Tick Key

If you use an alcohol stove you can fill a water bottle cap with alcohol and submerge the tick, it releases instantly. Works with vinegar too.

I'd imagine this key thing would be pretty tough to operate in certain regions where ticks like to hide (groin, armpit, etc.). I've never tried it but I'd suggest you continue to carry your tweezers. That's the recommended method. Don't squeeze them to death but grab a hold close to the skin and firmly pull away from. They'll usually release from the tension and then you can crush'em. But don't pull so hard that you rip the body from the head and leave the mouth parts in. And never use the smothering (vasoline / nail polish / etc.) or heat (match / lighter) methods.

Clean any bitten area and keep an eye on it for signs of infection or rash. But remember that you don't have to display a rash to have been infected with something. Any time you have reason to think you may have been exposed to a tick bite, you should keep an eye on your overall health.

I usually just leave the ticks in. It's easier and is just like donating blood.

(I'm joking. I usually just to try pull them out with tweezers and try not to cause them to vomit nastiness into my bloodstream.)

Last Year during my AT thru the Tick key was one of the few things I ever added to my pack.

Previous method was tweezers on a leatherman micro, very serviceable pair of tweezers.
But the ticks were so prevalent and there were a few that were being difficult getting out. So my hiking partner and I heard about and picked up a tick key in town. Did not regret it.

For me easier removal and quicker.

Of course the one time when I did get a tick "you know where" My surgical tool of choice was the tweezers.

I haven't weighed it but it has got to be next to nothing

I felt the tick key presented less of a chance for a "faulty removal" i.e. it almost always removed the tick completely. Where with tweezers I think there is more of a chance doing something like removing the body but not the head or squeezing the tick into you more.

Better then both methods was a friends fingernails, One tick refused to come out with the key or tweezers, I began to freak out slightly, she just walked over and plucked it right off with her finger nails, the whole kit and caboodle. I think it is a talent not every one possesses.

As she walked away she just looked back at me like "you big baby"

I've found the Pro-Tick to be easy, effective, non-tick-rupturing, and extremely lightweight.

http://www.rei.com/product/407279/pro-tick-remedy-tick-removal-system

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/lyme_disease_challenging_stereotypes.html

I also would reccommend the Pro Tick Key, It's cheaper, lighter and comes with a small light identification card like the one shown in the article posted above along with some other good tips and info.

If you get a Tick Key, make sure that you get it with the extended warranty.

You wouldn't want to get out in the field and have one of these things break down on you.

–B.G.–

I have a bunch of dogs, and we hike daily, so I deal with ticks ALL the time. I have found this one to be the easiest, and work the best even in awkward places. The link is to their website but you can find them cheap lots of places.
http://www.ticktwister.com/

I'll have to weigh it later :)

Stephen,

You've helped me decide what to do in a funny sort of way. The "tweezers" I'm carrying must be a pro tick device or something exactly like it. I can't tell them apart.

Thanks,

Daryl

Ticks love me. I have the "pro tick remedy" and it's easy enough to use. That other remover looks a little convoluted in comparison. I've never used nor seen it until now.

For what it's worth, you don't want to squeeze them as it will expel the contents of their gut into your body. If they're carrying the bacteria that causes Lyme that would increase the risk infection. Leaving them in longer has also been said to increase the chance of infection (if they are a carrier). Take this with a lump of salt as I'm just regurging what I've read on the subject.

Jacob, what you stated is true. You want to avoid the tick dumping from one end or the other. If you squeeze it too much, one end. If you leave it under the skin too long, the other end. It is far better to get them out sooner and get them out cleaner.

–B.G.–

Had almost the same experience Clint. An ex girlfriend and I were hiking in the woods in northern Virginia. We decided to take a shower, and what do you know I had a tick down there. She did the same thing popped it out with her fingernails and looked at me like, you big wuss.

Exactly! You do NOT want to squeeze an embedded tick! And the Pro Tick doesn't squeeze them at all! You just slide the little metal thingie in between the skin and tick, and lift gently until the tick detaches. No squeezing, to pinching, nothing. I have yet to even have any tick pieces still left in the skin.

I also use the Pro-Tick and have found it to be much easier than tweezers. The Tick Key is a slightly different implementation of the same concept. I would much prefer a pair of well-formed female fingernails to either but have not found "Would you like to pull a tick out of my crotch?" to be a very effective pick up line.

Ken,

You made me laugh out loud.

Thanks,

Daryl