Don’t Bite Me! Patch
Reviewed By Pat
McNeilly
Initial Report: September 9, 2009
Name: Pat McNeilly
Age: 46
Gender: Male
Height: 5’ 8” (1.7 m)
Weight: 155 lb (70 kg)
Email address: mcne4752 at yahoo dot com
City, State, Country: Gaithersburg, Maryland, USA
Backpacking Background:
I have been hiking for at least 20 years but backpacking for only the last five
years. Most of my backpacking is done as
overnight trips and occasional weekend and week long trips. My typical pack weight is approximately 18 to
20 lb (8 to 9 kg) before food or water.
Most of my backpacking is the three season variety in the mountains of Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and West
Virginia. In
addition to backpacking, I also fish, hunt, and enjoy orienteering. As a result, some of my backpacking equipment
gets use in a number of different venues.
Product Information:
Product: Don’t Bite Me! Patch
Size: 20 pack (also available in packs of 5 and 10 patches)
Manufacturer: DIVA Marketing Group LLC
Year of Manufacture: 2009
Listed Weight: NA
Measured Weight: 0.7 oz (20 g)/20 patches (a single patch did not register on a
US
postal scale)
URL: http://www.dontbitemepatch.com/.
MSRP: $21.99 USD
Initial
Report
Report Date: September 9, 2009
Product Description:
The
Don’t Bite Me! Patch (the Patch) is a transdermal
adhesive patch which delivers vitamin B1 and aloe through the skin. The theory is that vitamin B1, in high enough
levels in the bloodstream, is excreted though the pores and produces an odor
which insects don’t like but is undetectable to humans. The literature with the Patch indicates it is
effective against mosquitoes, gnats, noseeums, ticks,
chiggers and sand fleas and that the product is safe for children.
The Patch comes packaged in a paper wrapper measuring 2 3/4 x 3 1/4 in (70 x 83
mm) similar to a large adhesive bandage.
The Patch itself measures 1 15/16 x 1 15/16 in (49 x 49 mm) with rounded
corners and is very thin and flexible.
The patch is waterproof and comprised of three layers 1) an acrylate polymer; 2) an adhesive formulation containing the
vitamin B1 and aloe; and 3) a polyester release liner. The polyester release liner is a “plastic”
backing on the Patch, which is split down the middle which must be removed
before applying it.
The
Patch is to be applied to a clean, dry, hair-free area. The company recommends placing the Patch on
the hip, buttocks, upper back, or the outside of the upper arm (I’ll spare you
photos of some of these areas). The
Patch is applied in a manner similar to an adhesive bandage and the patch must
be pressed down firmly to ensure the edges adhere. The Patch will continue to provide insect
protection for up to 36 hours as long as it is in place. The Patch is removed by slowing peeling one
corner smoothly away from the skin. The
company also indicates that there could be a slight discoloration of the skin
which will fade naturally over a few days.
Skin irritation due the adhesive can occur and it is recommended that
the user apply the Patch to different areas with each use.
The patch must be applied at least two hours prior to being exposed to the
insects of your choice and the Patch must remain in place for it to be
effective. It is also noted that
smoking, alcoholic beverages, heavy insect infestation, and a body weight over
200 lb (91 kg) may require the use of two patches.
Product Review:
The Patch is a very interesting concept.
It will allow me to use a systemic product that doesn’t smell bad and
shouldn’t be toxic to keep biting insects at bay. This sounds too good
to be true. Before I could give it a try
I had to see how easy the Patch is to apply.
The packaging is pretty easy to open once you find the edge where the
paper separated which wasn’t all that obvious the first time I tried. Applying the patch is just like putting on an
adhesive bandage, however, the Patch is very flexible and the adhesive works
better than many bandages. The Patch
seems to stretch with the skin and it and stays in place. The Patch itself is clear and I couldn’t even
see the Patch unless the light was shining on it the right way. I wore the first Patch for at least 36 hours
and hardly knew I had it on.
I found that there were no problems with the Patch coming off from sweat or
being rubbed by clothing. I took a
shower with the Patch on and even the hot water did not appear to have any
effect on the Patch. I thought that was
pretty impressive.
I
only have limited experience with how well it works at keeping bugs away but,
in a less than scientific test, I wore the Patch to an evening high school
football game. It was not the heaviest
concentration of bugs but I did notice insects, including mosquitoes, but I
wasn’t getting bites. I could see others
around me swatting bugs but I didn’t feel that they bothered me. This is only limited testing and I feel I
would need more experience with the product to give a definitive answer on its
effectiveness.
One thing I did notice with the Patch was that I can detect an odor of
vitamins. If I smell the entire stack of
patches it does smell like a bottle of vitamins. While wearing the Patch I did notice a couple
times that I thought I smelled vitamins.
It was not a strong smell and seemed to be only temporary but it was there
nonetheless. I did not have anyone else
comment on the odor, so I don’t believe it was in any way offensive.
There was quite a bit of information that came with the product which appeared
to be directed at retailers. Much of it
described how the Patch is supposed to work, etc. One thing I noticed in the material was that
there was a very brief statement that the product has a shelf life of two
years. Nowhere on the actual product
packaging did I see any type of expiration date. I’m not sure how I would be able to assess
whether the product was still potent without having that kind of information at
hand.
This concludes my Initial Report. The
Field Report will be appended to this report in about two months. Please check back then for more information.
I would like to thank DIVA Marketing Group LLC and BackpackGearTest.org for the
opportunity to test this item.
