• Manufacturer's specified weight:
  • 6 fl. oz (180 ml) Pump: Not specified
  • Single use Towelette: Not specified
• My weights:
  • 6 fl. oz (180 ml) Pump: 209 g (7.4 oz)
  • Single use Towelette: 6 g (0.2 oz)

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I only received the 6 fl. oz (180 ml) pump bottles (four bottles) and 20 towelettes. Unfortunately no 1 fl. oz (30 ml) pump bottles which is a size I would prefer to carry on bushwalks were supplied. Reviewing the website, the product as received, was as expected. No surprises there.

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First Impressions:

Well it is insect repellent! According to the packaging it repels mosquitoes, chiggers, biting flies, no-see-ums, gnats and fleas. No mention of ticks but. Whilst I am not sure about chiggers or gnats the balance of the repelled insects are a known issue here in Western Australia.

The repellent is a liquid (or impregnated wipe) that is applied either via atomiser or wipe. It has no noticeable smell and seems easy to apply, with no obvious greasy feeling or irritation. It has a reported three to four hour effective time-span.

The 6 fl. oz (180 ml) pump bottle comes with a screw on/off atomiser top, which provides the opportunity to decant the contents to smaller containers if desired.

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Testing Strategy:

My intention is to test the Spectrum Brands Cutter Advanced insect repellent on bushwalking, geocaching and beach trips as well as on general outdoor activities over our southern summer.  My testing will focus in particular on:

• The effectiveness of the repellent against various annoying insects including the infamous Australian blowies including the highly vicious "march fly", household flies, bush flies, "man-eating" mosquitoes (mozzies), sandflies and ticks;
• Ease of application;
• Coverage of the towelettes;
• Possible skin reactions;
• Effect, if any on clothes or gear that may come into contact with the product once applied;
• Effectiveness of the repellent over the specified three to four hours;
• Use of the product as supplied on bushwalking trips and other activities.

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I am a 45 years old male, 180 cm (5' 11") in height, I weigh 104 kg (229 lbs). I  have been bushwalking in Western Australia for approximately five years. For the past four years I have been regularly walking and leading on and off-track pack carries with the Perth Bushwalkers Club and more recently I have also got into geocaching. I consider myself as moving towards being a lightweight tent-carrying bushwalker with my pack base weight in the 8 to 12 kg (18 to 26 lb) range.  In 2003 I completed my End to End of the Bibbulmun Track. I have also thru-hiked the Cape to Cape Track,  the Coastal Plains Walk Track (numerous times) and the Larapinta Trail (July 2005).

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The bushwalking environment of the south-west of Western Australia allows for bushwalks and backpacking from coastal plains to forest. Elevation ranges from 0 to 585 metres (0 to 1,920 feet). Within this region, I walk in varying conditions from forestry roads, to sandy tracks to single-purpose walking trails, to rock hopping, to beach walking to completely off-track walking through open and dense country.

During the summer period, daytime temperatures average 30° C (86° F), whereas from March through to December the daytime average temperatures range from 15° C to 26° C (59° F to 79° F). During the autumn, winter, and spring periods the normal weather pattern is fairly wet with frequent heavy rainstorms evident. It does not normally snow in Western Australia.

According to The Times Atlas of the World (Concise Edition - Revised 1997) our weather is described as being "Mediterranean - rainy climates with mild winters, coolest month above 0° C (32° F), but below 18° C (64° F); warmest month above 10° C (50° F)." The atlas depicts the coastal area north of Los Angeles as having the same climate.

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