Buzz Off Insect Shield™ (Woman's Clothing)

Overall impression: We were preparing for a bush trip to Africa when we first heard of the new Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, registered Buzz Off pretreated insect repellent line. We loved the idea right away. It meant we didn’t have to dip or spray our safari clothes in permethrin. The safari color (khaki) Buzz Off clothes were ready to wear, odorless, designed to wick off moisture, washable and a good value for money, especially when compared with the chore and cost of purchasing regular clothes, spraying them with permethrin, and then leaving them to dry for hours before we could pack or wear them.

Other reasons we were enthusiastic were that the fabric was light for packing purposes and comfortable to wear featuring ample and practical Velcro pockets; the design was flattering, the sizes true to standards and the color suitable for game viewing. The label said the items were effective repelling mosquitoes, ticks, ants, flies, chiggers and midges. So how did they perform? We wore the clothes in the United States and three African countries (five weeks), where we spent a good majority of the time in malaria areas. We also wore clothes we had treated with permethrin spray. We encountered several people during our travels that had recently had malaria so we took our precautions seriously.

Buzz Off and manual sprayed items performed equally well. We were not bitten through our clothes at any time. Colleagues who were not wearing clothes with insect repellent were bitten. The Buzz Off clothes remained wearable and continued to repel insects after several washes; they stood up to the harsh African conditions with no visible damage and remain wearable and good looking through the present. We found only advantages to the Buzz Off clothes. Next time we expect to visit a mosquito or insect infested area, we will purchase additional Buzz Off clothes.

Colors available : Khaki, cactus, and blue

Sizes available: Extra small, small, medium, large, and extra large

Items we tested: Long sleeved shirt, pants, socks, and bandana

Manufacturer: Ex Officio ®

Available at: Through the manufacturer, sports clothing, camping and travel specialty stores.

Made in: China

Made of: 100 nylon

Washing instructions: Machine wash separately in warm water without bleach. Tumble dry, iron low/delicate. Dry cleaning removed the repellent ingredient. Do not dry clean.

Type of product: Pretreated insect repellent sports oriented clothing

List price: Bandana, $12; socks, $18; pants, $74; and long sleeved shirt $79

Size: S

Weight : Bandana 2 oz; socks 4 oz, shirt 6 oz, and pants 7 oz

Number of days tested: Two months

Places tested: Botswana , South Africa , United States and Zambia

Date of review: July 2004

Would you use this product again? Yes

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