Black flies, mosquitoes, and ticks can make you think twice about hiking and backpacking in the spring. While lathering up with DEET or Picaridin insect repellent is one option, I prefer wearing hiking clothes for insect protection because they’re far more effective and comfortable.

Here’s a look at the hiking clothes I wear during bug season.

• Hat: Outdoor Research Insect Shield Brim Hat
• Head Net: Sea-to-Summit Headnet with Insect Shield
• Gloves: Outdoor Research Active Ice Sun Gloves
• Socks: Darn Tough Hiker Boot Socks treated with Insect Shield
• Shirt: Railriders Journey Man Shirt with Insect Shield
• Pants: RailRiders Bone Flats Pants treated with  Insect Shield

Hat and Head Net

When you’re hiking, insects are attracted to the highest part of your body, your head. While you can sometimes outpace them if you’re walking fast, they’ll swarm around the crown of your head and face whenever you stop to rest.  While you can cover your ears, face, and neck with bug dope, you’ll sweat it off quickly.

When there’s intense bug pressure in May and June, I wear a Sea-to-Summit Head-Net that’s been factory-treated with Insect Shield. Black in color, it is easier to see through than a green or beige headnet and doesn’t make me nauseous.

The head net is best used with a wide-brim hat like the OR Insect Shield Brim Hat or a Tilley Airflow, because the brim keeps the netting off your face, the back of your head, and neck. While a billed baseball-style hat will keep the netting off your face, it won’t keep the netting off the rest of your head. Bugs can bite through the holes in the mesh if it lies on top of your skin.

A wide brim hat is best for keeping a head-net off your face and the back of your neck.

Fingerless Gloves

When it’s warm out, I like to wear fingerless Active Ice Sun Gloves from Outdoor Research because they prevent bug bites on my hands. They also protect my hands from the sun.

Shirts and Pants

I wear a thin, well-ventilated long-sleeve shirt and long pants during bug season. The Railriders Journeyman shirt with Insect Shield has mesh panels along the arms and legs that help vent perspiration. I also wear RailRider Bone Flat Pants, which have long vents down the sides. They’re not available with Insect Shield, so I send them out myself to be treated. The Bone Flats are similar to the RailRiders Eco Mesh Pants I’ve worn in the past, but are much thinner and lighter weight.

The Bone Flats have 27” long vents on the inside and outside of each leg.

I also send my Darn Tough socks to Insect Shield for treatment. My primary concern is ticks since I spend a fair amount of time off-trail, scouting the banks of rivers and streams for trout habitat.

At a Minimum

There’s nothing that says you have to treat your hiking clothes with Permethrin or send them away for the Insect Shield treatment. What matters the most is having a barrier between you and the bugs, something that wearing the right clothes will accomplish. However, when it comes to fabrics, you’ll want to stick with clothing that has a dense weave, like nylon or polyester shirts and pants, and not cotton or merino wool garments that insects can bite through.

I like having the added repellent provided by Insect Shield or Permethrin. It only takes one bug bite to ruin your day.

Wrap Up

Bugs suck. But a nice spring day without hiking? That’s even worse.

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See Also:

• How to Treat Clothes with Permethrin Insect Repellent
• Ticks, Lyme, and Permethrin
• Railriders Bone Flat Pants Review
• Darn Tough Socks with Insect Shield: Make Your Own
• Permethrin Soak Guide