and straight into your pores)

Here's one of the studies from 2016, that found a link between DEET and cancer tumor growth

The insect repellent N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide (DEET) induces angiogenesis via allosteric modulation of the M3 muscarinic receptor in endothelial cells

"Epidemiological studies report different side effects of the use of DEET including neurologic side effects37 (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4921870/#b37), seizures38 (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4921870/#b38) and cancer6 (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4921870/#b6),39 (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4921870/#b39), the last of which is a pathophysiological situation in which angiogenesis plays an important role40 (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4921870/#b40). Angiogenesis is critical for tumor development, and it is considered as a pre-requisite for the rapid expansion of tumor cells associated with formation of macroscopic tumors16 (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4921870/#b16). In the present study, we demonstrate that DEET acts directly on the endothelial cells to promote cellular processes leading to in vitro angiogenesis. Furthermore, we reveal that DEET is able to favor in vivo tumor growth through an enhancement of neovascularization without inducing U87MG glioblastoma-astrocytoma cell proliferation."

"DEET-induced neovascularization was studied in U87MG xenografted mice that were daily treated with DEET (intraperitoneal injection) at doses known to induce a plasma concentration of 10−5 M, a concentration observed in exposed humans23 (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4921870/#b23). Detectable tumors (i.e. tumors >100 mm3) were observed 14 days after U87MG cell injection in mice. On day 28, tumor growth was significantly enhanced in mice treated with DEET compared to control mice (Fig. 1d (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4921870/figure/f1/), squares)."

"A correlation has been established between plasma levels of DEET (10−5 M)23 (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4921870/#b23) and the risk of developing cancer39 (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4921870/#b39). Furthermore, regular use of DEET as a mosquito repellent has resulted in this molecule being present in the air, rain and rivers41 (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4921870/#b41),42 (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4921870/#b42). As a consequence, concentrations of DEET as high as 10−8 M24 (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4921870/#b24) have been observed in drinking water. Once introduced in the blood circulation, DEET can remain for an extended period of time which implicates EC to be one of the primary targets of the toxicity of these compounds. "

"Considering the environmental pollution induced by DEET worldwide and its presence in drinking water sources, new water treatment technologies are needed for its elimination."

The insect repellent N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide (DEET) induces angiogenesis via allosteric modulation of the M3 muscarinic receptor in endothelial cells - PMC (nih.gov) (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4921870/)

[wildcatter]

That's why I stopped using anything with DEET in it many years ago.

[Bustercluck]

Has anybody used one of these? I’m wondering if I can charge it with a USB battery pack.

We’re heading out on a quad trip on Sunday hopefully. Cabelas has a bunch of different models on sale if anybody is interested

https://i.imgur.com/Ptc5jGM.jpg

[HarryToolips]

Has anybody used one of these? I’m wondering if I can charge it with a USB battery pack.

We’re heading out on a quad trip on Sunday hopefully. Cabelas has a bunch of different models on sale if anybody is interested

https://i.imgur.com/Ptc5jGM.jpg

Lol does anyone know if it actually works?

[J_T]

That's why I stopped using anything with DEET in it many years ago.
Unfortunately today's products only have 20 - 30% deet in them.

I've used products with deet for years. Many years ago (maybe 40), I stopped putting it on my skin. Put it on your hat, and on your clothes around your collar and on the shoulders and back. Typically I identify one or two bush shirts and I basically don't wash them. Each time I go out, I "add" more deet to the clothing. And, throw the shirt away (or wash it) at season's end.

[J_T]

For about 5 years I've been using the Thermacell. I have it strapped on the top of my bush work pack frame. I leave it there. It sits close to my head, which is where I really want to be bug free. I find the thermacells work and don't work. Depends on the day, depends on the bug I hope to repell on a given day, and it depends on whether or not I've got a fresh cell pack or an old one that has run it's course.

[wideopenthrottle]

I am starting to warm to the idea of adding a lifestraw or two to the gear bag...I rarely ever hunt places without a Basecamp and lots of water with a drinkable water source near by...but some longer hiking hunts might be in my future and the idea of catching giardia or cryptosporidium means I want to be precautious for sure...

[IronNoggin]

...but some longer hiking hunts might be in my future and the idea of catching giardia or cryptosporidium means I want to be precautious for sure...

You REALLY Do Not want to catch that Chit! Trust me on that!
Thought I could beat it on my own.
Until 40 pounds and all my energy slipped away.
Now I am very VERY cautious!

Highly recommend the Life Straw!

Cheers,
Nog

[TheObserver]

You REALLY Do Not want to catch that Chit! Trust me on that!
Thought I could beat it on my own.
Until 40 pounds and all my energy slipped away.
Now I am very VERY cautious!

Highly recommend the Life Straw!

Cheers,
Nog

I've seen some lifestraws at a pretty good price I will grab one for sure, but need something for 4-7 day backpack trip into back country as well not sure if pump or gravity, just want effectiveness and not have to boil every oz. Of water

[TheObserver]

Does thermacell have a scent? I dont want anything that emits and odour already producin enough on my own lol, I will be bringing my mosquito net jacket next time but it definitely hinders visibility

[Treed]

No scent. It works best when you are stationary. I had it going up near Clearwater last week and we went from annoying amounts of mosquitoes, no see ums and black flies to none. I was really impressed.