Insect repellent- Overland Track

[Drifting]

Hi all,

LONG time no post here. I have a quick question about insect repellent for the OT. My daughter in hiking it in November and is allergic to DEET. Does anyone have suggestions for mozzie repellent for her?

Thank you so much.

Drifting

[johnw]

Haven't used it on the OLT but I've found this to be quite effective in most locations.
It does have a fairly strong citronella scent, if that's an issue.
Available at many pharmacies, Woolies etc. I note that Chemist Warehouse in Tas doesn't seem to have it in store.
https://thursdayplantation.com.au/products/walkabout-insect-repellent/

[Warin]

If your feeling vengeful, permethrin applied to clothing is supposed to kill them...

[safari]

Might be tricky to acquire depending on where you are in Australia but I use Sawyer Picaridin.
I'm a Tassie resident and I use that stuff like sauce on steak.

[Drifting]

Thanks all- I'll pass that on to her.

We used to use the Thursday Island repellent when it came in a bottle- it was brilliant. The roll on doesn't seem to work so well for he, but it does for me.

[Tortoise]

The other option of course is long sleeves & long pants. It depends what she's used to. Over the last few hundreds of days of bushwalking in Tassie, including the OLT, I haven't used insect repellent. Tucking my pants into my socks has pretty well stopped leech bites. If there are lots of mozzies etc, I retire to my tent early.

[Drifting]

That's her preference, I think, Tortoise.

[north-north-west]

The other option of course is long sleeves & long pants. It depends what she's used to. Over the last few hundreds of days of bushwalking in Tassie, including the OLT, I haven't used insect repellent. Tucking my pants into my socks has pretty well stopped leech bites. If there are lots of mozzies etc, I retire to my tent early.

This is my practice, and it's pretty effective, except for the odd spot around the wrist and neck areas.
Fortunately our high country doesn't have as much of a horsefly problem as the Australian Alps, because those buggers will bite through just about anything short of sheet metal.

[icefest]

If allergic to DEET Picaridin is the active ingredient of choice. As good a repellent in lab studies and minimal inherent scent!