Avon Skin-So-Soft

The message <[email hidden]>
from [email hidden] (Chris Gilbert) contains these words:

Quoted message said:

I'm converted, however, and it must be more skin-friendly
than DEET.

Last weekend I trialed five different midge repellents at
Shiel Bridge camp site, Kintail. Weather was warm and very
humid with light rain and low cloud; time - early to
middle evening.

The results for what it's worth are:

Avon Skin So Soft 1/10; it smells nice but didn't keep the
midges away.

Stop-bite spray with bog myrtle from "Totally Herbal of
Scotland" 1/10; smells nice but otherwise useless.

Mosiguard natural (Stick) 4/10 worked for about half an hour
before needing a top-up.

Repel 55, 55% DEET 7/10; worked well but oily and harsh on
skin; I believe it melts plastic.

Nylon midge hood 8/10; keeps 100% of midges off the face but
falls down when wanting to eat or drink.

--
Cheers,

Compo.

On 11 Jun 2004 07:53:21 -0700, [email hidden] (Chris

Gilbert) said:

Rod and Gun in Fort William are selling it for £5 a bottle,
which is somewhat exploitative but what price a tolerable
outdoor experience in Scotland on warm, humid evenings?

Quite a few folk would vote for this product... although,
similarly, I know quite a few for whom it just doesn't
work... right up the point of a comparison of one arm = S-S-
S the other = Jungle Formula; guess whaich arm was bitten
and which wasn't!! (true)

Instead of paying rip-off prices in Fart Bill go to
Avon direct:

shop.avon.comdefault.aspOpen ↗

Stupidly, their site is framed so I can't give you a direct
link to the product but do a search on skin-so-soft (its a
moisturiser, with hidden talents ;-)

SteveO

NE Climbers & walkers chat forum;
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It seems that results vary! I've used Jungle Formula, some
NATO stuff and a sunscreen lotion from boots with added
insect repellant. I came to the conclusion it depended on
where the midges came from, the Torridon midges did not like
Jungle Formula, yet the Mamore midges didn't bother. The
NATO stuff worked in Glencoe but not at Loch Ewe. I reckon
we need a midge database of which repellents work where and
midgie polis to make sure those annoying midges that try and
hop around the country in your car after the walk are
eradicated. No cross breeding.

KRO

In article <[email hidden]>,
[email hidden] writes

Quoted message said:

Any recommendations for a net hood?

"Life Systems" make them to go over a wide brrimmed hat -
try Cotswolds!
--
Bill Grey billboy.co.ukbillboy.co.ukOpen ↗

Steve Orrell said:

Instead of paying rip-off prices in Fart Bill go to
Avon direct:

shop.avon.comdefault.aspOpen ↗

Stupidly, their site is framed

<doh!>

...even more stupid, I gave the addy for the merkin site.
Try this instead:

avonshop.co.uksearch.aspOpen ↗
t&t=1&searchcode=Enter+Code

SteveO

NE Climbers & walkers chat forum;
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compo wrote

Quoted message said:

Last weekend I trialed five different midge repellents at
Shiel Bridge camp site, Kintail. Weather was warm and very
humid with light rain and low cloud; time - early to
middle evening.

For a few years now I've been using Josticks while in camp.
Tucked inside they just seem to get enough smoke in the
tent to discourage them. Pleasant smell too. I can't say
that I've been sufficiently scientific to work out which
one works best but they all seem to have a noticeable
deterrent effect.

Be careful not to burn holes in the fly, mind :-)

Chris

[email hidden] said...

Quoted message said:

Nylon midge hood 8/10; keeps 100% of midges off the face
but falls down when wanting to eat or drink.

How did it know?
--
Fran If you need my email address please ask.

KRO said:

It seems that results vary! I've used Jungle Formula, some
NATO stuff and a sunscreen lotion from boots with added
insect repellant. I came to the conclusion it depended on
where the midges came from, the Torridon midges did not
like Jungle Formula, yet the Mamore midges didn't bother.
The NATO stuff worked in Glencoe but not at Loch Ewe. I
reckon we need a midge database of which repellents work

I have just heard a programme on R4 which featured a couple
of people who spend a lot of time in swamps. One of them
recommended smoking a cigar for keeping the mozzies at bay.
I wonder how cigar smoke would work with the Scots midges.
Do we have any experience with cigar smoking and midges on
the group?

--
Andy Leighton => [email hidden] "The Lord is my
shepherd, but we still lost the sheep dog trials"
- Robert Rankin, _They Came And Ate Us_

Chris Gilbert said:

Be careful not to burn holes in the fly, mind :-)

Wot, you going all 'tree huggy' about midges, going for the
surgical kill ??

I'd imagine, wot with them being so teeny tiny and all,
that it would be nie on impossible to get that close to
them... safer to go for the 'wide area torching' and just
frazzle them!!

Mind you, I find repellent much less of a faff.

SteveO

NE Climbers & walkers chat forum;
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[email hidden] said...

Quoted message said:

For a few years now I've been using Josticks while in
camp. Tucked inside they just seem to get enough smoke in
the tent to discourage them. Pleasant smell too.

But not much good for asthma sufferers, as I found out to my
cost on one occasion. Thankfully I was at home at the time.
--
Fran If you need my email address please ask.

The message <[email hidden]>
from Fran <[email hidden]> contains these words:

Quoted message said:

[email hidden] said...

Quoted message said:

Nylon midge hood 8/10; keeps 100% of midges off the face
but falls down when wanting to eat or drink.

How did it know?
--
Fran If you need my email address please ask.

It was a very smart hood 🙂

--
Cheers, Compo

"Andy Leighton" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I have just heard a programme on R4 which featured a
couple of people who spend a lot of time in swamps. One of
them recommended smoking a cigar for keeping the mozzies
at bay. I wonder how cigar smoke would work with the Scots
midges. Do we have any experience with cigar smoking and
midges on the group?

I jokingly said to my pal that smoking a cigarette keeps
them away but makes it harder to get up the hill. He,
missing the flippancy, said they go for carbon dioxide and
hence smoking would make it worse. I settled for a draw as
I'm not sure if there's a massive increase in exhaled carbon
monoxide or dioxide when smoking. Probably both.

KRO

Steve Orrell said...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Be careful not to burn holes in the fly, mind :-)

Wot, you going all 'tree huggy' about midges, going for
the surgical kill ??

Incense can smell lovely! There's a cinnamon one which I
particularly like; unfortunately I'd be unable to sleep in a
room, much less a tent, after having it burning therein,
'cos I'd be unable to breathe :-(
--
Fran If you need my email address please ask.

Steve Orrell wrote

Quoted message said:

Wot, you going all 'tree huggy' about midges, going for
the surgical kill ??

Makes for an interesting, if somewhat lengthy, camp game :-)

Chris

KRO said:

would make it worse. I settled for a draw as I'm not sure
if there's a massive increase in exhaled carbon monoxide or
dioxide when smoking. Probably both.

I suspect the CO2:CO ratio will not be as low as you might
expect from the smoker because of the blood's selective
affinity for the CO.

Any way isn't it the smoke that doesn't get inhaled the
deterrent to insects?

On one of the few occasions I camped as a nipper my
companion and I were so badly dined on that he developed
sufficient reaction in his legs to prevent him walking. He
was taken to hospital but I never did figure if it was the
bites or his irritating them by scratching that caused the
reaction. I imagine not touching hem is best?

Any recommendations for a net hood?

AJH

Chris Gilbert said:

Steve Orrell wrote

Quoted message said:

Wot, you going all 'tree huggy' about midges, going for
the surgical kill ??

Makes for an interesting, if somewhat lengthy, camp game
:-)

Ooooh, Matron!!

SteveO

NE Climbers & walkers chat forum;
thenmc.org.ukindex.phpOpen ↗

NMC website: thenmc.org.ukthenmc.org.ukOpen ↗

W. D. Grey said:

In article <[email hidden]>,
[email hidden] writes

Quoted message said:

Any recommendations for a net hood?

"Life Systems" make them to go over a wide brrimmed hat -
try Cotswolds!

Thanks I'll have a look. Just got back from deepest Surrey,
listening to and watching nightjars, the little midges were
quite pernicious, so lord knows what they are like north of
the border (Watford that is).

It was a good display and chorus until the world erupted
with bright light and detonations, 7 secs delay between
them, puts it about where one member of a very titled Greek
family live, I wonder why they chose today for such an
event ;-).

AJH

(Friith) said:

Quoted message said:

I gave the addy for the merkin site.

Interestingly, that site contains an ad for a 'bug guard'
sss which I can't see on the brit site.

I noticed that as well and was most dischuffed to notice its
abscence from the UK site.

SteveO

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* The air of uk.rec.walking was filled with the
delicate perfume
* of violets, as compo <[email hidden]>
descended on a shaft
* of golden sunlight, and announced:

Quoted message said:

The message
<[email hidden]> from
[email hidden] (Chris Gilbert) contains
these words:

Quoted message said:

Mosiguard natural (Stick) 4/10 worked for about half an
hour before needing a top-up.

Mosiguard stick works well for me, but as you say, it needs
toping up now and again. It smells nice, is easy to apply
and is non-hazardous - unlike DEET type repellants.

Regards: Jim Ford