Sawyer Products Premium Permethrin Insect Repellent for Clothing, Gear & Tents

We received the Sawyer Premium Permethrin Insect Repellent Spray to test and were impressed with how easy it is to use. I sprayed it on my hiking boots and outdoor gear—it goes on wet but dries clear and completely odorless. It didn’t stain or leave any residue. Looking forward to it repelling ticks, mosquitoes, and other insects, on my next hike.

The spray helps to keep insects and especially ticks away from your body. Simply spray a coating over your pants, legs and any other area you want to protect. The directions state this product can last through several washings still be effective. We’ve had a large amount of ticks in the yard this year and I’m very concerned about contracting Lyme disease. I’ve used this product in the past and I haven’t had any trouble. After spraying on my clothes, I don’t notice any unpleasant odor.

I'm an avid outdoorsman and don't like using too much insect repellent. I frequent tall grasses and often get ticks and chiggers, along with mosquitoes if I go unprotected. Permethrin to the rescue. I've been using it for over two decades applied to my clothes to keep the little varmints at bay. Sawyers blend has very little odor once dried. I've tried the agricultural variety of 10% and it also works, but it has a distinct petroleum odor that Sawyers doesn't have.Sawyers recommends applying 4.5 ounces to each whole garment, including shoes and socks, and reapplying every 6 weeks or 6 washings whichever occurs first. Instead of applying it to the whole garment, I apply it around all the openings where ticks and chiggers (red bugs) can gain access just to make it go further. That includes the pants waist, zipper and cuffs, and the shirt neck, waist, and sleeves. I also apply it along the back shoulder areas to keep mosquitoes from biting. Overall, this stuff is great and I rarely get any bites from aforementioned bugs.

Product works good. The sprayer is not great. Sometimes the plunger stays in and have to manually pull it out.

I just came back from a nine-day trip deep into the Peruvian jungle -- into the reserve part of Manu National Park. It was an incredible journey! Fantastic nature, and incredibly isolated and pristine (an area never disturbed, and still inhabited by non-contacted peoples). But ahead of time I was extremely nervous about mosquito bites, because twice in the last ten years or so I have been to the emergency clinic with dozens of bug bites and a very strong allergic reaction to them. I practically obsessed over what to do to prevent mosquito bites as much as possible, because I have had such a strong reaction to bug bites, and the jungle is certainly full of mosquitos and other biting insects!.I am very happy to say that everything that I did worked -- I got very few bites, and I didn't even notice them until I searched for them. Everyone else in our group got plenty of bites, and they were itching like crazy, but not me!!!Here is what I did and what I brought:1. I have a Peruvian friend who is a doctor. He told me to take Vitamin B complex every day for a week before the trip and every day in the jungle. I used these: Nature Made Super B Complex Tablets, Value Size, 360 Count2. I bought two bottles of this Permethrin spray and very carefully sprayed ALL of my clothing, carefully following the directions on the bottle. I sprayed all of my clothing at home in my garage, and then packed it all in these giant ziploc bags: Ziploc Big Bag Double Zipper, Large, 5-Count (by the way, those bags were great for packing everything and really helped to keep things from getting too damp in the 100% humidity jungle!). I sprayed the three pairs of hiking pants I brought, three long-sleeved shirts, all of my thick hiking socks, and my sunhat (both sides). I put extra spray at all openings - pant cuffs, shirt cuffs, and shirt button seams.While there I always tucked my pants legs into my socks. The tour company had suggested wearing a cotton t-short under long-sleeved shirts because the mosquitoes bite through clothing, but I never did that; I didn't need to as I just didn't get bites through the Permethrin-sprayed clothing. This stuff really worked, as I did not get bites through my Permethrin-treated clothing!3. I took the antihistamine Loratidine (generic for Claritin, this one: GoodSense Allergy Relief Loratadine Tablets, 10 mg, 30 Count Bottle) as a prophylactic every morning, to prevent my strong reaction to bites. This worked GREAT -- I did get a few bites, as I could see the tiny red dots, but I didn't feel anything at all from them! I took only enough for the days that I was in the jungle. In the two days in Cusco before returning to the US I started itching a little on a couple of bites. In hindsight I should have taken a few extra tablets to take in the next few days after the trip. (Another hint - some people get drowsy on this stuff; I tested it first at home before going on my trip. There are other OTC non-drowsy antihistamines you can try if this doesn't work, like the generic for Zyrtec.)4. I bought DEET. In my paranoia about insect bites and my prior reaction to them, I bought several different versions of DEET -- spray, wipes, and lotion, but I used only this spray, and only three times: Repel 94101 6-Ounce Sportsmen Max Insect Repellent 40-Percent DEET Pump Spray, Case Pack of 1. That bottle is plenty for lots of people; to minimize weight and volume in your pack you might even want to put it into a smaller travel-sized spray bottle. I sprayed the backs of my hands, and then wiped from the backs of my hands onto my neck, cheeks, and forehead.5. I had a mosquito head net that I purchased many years ago. Amazon has others but not the one that I have, so I can't give a link. I used this only two or three times when the mosquitos were especially thick. I had sprayed this also with Permethrin before leaving home.6. I also brought with me an over the counter anti-itch creme (hydrocortisone), and a prescription-strength anti-itch creme (Clobetisol). I never used either one!!!!! But my travelling partners sure were happy that I had it so they could use it! I also had Sting Eze (StingEze Max2 Insect Bite Itch Relief Dauber, 0.5-Ounce), but this too I never needed, and my travelling friends were very happy to use.I worried a LOT before the trip about getting mosquito bites and my reaction to them. Really worried. I questioned my sanity for going! But with this Permethrin spray and everything else I did to prep, I had NO problems with mosquitos and I was able to totally enjoy the trip!!!!

I am out in tick infested fields constantly while birding--old cranberry bogs, marshes, and the like and coat my pants with Sawyers every 6 weeks or so. I rarely, if ever, see a tick on me, and if I do, it is usually dying on the pants. Works against all types of ticks. Can't speak to its effectiveness against other pests because they're not really a problem for me--nothing works against deer flies or greenhead flies. Still, highly recommended. Washing on gentle cycle and air drying helps prolong the effectiveness of the spray--that way the molecules don't get jostled off the material, as I understand it.

Easy to spray on. It STINKS when you first spray it, but once it dried, it had no odor. Didn't get mosquito bites in Kenya! Do make sure you get plenty. Instructions say to get the clothes WET with spray, so it took more than I expected. Also, be sure to leave time for clothes to DRY before packing. The spray nozzle worked really well and the product was easy to apply.

Worked great this turkey season. Many hours in the woods without a single tick or chigger.