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Field Report:
Due to my later involvement in this test (product was
transhipped to myself due to the nominated tester having to pullout as a
result of Cyclone Katrina) my field use has been less than ideal. That
said I have used the insect repellent on a Perth Bushwalkers Club walk of
West Cape Howe (two nights, two days walking) (October 14 - 16, 2005) and
four or five geocaching trips around Perth and the nearby environs. I
had anticipated a lot of mozzies and fly problems along with the possibility
of ticks on the West Cape Howe walk (the nearby Bibbulmun Track campsite of
Nullaki is fondly known as Mozzie-ki) but really had no fly problems (it was
fairly windy on day one and it rained on day two) but did have mozzies
(mosquitoes)
around on the evening of day one.
Also on the West Cape Howe walk I managed to make the
mistake of pitching my tent very near to a bull ant nest! Stupid me didn't
do a close inspection before putting up the tent! As it was getting near to
dark and ants go to bed at dark I decided to not move the tent, rather
hoping to rely on the insect repellent to repeal any invading ants.
In respect of the geocaching trips, I have used the insect
repellent to deter mozzies and flies. Flies are becoming noticeable as the
warmer weather is upon us and the dung beetle's work does not commence in
earnest until late December/early January (the dung beetle eats the fly's
birth place, thus reducing the fly population). This leaves a window of
opportunity for the fly and boy does it make the most of it .... the Aussie
salute is getting back in vogue.
So in summary, how has the Spectrum
Brands Cutter Advanced insect repellent performed so far? It has been very
effective against persistent small flies and mozzies. No ticks where picked up on
the West Cape Howe walk, which can mean one of two things. Either the
repellent was effective or no ticks where around. I suspect the later, given
the country we walked in is ideal tick land. The repellent was not
effective against the bull ants but I am not sure that is a type of insect
it is designed to repel and it was not effective against snakes, but then
they are not insects! We had the pleasure of "meeting" up with three dugites
on the weekend walk. Nasty things are dugites.
In terms of protection I am pleased
with the effectiveness of the repellent so far. I am less keen on the
packaging however. Further comment follows.
As outlined above I found the repellent effective in
repelling insects that is designed for, e.g., flies and mozzies. Whilst I
had hoped it would work against the bull-ants, it didn't. The ants seem to
take no notice of it at all. This comment should be taken in the context
that no mention of protecting against ants is given on in the product
labelling.
The packaging suggests a three-four hour reapplication
time. To date my usage has pretty much fallen within this time frame and I
have not found a need to reapply it.
So the repellent is effective, but how easy is it to
apply? I have the repellent in two forms, a 6 fl oz (177 ml) spray bottle
and in towelettes. From my perspective the spray bottle is great around
home, great for picnics, car camping and geocaching where I have the vehicle
nearby. It don't work for me when I am backpacking. I don't want to carry
such a large bottle on a backpack. Also I am concerned about the bottle
leaking in my pack. The towelettes on the other hand are great on the
backpacks. Light and easy to apply and they have an amazing coverage. I have
found that one towelette easily covers my face, neck, arms and legs. Of
course one gets some rubbish to carry out.
Ideally in terms of application, I would like to see the
product in a roll-on form. I have used other repellents in this form and
found it ideal for longer backpacks in terms of the product weight, ease of
application and low to zero risk of leakage.
Application is good, effectiveness is good. How does my
body and clothes react to the repellent? They don't. I have not become aware
of any staining or damage to gear from the use of the repellent. I have even
applied it to the door of my MSR Missing Link tent without any negative
effect, other than it did not deter the bull-ants.
In terms of my skin, I have had no negative reaction. That
said, I do find the repellent, particularly when sprayed on, to have an oily
or greasy feel but that this dissipates as the repellent dries. There is no
odour associated with the repellent that I can detect.
Overall I am pleased with the use of the repellent so far.
My only negative being the packaging.
I look forward to continuing using the product as summer
descends upon the southern hemisphere.
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