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Spectrum Brands Cutter Advanced Insect Repellant
Long Term Report
December 30, 2005
Tester Bio
Name: Anthony (TJ) Smith
Age: 31 years old
Gender: Male
Height: 5’10” (1.78 m)
Weight: 155 lbs (73 kg)
Email address: tjsmith1946@gmail.com
City, State, Country: Pensacola, Florida USA
Backpacking Background:
I have been camping for a little over 5 years now, mostly car camping. I have
recently begun backpacking, and I am constantly adding new gear to my “collection”
in an effort to get my gear list tailored more towards backpacking. Most of
my backpacking trips are short duration, not more than one or two nights. I
am planning some longer trips in the near future.
My current pack weight is around 15-20 lb (7-9 kg) without food and water, depending
on if I'm solo camping or taking my son along, as I have to carry some of his
gear. I am a dedicated hammock camper and have tailored my personal gear to
that aspect of camping.
Product Information
Manufacturer – Spectrum Brands
Manufacturer URL – www.spectrumbrands.com
Year of Manufacture – 2005
Stated Weight – 6 oz (170 g) Large Spray Bottle, 1 oz (28 g) Small Spray
Bottle
Weight as Delivered – 7-3/8 oz (208 g) Large Spray Bottle, 1-3/4 oz (50
g) Small Spray Bottle, 1/4 oz (6 g) Wipes (weight is including packaging)
Initial Information/Observations
Please see my Initial
Report and Field Report for more information.
Testing
Date: October 29, 2005
Location: Calloway Swamp, Blackwater River State Forest, Florida
Weather: Weather for this trip was sunny and clear, with a low of 50 F (10 C)
and a high of 68 F (20 C). We did not experience any precipitation.
Item Tested: Small Spray Bottle
This trip was a dayhike at a local primitive recreation area. The entire hike lasted approximately 3 hours, so only one application of the product was used. I did not experience any issues with insects bothering me, but neither did the other people on the trip with me even without using a repellent product. We did see a few mosquitoes and gnats in the area, but they did not appear to bother anyone. I'm not sure whether this is due to the product or not.
Date: November 9-11, 2005
Location: Wiregrass Trail and Karick Lake Campground, Baker, Florida
Weather: Clear skies; daytime highs of 87 F (30 C), 72 F (22 C) and 58 F (14 C) with
overnight lows of 52 F (11 C) and 32 F (0 C). We did not encounter any precipitation
on this trip, and humidity levels stayed below 75%.
Item Tested: Large Spray Bottle
This trip was an overnight hike and a stay at an organized campground. I again followed the application directions as detailed in my Field Report, applying the product every 4 hours. During the trip, as I would approach the reapplication time, I would begin to notice an increase in the number of insects apparent in my area. However, I did not experience as bad of a problem as was noted in my Field Report. This could be due to a decrease in the number of insects present due to the weather cooling down and not as many being active, but I was still glad to have the protection from the insects that were present.
I still did not notice a greasy feeling after application, nor any noticeable smell once the moisture from the application had dried.
Date: December 3-4, 2005
Location: Karick Lake Campground, Baker, Florida
Weather: Overcast skies with some precipitation, temperatures ranged from 76
F (24 C) to 55 F (13 C). We experienced about 20 minutes of heavy rainfall,
and about 2 hours of condensation dripping from the trees after that.
This trip was an overnight at an organized campground, with a dayhike while there. The Spectrum Brands Cutter Advanced was applied after setting up camp so I could get an idea of how bad the insects were prior to application. Upon completion of setting up camp, I had noticed enough insect activity to know that I would get another decent test, at least for the first part of the campout.
About 3 hours after application, we experienced the rainfall noted for this trip. After the rainfall, most of the insect activity dropped to an almost imperceptible level. I did not require a reapplication before heading to bed for the night.
Upon waking the next morning, I prepared and ate breakfast prior to application of the repellent. The mosquitoes had returned during the night, and began to feast on me as I was finishing my breakfast. Almost immediately after application, I was no longer bothered by the mosquitoes. I then broke camp, and packed a small pack for our dayhike that day. About midway into the hike (approximately 5 hours after application), I reapplied the product. This was the longest period of time I was able to go between applications during the entire test period without being bothered by insects. I completed the remainder of the hike (another 2 hours) without any issues from the insects.
Overall Impressions
I have a mixed impression of the Spectrum Brands Cutter Advanced.
The product is advertised as being odorless and non-greasy, which I agree with
and like. In the wipes and 1 oz spray bottles, the product has a smell that
is reminiscent of popcorn during application, which quickly disappears leaving
no discernible scent behind. When applying, there is a light wet film on my
skin, that also quickly disappears leaving no trace. The 1 oz spray bottle provides
an average of 10 applications with my usage. This provides me with what I feel
is an average coverage over my arms, legs, head, neck, and applied to my clothing.
During the use of the wipes, I have to use 2 wipes each application to get what
I feel is adequate coverage before the wipes dry out.
I have experienced protection relatively consistent with the product information,
with reapplication needed about every 3 hours or so. There have been occurrences
where I hoped I could reapply more frequently but for the sake of testing I
haven't. On the other hand, I have also experienced situations where the product
lasted longer than expected, even given exposure to water and humidity. This
could be attributed to lower insect populations except for the fact that hiking
companions were bothered by bugs while I was not.
Pros/Cons
Pros
1. No greasy or oily feeling after applying
2. No odor after application
3. Variety of sizes and dispensing methods available
Cons
1. Does not seem to last as long as stated
2. Wipes do not seem to provide adequate coverage with 1 wipe
My thanks to Spectrum Brands and BackpackGearTest for the opportunity to test
these products.
Read more reviews of Spectrum Brands gear
Read more gear reviews by Anthony Smith
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