Name: Gail Staisil
Age: 53
Gender: Female
Height: 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Weight: 140 (64 kg)
Chest: 36 in (91 cm)
Sleeve Length: 31 in (81 cm)
Normal Shirt Size: Medium
Email: woodswoman2001@yahoo.com
Location: Marquette, Michigan USA
Photo Album Website: http://community.webshots.com/user/isleroyalegirl  

Manufacturer: The Original Bug Shirt Company

MSRP: $65.95 US
Country of Origin: Canada





Product Description

The Original Bug Shirt "Elite Edition" is designed to protect against biting insects that are common to many areas. The bug shirt consists of extremely tightly woven fabric that effectively provides a physical barrier between a wearer and the bugs. This is in contrast to using a chemical repellent that repels bugs but doesn't provide a physical barrier. The manufacturer suggests that the barrier does protect the wearer from black flies, no-see-ums, deer flies, horse flies and ticks in addition to mosquitoes. The bug shirt also features no-see-um mesh in areas that hang away from the body (underarms and face) to allow ventilation and provide visibility in the latter area. In addition, it features a roomy zippered self-stowing pocket on the front, a chest pocket, a drawstring bottom, stretch cuffs with drawcords and cordlocks on the sleeves, a rear hood cinch cord and a two-slider zipper around the edge of the hood. The Original Bug Shirt Company also makes other bug related clothing including pants, gaiters and hoods.

 

Field Information

Usage

I have owned and worn the "Elite Edition" of the Bug Shirt for the last five years. Of course I only wear it a few months of each year when it is needed. Historically most of my backpacking trips from May through August each year are bug infested. This one piece of clothing can sometimes be the "sanity" factor to enduring several consecutive days of bugs.

While wearing the bug shirt the majority of my backpacking trips and hiking excursions were taken either in the state of Michigan, USA or in Ontario, Canada. The terrain included hilly boreal and deciduous forest, lakeshore, swamps and open areas. Elevations ranged from 600 ft (183 m) to 2000 ft (610 m) and temperatures ranged from a low near freezing 32 F ( 0 C) to a high of nearly 90 F (32 C). Bug types that are most commonly found in these areas include mosquitoes, ticks, deer flies, stable flies, gnats and no-see-ums. There are lots more kinds for sure. I use the term "bugs" loosely as I'm sure some of them actually fall in another category. The bug shirt is not designed to deal with wasps, bees and the like.

On most trips my bug shirt is packed in the top hood of my pack and readily available to combat severe bug conditions if needed. Those conditions often vary during the same day of an outing due to environmental factors and terrain including lowlands and swamps. If the conditions are horrible I wear the bug shirt full time while hiking. If they are somewhat bearable I only wear the bug shirt during breaks and meals on the trail. Normally when I have stopped hiking for a few minutes I can no longer outrun the bugs so putting the shirt on is paramount to being content. I can rest comfortably during a break and not be anxious for the break to be over. In addition I wear it almost all the time that I am at camp. Even though I can still hear the sometimes loud hum of mosquitoes I know they don't have much of a chance to bite me if I have the bug shirt in place. I feel like I have my own protective shell around me and I can partake in enjoying the outdoors. Without the shirt I would be heavily spraying myself and my clothing with bug repellent that is usually only effective for a short period of time. 

One of my favorite things about the bug jacket is that I can sit amongst the bugs flying and crawling around and still feel good about being outside. I don't have to make a beeline for a mesh-enclosed shelter while backpacking. A couple years ago I was on a trip with several other people where the beach was invaded with nasty biting stable flies. I had planned to eat my dinner meal there before I retreated into the woods for the night. It was a beautiful pristine spot that was a favorite of mine. The rest of my trail partners one by one retreated to their shelters for the evening as they couldn't tolerate the invasion. I alone stayed at the beach, ate my dinner and then took a walk on the beach. I admit the flies were horrible but at least they couldn't bite me through my bug shirt.


Protective Factor

The difference between this bug shirt and many others I have seen is that it's made of tightly woven fabric that has been lab tested to assure non-penetration by bugs. I have found it to effectively stop mosquitoes from biting the areas it covers as they simply can't penetrate the fabric. This is especially important in areas such as the shoulders where an ordinary shirt leaves me vulnerable to bites. The bug shirt is cut very spaciously so that the shirt does not bind in any manner. I feel like I have my own protective shell around me and I can partake in enjoying the outdoors. I believe that wearing the bug shirt reduces the chances of contacting insect borne diseases such as West Nile Virus or Lyme disease as I contact fewer bug bites.

The sleeves are made in the bat-wing style and include large no-see-um mesh inserts that start underneath the arms and extend 14.5 in (37 cm) down the length of the sleeves. These same inserts extend from underneath the arms tapering to the bottom of the garment where the width measures 11 in (28 cm). The inserts are placed in areas that hang away from the body so they provide protection from bug bites as well as ventilation.


Ventilation

The bat-wing mesh inserts on the garment and the mesh face panel provide ventilation to the garment. I normally find that I can comfortably wear the shirt while backpacking if the humidity isn't above 65 to 70 percent. Actual temperatures for wearing the shirt have varied but normally if it is above 70 F (21 C) I can't tolerate an extra shirt on me. These are conditions for backpacking as I can wear it at much higher humidity and temperature ratings if I am only day hiking and not carrying a big pack. Wearing the bug shirt is strictly a function of my pack's weight load, the clothing that I am wearing and the exertion level that I am experiencing. I find that if the weather is on the warm side I like to wear just a sleeveless shirt or long sports top inside the bug shirt. That is my preference, however clothing doesn't have to be worn under the bug shirt for it to be effective. It is already designed to be protective without extra layers as bugs can't penetrate the fabric. I would guess that the bug shirt could be worn at higher temperatures if I wore it as my sole upper layer. The mesh inserts on the sides are of the see-through variety so it wouldn't be to the liking of many women.


Other Uses

On trips where I pack the bug shirt I also substitute its use for a wind shirt and sun shirt. I still bring a rain jacket but that is normally too hot to wear unless it is raining constantly. The bug shirt makes a good wind shirt as the fabric is tightly woven but it still provides adequate side ventilation in the form of mesh bat-wing inserts underneath the arms extending to the bottom edges of the garment. The fabric also provides great UV protection (98.9 % of UVA and UVB) while I am in open areas such as on the beach. Overall I find the bug shirt to be a multipurpose item justifying the packed weight of the shirt.

The bug shirt can also be used in combination with a sleeping bag to provide protection to the head and shoulders during sleep. I would recommend having some additional hand coverage such as mesh mitts unless the hands were encased inside the sleeping bag.


Features

May and June are usually the worse months in the areas that I travel for mosquitoes, ticks and black flies. The black flies are tricky in that they like to invade areas on my body where there is a gap in clothing. The bug shirt had stretch ribbed cuffs with elastic cinch cords and cordlocks that doesn't allow bugs to find any space to enter. The bottom edge of the bug shirt has an elasticized cinch cord that can be effectively tightened with a cordlock. The hood/face panel area has a two-slider zipper that can be totally shut to protect me from bugs.

The back hood adjuster works to keep the Microfibre hood from falling forward and hindering my sight. I adjust it so that I can see clearly through the mesh. This hood adjuster would accommodate a lot of different head and neck sizes in addition to providing room to wear a hat. If I wear a hat with a brim, it allows the mesh insert to be further away from my face. However I haven't found the no-see-um mesh to be a limiting factor in my visibility.

The chest pocket with a flap is secured with a Velcro tab closure. The pocket measures approximately 5 in (13 cm) square and it is very handy for items that need to be readily accessed. I have often used it for lip balm, tissues and the like.

The large zippered pouch pocket has a width of 13.5 in (34 cm) and a height of 8.5 in (22 cm)  with the top zipper allowing a large access of 12.5 in (32 cm). The pocket self-stows the shirt for packing purposes. More important to me is that this extra roomy pocket is very handy for items used around camp. I often store my small camera and other necessities in the pocket after arrival at camp so that they are always with me while I wander around. I also find it handy on day hikes for stowing small items when I'm not using a large pack for carrying purposes.


Using the Two-Slider Zipper

The mesh insert for the face panel is sewn into the top of the hood with a top two-slider zipper. When I want to drink, eat or use my camera I adjust the zipper to allow me access to the food or sight through the camera. I often adjust the zipper on both ends so that each end is partially closed allowing only a small area of my face to be exposed for those pursuits. I usually arrange it so that there isn't any air space around the closure on my face. It eliminates the possibility of bugs entering small spaces. However if the bugs are only marginal I often unzip the face panel totally until I need to zip it closed again.

 
Summary