Insect Shield Easy Packs
Reviewed by
Sammy312
TOP 25 REVIEWER
+459
November 4, 2024
Permanently treat your clothing against ticks! Instead of retreating your clothing with permethrin every six weeks, get a permanent treatment for everything you can fit in the prepaid envelope.
Pros
- "Permanent" treatment
- Quicker and more cost effective than respraying every few weeks
- Simpler and less smelly than using insect repellant
Cons
- Clothing can't be dry cleaned.
- Takes a couple of weeks until items are returned.
- Treatment can cause shrinkage
I've treated my clothing with permethrin many times over the years, especially when going off-trail, going on multi-day adventures, or when there was a high likelihood of ticks or mosquitos. It takes time to prep and safely treat the clothing yourself, plus you need to make sure to leave enough time for everything to dry overnight.
I decided to try out Insect Shield's Easy Pack because of the simplicity of not having to retreat clothing every six weeks. I can send it to be treated once and grab a set of clothing out of the closet whenever I'm going to need them, no need to worry about tracking when it was last treated. It will likely last the usable life of any clothing I use for off-trail activities (70 washings).
Insect Shield sends a postage paid envelope/bag like the one I filled here. Bulky clothing will take up more space, but I was able to fit in 5 pairs of orienteering pants, 4 pairs of knee-high orienteering socks, 1 orienteering jersey, 1 pair of lightweight hiking pants, 1 long sleeve hiking shirt, 4 t-shirts, 1 kid sized pair of pants, and 1 kids sized long sleeve shirt. They warn you not to overstuff the package so your items don't get damaged or lost, this amount seemed to fill the envelope nicely without overstuffing it.
This is the other side of the hang tag they put on your treated garments
They claim that it's good for 70 washings. The only way to tell would be to either find a tick on myself before that time—then I'd know it's not as effective—or by placing a live tick on one of the garments and see how it reacts. From what I've read, the tick should start to slow down and eventually become incapacitated.
Background
As a Scoutmaster, geocacher, and orienteer, I find myself in forests at least once a week. My passion is orienteering these days, and I take part in races whenever I can. Orienteering and geocaching include a lot of off-trail travel, so I prefer to have permethrin treated clothing for myself and family.
Source: bought it new
Price Paid: $100
Reviewed by
Neil Hochman
+26
November 13, 2024
IS clothing is the best defense against lyme disease and other tick-born diseases which are endemic to Dutchess County in NYS.
Pros
- IS Permethrin-treated clothing is safe, effective, odorless, and long lasting.
Cons
- Over the years, some IS made garments have worn better than others. However, I doubt their protective qualities ever diminished.
My wife and I own IS pants, shirts, hats, a blanket, and multiple varieties of socks. We have also had our own clothing treated and used their premetherin spray for shoes. All have performed as expected and we've been tick free for years while living in a tick infested county in upstate NYS.
I wear these clothes while gardening, mowing, hiking, lounging etc. Prior to using their products we would get ticks and had lyme disease more than once. The hats are also helpful in keeping airborne pests at bay.
Background
I have been an IS customer since their products came on the market.
Source: bought it new
Price Paid: Different prices for products
