DEET with sunglasses and watch straps

[Borderer]

I have purchased some DEET based insect repellent, having used Avon So Soft before (which was absolutely fine in the UK). I have been warned not to use DEET with nylon or plastic based watch straps or plastic sunglasses. What do you use? My watch straps are either nylon (I think) NATO type or cheap plastic and I have some very cheap petrol station sunglasses which need to be replaced anyway.

 

[Wyatt Smith]

DEET blemished my buddies expensive fish finder screen.
I take my glasses off before I spray. I don’t know if it would damage my glasses, but It will smudge them for sure.

 

[YancyW]

DEET can really mess with plastics, not sure it will ruin them, but I would be damn sure to keep it away from my sunglasses.

 

[Borderer]

So the DEET on your skin doesn't damage them?

 

[thriller]

I have purchased some DEET based insect repellent, having used Avon So Soft before (which was absolutely fine in the UK). I have been warned not to use DEET with nylon or plastic based watch straps or plastic sunglasses. What do you use? My watch straps are either nylon (I think) NATO type or cheap plastic and I have some very cheap petrol station sunglasses which need to be replaced anyway.

dont use it upwind of your truck either it will eat the clearcoat off your truck... this is why i use permetherin

 

[degoins]

I found out the hard way years ago that it will take the finish off of your rifle stock.

 

[JimP]

dont use it upwind of your truck either it will eat the clearcoat off your truck... this is why i use permetherin

One problem with Permetherin in that you are not suppose to apply it to your skin where those bloodsuckers end up at. But it is great for keeping them off of your clothing where the bloodsuckers usually land before migrating to a open area to get to your skin.

 

[Mark Audino]

If you are implying the need to combat tsetse, Permethrin for clothes (only) is effective. Skin So Soft Expedition was about the only thing that I have found to be effective as a preventative skin treatment. Wearing short gaiters or tucking pants into boots helps prevent bites on the ankle and leg while riding on the back of the safari vehicle. I learned my lesson about hunting in shorts long ago. No longer.

 

[VertigoBE]

That DEET can ruin plastics and even remove a guns' coating I did not know.... thanks for sharing.

 

[Mekaniks]

Yeah DEET is great for keeping the bugs away and hell on plastics, rubber and most of the stock coatings like Hydrographics.

 

[Nevada Mike]

Deet based insect repellant ruined an $800 pair of prescription Maui Jim sunglasses. One errant finger print was all it took.

 

[Ravensview]

As someone who uses deet like others use cologne, yes it will eat plastic, I use it sparingly at key spots, back of neck, back of hands, temples etc.. and spray my hat, the commercial stuff is no where near as bad as the old government issue in the green bottle ( which was made out of plastic), I have had mechanical pencils get soft and match my finger outline, certain plastics are affected more than others, and if you saturate it it is worse. Avon skin so soft doesn’t seem to work well in our swamps, the higher the deet the better for us, if you are stationary the thermacell units work very well.

 

[baxterb]

Permethrin for clothes, picaridin for skin. Good to go.

 

[BeeMaa]

Been a long time since we used any DEET products, but I do remember having issues with sunglasses and a few other items at the time. Used Avon Skin So Soft when I was in the Navy on the southeast GA coast to control the gnats...they were terrible. Then again, so was the smell of that stuff. There was no "unscented" version at the time.

Wife and I use permethrin on our "outdoor" clothes every couple of months and before any big hunting/fishing trip. Saves us having to pack something specific for this type of protection. According to the Sawyer website it works as a repellant for mosquitos, but it's only applied to the clothes. It's worked well for us for about 12 years now. The biggest reason I like it is that it's odorless once it has dried...perfect for hunting. Anther big thing is protection from ticks. I've seen ticks drop from a tree and die on my ground cover blanket while turkey hunting because it was treated with permethrin. It just works.

 

[Philip Glass]

I have purchased some DEET based insect repellent, having used Avon So Soft before (which was absolutely fine in the UK). I have been warned not to use DEET with nylon or plastic based watch straps or plastic sunglasses. What do you use? My watch straps are either nylon (I think) NATO type or cheap plastic and I have some very cheap petrol station sunglasses which need to be replaced anyway.

Skin so soft bug repellent and sunscreen in one

 

[MarkB]

I say it depends on the strength of DEET in the product. Some time ago Canada reduced the max allowable DEET in any product, I think its 30% now. I don't spray bug spray around sunglasses, gun stocks or in boat cabin with valuable screens as why take the risk.

In the Military when deployed we were issued repellent with 100% DEET, it was/is just actually called DEET, (I would not dare have any Avon products in my possession while in Navy). I do know for a fact that that issued stuff will ruin sunglasses and even leave a "melted" handprint in a C7 rifle stock. I can also confirm that leaving a bottle of the stuff in the truck glovebox for quite some time will turn the plastic bottle to mush.

I absolutely hate biting insects more than the issues DEET 30% creates, just be aware at all times, use accordingly and keep them bugs at bay.

MB

 

[CoElkHunter]

During my hunt this past June, my PH was wearing shorts with canvas gaiters over his boots. I wore long pants over my boots and EVERYTHING was treated with permethrin at home before I left. We hunted a different property one day and stayed at his sister's home overnight. The next morning he showed me a photo of probably 60-80 "pepper" tick bites on both of his ankles. He said that night his sister had to slit the tops of each raised bite with a knife and then put insecticide over the now open wounds to kill the ticks. He asked me why I had no tick bites because we walked in the same areas? I explained how I treated everything with permethrin. He told me he had never heard of permethrin. I gave him a spray bottle of DEET that I brought with me for the rest of the hunt.

 

[VertigoBE]

During my hunt this past June, my PH was wearing shorts with canvas gaiters over his boots. I wore long pants over my boots and EVERYTHING was treated with permethrin at home before I left. We hunted a different property one day and stayed at his sister's home overnight. The next morning he showed me a photo of probably 60-80 "pepper" tick bites on both of his ankles. He said that night his sister had to slit the tops of each raised bite with a knife and then put insecticide over the now open wounds to kill the ticks. He asked me why I had no tick bites because we walked in the same areas? I explained how I treated everything with permethrin. He told me he had never heard of permethrin. I gave him a spray bottle of DEET that I brought with me for the rest of the hunt.

I had never heard of permethrin either, before AH… still no clue where I can buy the solution to drench my clothes in.

 

[CoElkHunter]

I had never heard of permethrin either, before AH… still no clue where I can buy the solution to drench my clothes in.

Go to your local Brussels Wal Mart. OR, order it off Amazon.

 

[thriller]

I had never heard of permethrin either, before AH… still no clue where I can buy the solution to drench my clothes in.

Amazon delivers