Mosquito proof shirt for the Sierra

Permethrin. The effects of skin contact have been studied extensively AND there’s actually no real reason for much skin contact anyway if you’re wearing a next to skin layer like a Mt. Hardware lite-T or something similar. Also I have found picaridin to be very effective and it won’t dissolve fabrics and elastics.

That MLD headnet linked by Ross looks really well -designed or about what I’d expect from Ron Bell.

And for the hands why couldn’t you treat or spray an old pair of lightweight liner socks and use those as mitts?

I’ve used a permethrin treated Mt Hardware Canyon shirt for buggy adventures in recent years including a mid-August trip through the Winds in the high water year of 2017 and there were mosquitoes everywhere but I didn’t get bitten. They weren’t that aggressive though and hard to tell if it was the repellent and permethrin. On that trip i felt like that shirt was the MVP of my gear list.

Just back from a couple days in the Sierra and I didn’t get a single bite through my Patagonia Sun Stretch shirt treated with permethrin by Insectshield.

The Simms Bugstopper Hoody has been a great shirt. It’s a polyester knit hooded shirt treated with permethrin. The hood keeps the sun off my neck during the day and bugs off my head in the afternoons, and warm in the evenings and mornings. It’s incredibly comfortable, dries quick, and is great with the bugs.

https://backpackinglight.com/forums/topic/review-simms-bugstopper-hoody/

I have a newer version of the REI Sahara shirt, and my shoulders quickly informed me that it does not stop mosquitos from biting. A “light” application of permethrin did the trick. I heavily dosed some clothing in the past and could not wear them, the smell was too much for me. So I advise trying a light application and also wearing/testing the clothing before setting off on a trip.

I think I’ve decided on wearing the Ex Officio Minimo shirt I have.  It’s a very light tight weave nylon shirt.  I do plan on treating it (as well as my pants, socks, sun-gloves, and Sun-Runner hat’s cape) with permethrin prior to the trip.  It’s not really what I want to wear, as it doesn’t breathe super well, but I already own it so it saves me from buying something else.  I’ll also have a headnet and DEET, but hopefully the mosquitos aren’t as bad as I fear.

We were in Yosemite a few weeks ago and all used these hooded, long-sleeve with thumb hole shirts that we treated with permethrin. They also provided great sun protection. No more shorts and short-sleeve shirts for us.

Find things that are treated with InsectShield, it’s a factory permethrin treatment that works better than spraying it in permethrin. I was in the sierras (Yosemite) recently with high bug pressure and wore a KNIT, PERFORATED, BREATHABLE shirt from white sierra, that was insectshield treated and did NOT get bit. You can also send in clothes you already own to Insect Shield and they will treat it for you and send it back. I highly recommend Insect Shield or similar (BugsAway, etc).

I have used the send in your own clothes to be treated program from Insect Shield before and highly recommend it.  I would have done that this time, but I didn’t have all my ducks in a row and didn’t send anything to them in time.  My pants, RailRiders Eco Mesh are factory Insect Shield, but I’m sure it’s completely gone by now, as I have had the pants for nine years and they probably have a thousand miles on them or more.