Owner Review – Cutter Outdoorsman Stick Repellent

Review Date: July 11, 2006

Name: Pat McNeilly
Age: 43
Gender: Male
Height: 5’ 8” (1.7 m)
Weight: 165 lb (75 kg)
Email address: pmcneilly@osophs.dhhs.gov
City, State, Country: Gaithersburg, MD, USA

Backpacking Background:
I have been hiking for at least 20 years but backpacking for only the last three years.  Most of my backpacking is done as overnight trips and occasional weekend and weeklong trips.  My typical packweight 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, and West Virginia.  In addition to backpacking, I also fish, hunt, and have been involved in disaster relief.  As a result, some of my backpacking equipment gets use in a number of different venues.

Product Information:
Product: Cutter Outdoorsman Stick Insect Repellent
Manufacturer: Spectrum Brands, Inc.
Year of Manufacture: 2006
URL: http://www.cutterinsectrepellent.com/
MSRP: $ 5.99 US
Listed Weight: 1 oz (28 g); Measured Weight 1.6 oz (45 g)
Measured Product Dimensions: 3 in (7.6 cm) x 1.25 in (3.2 cm)

Product Description:
The Cutter Outdoorsman Stick Insect Repellent is a DEET containing product designed to protect the user from mosquitoes, biting flies, tick, chiggers, fleas and no-see-ums.  The product is a pale yellow transparent gel that comes packaged in a white and green 3 in (7.6 cm) x 1.25 in (3.2 cm) cylinder with an orange 1 in (2.5 cm) screw on cap.  The product label indicates that it contains 30% DEET as its active ingredient.  The packaging claims that this product will repel insects for up to 8 hours.  The gel is pushed up from the bottom of the container and then rubbed on the surface of the skin.

There are a number of precautions when using this product.  The labeling indicates that it should be spread evenly over the skin and to use just enough to cover the skin.  The Cutter Stick should not be used over broken or sunburned skin and should not be used under clothing.  The product should also be used sparingly around the eyes and ears.  The label cautions about applying the product on children and recommends that when applying it on children it should be applied to an adult’s hands and then rubbed on the child.  The label also cautions about application of the product to children’s hands.  Lastly, the package indicates that it is possible to develop skin reactions to the repellent and that the product should be discontinued and the skin washed if a reaction occurs.

The packaging indicates that this repellent will not damage nylon, cotton, or wool.  However, the packaging goes on to say that the product may damage some synthetic fabrics, plastics, watch crystals, leather, and painted or varnished surfaces.

Field Conditions:
I have used this product for the past three months on a wide range of trips including a weekend trip to the Michaux State Forest of Pennsylvania and dayhikes in the Shenandoah National Park and the Norvin Green State Forest of northern New Jersey.  I also took this as my bug repellant on a week long trip in the George Washington National Forest in central Virginia where I encountered large amounts of heavy rain along with a fairly heavy concentration of mosquitoes.  The elevation on these trips varied from 1000 ft to 3200 ft (300 m to 900 m).  The temperatures I encountered on these trips ranged anywhere from 52 F to 87 F (11 C to 30 C).

Product Review:
I purchased the Cutter Outdoorsman Stick Repellent because I hate having to deal with sprays and lotions when I am on the trail.  I have found that many liquid DEET containing products I have used seem to leak and there are few things nastier than having DEET all over my gear.  My thinking was that I could simply rub on the product when needed, as I am not one who likes to use DEET more than necessary.  Another reason I thought this might be useful is the small size of the container.  It easily fits into a small pocket, ready for use when I need it.  The stick also has a screw-on cap which ensures that the lid stays on.  I liked this rather insignificant feature because it helped ensure that I would not be getting the repellent all over other things in my pack.

I have been using this particular product for the past three months and have found that it seems to repel insects well.  I can easily apply the product to only the areas I feel need coverage.  For instance, I can focus on the back of my hands or the back of my neck. The stick glides on smoothly and is clear and colorless.   Since the product is colorless, some care needs to be taken when covering larger areas.  The backs of the arms and legs are harder to see, making application somewhat difficult.  I also noted that bugs always seem to find an area that I did not cover.  I found that I could use my hands to spread the gel around on larger areas but I felt that this was defeating my purpose of using the stick product.  The Cutter Outdoorsman Stick does have the smell of DEET which I find somewhat objectionable but it is not too overpowering.

During my weeklong trip, I found that the product worked fairly well.  I did have a number of insect bites primarily around my legs.  I believe that this was due to incomplete coverage of the repellent.  I did not feel that I needed to reapply the repellent more that the recommended eight hours unless I was sweating very heavily.  At those times, I was more likely to reapply the repellent to my ears, neck and face, which might also explain a greater number of bites on my legs.  Over a week’s time I encountered only two ticks, whereas my companions reported finding many more than I was experiencing.

I find that the Cutter Outdoorsman Stick Repellent is small enough to easily carry on any hike and convenient to use.  I was concerned that the 1 oz (28 g) size would not last for multiple outings but there appeared to be plenty of product for a number of trips with some to spare. 

Summary:
The Cutter Outdoorsman Stick Repellent is a convenient product that can be easily applied to exposed skin to keep insects at bay.  The product appears to be best for applying to smaller areas of exposed skin but can be used over larger areas if care is taken to get complete coverage.  The product appears to repel insects for eight hours before reapplication is necessary.

Things I like:

    1. Convenient size
    2. Good repellent qualities
    3. Keeps DEET off hands
    4. Screw on cap

Things I don’t like:

    1. Hard to cover large areas
    2. DEET smell