Bugs are annoying and can transmit serious illnesses. Here are my 5 tips to avoid getting bitten by bugs when hiking.

Treat your gear

Permethrin kills bugs on contact – that means when a tick crawls on your treated sock, it will die and not even have a chance to bite you.

Treat your gear, like shoes, socks, pack, and outer wear with permethrin. Don’t treat items worn close to your skin like underwear.

Home treatment lasts 6 weeks or 6 washes and professional treatment lasts longer.

Permethrin is toxic to cats when wet, but safe once dry. If you have pets, it’s a good idea to treat your gear outside and let it fully dry before bringing it inside.

Treat your self

Use a good repellent like picaridin on all exposed skin.

Picaridin is a compound from a plant extract (related to pepper).

Studies show picaridin is equally or more effective than DEET.

Picaridin does not feel greasy or dissolve plastics/gear like DEET does.

Picaridin comes in spray or lotion and can last up to 14 hours, but reapply if you’re really sweaty.

Get a bugnet

A bug head net keeps bugs from flying in your eyes, nose, mouth, and ears. (I’m looking at you, black flies).

You may think you look silly, but it’s 100% worth it. During black fly season, I’ve gotten SO MANY comments of “wow, I wish I had one of those”.

Wear it over a brimmed hat to keep it from touching your face and neck.

A head bug net weighs almost nothing and packs down very small and provides so much benefit.

Choose proper clothing

Common advice is to wear long pants and tuck them into your socks. I don’t personally like to hike in pants, so I wear shorts. But I also treat my gaiters and wear those over my socks and shoes. The gaiters keep out rocks and burrs, and also keeps any bugs out.

A “sun shirt” with long sleeves is also helpful, though some are so thin that mosquitos can still bite through them. The same can be true of leggings, while they provide coverage, they don’t always prevent bug bites.

Extras

If you’re in a heavily infested tick area, or will be doing multi-day trips, bring a tick spoon or other tool to remove ticks. Check yourself at the end of every day for ticks.

Bring benedryl in case you do get bitten and have a large reaction.

Of course, check yourself for ticks once you’re home!