Permethrin treatment, down bags and putting one’s pack in a garbage bag at night….

[Nelle]

I’m planning for the Camino Frances in late September and would appreciate some guidance on some finer points of bedbug avoidance. I’ve read lots of posts and I have the basic covered (e.g. check the mattress seams, don‘t put your pack on the bed, etc.), but could use some help with the following questions:

- Has anyone treated a down sleeping bag with permethrin? Will it wreck the down? Any watch-outs?
- If one can’t treat a down bag, has anyone tried sleeping with a down blanket or bag inside a treated silk liner? (I have a lightweight down Sea2Summit Traveller and a slik liner).
- Is it worth it to bag you backpack in a sealed garbage bag everynight, or is that just overkill and not worth the weight?

I’m planning to treat my pack (outside and inside) and the silk liner — I’m just not sure whether it would be OK for the backpack. Any and all thoughts are welcome. Thanks!

 

[trecile]

If one can’t treat a down bag, has anyone tried sleeping with a down blanket or bag inside a treated silk liner?

I spray my silk sleep sack and my down blanket with permethrin. No issues at all.

I’m planning to treat my pack (outside and inside) and the silk liner — I’m just not sure whether it would be OK for the backpack.

I also spray the pack, but mostly inside. The permethrin doesn't repel bedbugs, but with prolonged exposure of a couple of hours or so it should kill them. If they get inside my backpack I want them exposed to the treated surface.

 

[CarolamS]

Permethrin takes a few hours to kill bed bugs. It can stop you spreading bed bugs to your next accommodation or home. It can't stop you getting bitten if the bed bugs fancy a meal! I also have a Sea 2 Summit Traveller; I will spray the compression sack inside but not the down blanket. I will spray the inside of my pack too. I sprayed my pack last year and have not seen that it caused any problems. I did the spraying outside hung on a washing line. I keep my clothes etc inside UL dry sacks and these I spray inside and out too.

I try to keep my belongings sealed in their bags as much as possible. I hang my pack up if I can (and have a small S hook). I didn't use a garbage bag every night. That's just what I do

 

[Kanga]

Has anyone treated a down sleeping bag with permethrin? Will it wreck the down? Any watch-outs?

- Is it worth it to bag you backpack in a sealed garbage bag everynight, or is that just overkill and not worth the weight?

I’m planning to treat my pack (outside and inside) and the silk liner — I’m just not sure whether it would be OK for the backpack. Any and all thoughts are welcome. Thanks!

I've soaked my down sleeping bag in permethrin treatment (I use Equip Debugger) and then hung it outside on a line to dry completely. It has not affected the down or cover and once dry I think it's impossible to tell its been done.

I've also sprayed my backpack inside and out with various different permethrin sprays, again without any issue once dried.

I use an extra large (70litre) backpack liner in which to put my backpack each night, instead of a garbage bag. It is stronger, does not rustle like a garbage bag, and the roll top makes a handle so I can hang it up and also drag my backpack outside the dorm in the early morning, thus avoiding waking others.

Is it worth it? It still has not stopped me from being bitten by bed bugs. It happened again on my last Camino Frances (in a good hotel, I might add) when I had three of the telltale bites on my face. Had to take all my gear to a commercial laundromat to put everything (including my pack) DRY through the hot cycle on the dryer to ensure I'd killed everything.

But I still had a fabulous time. I left the Francés and walked a different, less busy, camino path and stayed in the municipal albergues, all of which had metal bunks with those lovely thick blue plastic mattress covers! No more bugs.

 

[dick bird]

No amount of Permethrin will stop you getting bitten, unfortunately. It isn’t a deterrent. It does kill them but it takes time to work. The reason for treating your bedding and gear is to prevent you taking the infestation with you. But you can treat down so long as you dry it carefully. Liners make no difference either way.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Very good advice above. The main takeaway is that your use of Permethrin will protect others more than you. If bed bugs are around they still can bite you but ones that tag along with you will die before they get a chance to bite someone else.

Treat your pack. You don't want any hitchhikers to make your home their home too. Many pilgrims put their pack and its contents in a black plastic bag before entering their house and place the bag out in the hot sun to kill any bedbugs. Even if the pack had been treated.

 

[dick bird]

Just throwing this into the mix, has anyone stuck a thermometer into a black plastic bag that has been left in the sun? I’ve always assumed it would get pretty damned hot, like a parked car, but does anyone know?

 

[williamlittig]

I’m planning for the Camino Frances in late September and would appreciate some guidance on some finer points of bedbug avoidance. I’ve read lots of posts and I have the basic covered (e.g. check the mattress seams, don‘t put your pack on the bed, etc.), but could use some help with the following questions:

- Has anyone treated a down sleeping bag with permethrin? Will it wreck the down? Any watch-outs?
- If one can’t treat a down bag, has anyone tried sleeping with a down blanket or bag inside a treated silk liner? (I have a lightweight down Sea2Summit Traveller and a slik liner).
- Is it worth it to bag you backpack in a sealed garbage bag everynight, or is that just overkill and not worth the weight?

I’m planning to treat my pack (outside and inside) and the silk liner — I’m just not sure whether it would be OK for the backpack. Any and all thoughts are welcome. Thanks!

Putting your bag in a plastic bag at night is a good idea. Remember to leave the room before unwrapping so all else can sleep. Permathrin is a neurotoxin , a known carcinogen and should be avoided .

 

[Debora]

I sprayed my silk liner, backpack, and the socks I wore every night to sleep with permethrin. I sprayed them in my garage and left them out for a few days to dry. The smell did not linger. I see you live in NYC. I bought my permethrin in a spray can at Dick’s Sporting Goods.

 

[Anniesantiago]

- Has anyone treated a down sleeping bag with permethrin? Will it wreck the down? Any watch-outs?
- If one can’t treat a down bag, has anyone tried sleeping with a down blanket or bag inside a treated silk liner? (I have a lightweight down Sea2Summit Traveller and a slik liner).
- Is it worth it to bag you backpack in a sealed garbage bag everynight, or is that just overkill and not worth the weight?

I’m planning to treat my pack (outside and inside) and the silk liner — I’m just not sure whether it would be OK for the backpack. Any and all thoughts are welcome. Thanks!

I spray the outside of my down bag with permethrin every year before doing the Camino. So far, no issues.
The silk liner, in my opinion, is just to make the person sleeping in it feel better. It does nothing to stop bedbugs unless you tie it up over your head. Bedbugs won't NEST in silk, but they'll be happy to climb in and feast on you in silk. Those who have used a silk liner and have not been bitten have just been lucky.

I spray the outside of my pack before each Camino also. I do take a garbage bag JUST in CASE I can't find a place to put my pack up off the floor. I take a hook or bungie so I can tie it up on the bed or put it on a chair - never on the floor unless forced.

 

[dbeatriceb]

I’m planning for the Camino Frances in late September and would appreciate some guidance on some finer points of bedbug avoidance. I’ve read lots of posts and I have the basic covered (e.g. check the mattress seams, don‘t put your pack on the bed, etc.), but could use some help with the following questions:

- Has anyone treated a down sleeping bag with permethrin? Will it wreck the down? Any watch-outs?
- If one can’t treat a down bag, has anyone tried sleeping with a down blanket or bag inside a treated silk liner? (I have a lightweight down Sea2Summit Traveller and a slik liner).
- Is it worth it to bag you backpack in a sealed garbage bag everynight, or is that just overkill and not worth the weight?

I’m planning to treat my pack (outside and inside) and the silk liner — I’m just not sure whether it would be OK for the backpack. Any and all thoughts are welcome. Thanks!

I hang my down bag outside on a clothesline and spray the outside with Permethrin. I also spray the outside of my pack and my shoes. When my pack its sitting on the floor at night, I have used a garbage bag to place my pack in at night but never sealed the bag. What i do now though is to use a polycro pack liner and just keep everything inside the pack at night. One thing to remember is to bring something (a small garbage bag) to set the pack on if you’re sitting outside for a break on the trail. Bedbugs are hitchhikers and can jump on anywhere, not just in lodging at night. Most important, my down sleeping bag has held up just fine after several applications of permethrin, so no worries there.

 

[Trekker One]

Personally for me, spraying my gear with any preventative substance is a complete non-starter. Haven't ever done it on any of my six Camino's and certainly won't be doing so for our walk this fall.
My wife and I always ask to look at our accommodations before we lay our money down. If we have any doubts as to cleanliness we move on ( which we have done on a few occasions.)
The idea of sleeping in something that has been sprayed with a chemical is more terrifying than preventing the remote chance of an encounter with bed bugs.
We do bag our clothes inside a bag and keep our packs off the floors when possible. Zero bed bug issues so far.
Chemicals are always said to be safe until they aren't.
The idea that you aren't spraying your gear for yourself but for the protection of others is the same fractured ultimately disproven reasoning that was used early on with the covid shots.

 

[Mikey - camino]

I have read that most bed bugs are now resistant to Permethrin so i am not sure of how effective it would be. I have heard that a product called 'Crossfire' works. Both Crossfire and permethrin are not available to me where I live in Canada.

I will make one small suggestion, but some lightweight clothing in a plastic bag and do not use them until you need disinfect to pack and clothing. for me that was an industrial size dyer. The extra small weight is worth it.

Mike

 

[clare kelly]

Permethrin is a highly neurotoxic dangerous chemical. The thought of choosing to sleep bathed in its poison cloud baffles me.

 

[Trekker One]

Permethrin is a highly neurotoxic dangerous chemical. The thought of choosing to sleep bathed in its poison cloud baffles me.

Me as well...

 

[howardd5]

I’m planning for the Camino Frances in late September and would appreciate some guidance on some finer points of bedbug avoidance. I’ve read lots of posts and I have the basic covered (e.g. check the mattress seams, don‘t put your pack on the bed, etc.), but could use some help with the following questions:

- Has anyone treated a down sleeping bag with permethrin? Will it wreck the down? Any watch-outs?
- If one can’t treat a down bag, has anyone tried sleeping with a down blanket or bag inside a treated silk liner? (I have a lightweight down Sea2Summit Traveller and a slik liner).
- Is it worth it to bag you backpack in a sealed garbage bag everynight, or is that just overkill and not worth the weight?

I’m planning to treat my pack (outside and inside) and the silk liner — I’m just not sure whether it would be OK for the backpack. Any and all thoughts are welcome. Thanks!

I have sprayed by down bag with the stuff and left it to dry in the sun. No smell and no bugs. That being said , I walked with a group that didn’t spray and didn’t get bit. I previously on another Camino did get bit up and put everything in a big plastic black bag that sat in the hot sun for a couple hours. And it fixed my fears. I did plan to spray everything but me on my next trip.

 

[trecile]

I have sprayed by down bag with the stuff and left it to dry in the sun. No smell and no bugs. That being said , I walked with a group that didn’t spray and didn’t get bit.

Several previous posts on this thread have mentioned that permethrin treated bedding will not stop bedbugs from biting you. It's slow acting, so they can crawl right into your sleeping bag and have a quick snack. But if they stay inside your treated bag they should die after s couple of hours of exposure. This will keep you from transporting them to the next place you stay.

Most albergues and other Camino accommodations do not have active bed bugs infestations. They keep on top of it, but need to be notified when bedbugs are spotted so that they can eradicate them.

 

[AmiK]

I’m planning for the Camino Frances in late September and would appreciate some guidance on some finer points of bedbug avoidance. I’ve read lots of posts and I have the basic covered (e.g. check the mattress seams, don‘t put your pack on the bed, etc.), but could use some help with the following questions:

- Has anyone treated a down sleeping bag with permethrin? Will it wreck the down? Any watch-outs?
- If one can’t treat a down bag, has anyone tried sleeping with a down blanket or bag inside a treated silk liner? (I have a lightweight down Sea2Summit Traveller and a slik liner).
- Is it worth it to bag you backpack in a sealed garbage bag everynight, or is that just overkill and not worth the weight?

I’m planning to treat my pack (outside and inside) and the silk liner — I’m just not sure whether it would be OK for the backpack. Any and all thoughts are welcome. Thanks!

From what I understand, Permethrine is for clothing (or packs) but like Deet should not come in contact with the skin. Picaridin is a safe alternative for the skin.

 

[C clearly]

Permethrine is for clothing (or packs) but like Deet should not come in contact with the skin.

You are correct that permethrin should not be applied to the skin. However Deet repellants are intended to be applied to the skin.

 

[trecile]

Permethrine is for clothing (or packs) but like Deet should not come in contact with the skin.

How does that work with clothing?

 

[howardd5]

How does that work with clothing?

My experience with permethrin is pretty good , I believe it come from a flower resin . It come in a spray bottle and I sprayed my pack. , sleeping bag and my sleeping shirt . Then let them dry on the sun. Then forgot about it. No smell no color. Better safe than sorry. I have seen people spray their bunk in an albergue when they checked in.

 

[Nelle]

Thanks, everyone, for the good discussion. I don’t want to spread bed bugs or bring them home. So treating at least some of my gear seems to be a good option. Buen Camino

 

[dougfitz]

I have read that most bed bugs are now resistant to Permethrin so i am not sure of how effective it would be.

Only one of the four species of bedbug is known to be resistant, the others aren't. Even bugs from the resistant species will die with sufficient exposure, but permethrin appears to still be effective against the other species.

There is also evidence that once exposed to permethrin, bed bugs are significantly less likely to go on the consume a blood meal. I don't recall this study differentiating between resistant and non-resistant species when conducting the tests on that. While permethrin isn't a repellent, it will offer some protection against getting bitten.

None of this helps if the bed bugs don't have to walk over your treated sleeping bag or liner. Some companies market a treated 'sheet', although the one that I found would not stay attached to the mattress, and bed bugs would still be able to crawl over that onto my head and neck without crossing any treated fabric if I didn't cover them. That, for me, was more difficult than it sounds, even with a youth hostel liner that could be extended over the top of my head.

 

[dougfitz]

From what I understand, Permethrine is for clothing (or packs) but like Deet should not come in contact with the skin. Picaridin is a safe alternative for the skin.

My understanding is that once clothing has been treated with permethrin, the permethrin molecule bonds tightly to the fabric, and there is no reason to not wear the clothing. What is important is to not let permethrin coated fabric come in contact with the 'wet areas' of ones body - genitalia, mouth, nose, eyes, etc. So don't treat underwear for a start.

I use a CPAP which covers my nose, and I wear a sleep mask if I am going to pull my treated youth hostel liner over my head. Anyone who sleeps with an open mouth shouldn't do this! It is one of the few advantages I have from taking a CPAP!!

As an aside, treating clothing on the Camino isn't necessary. It is a treatment one might use if one were travelling where there were daytime insect pests like mosquitoes, ticks and the like. Bed bugs are a night time pest, which is why it makes sense to treat sleeping bags and liners, as well as taking measures like treating packs to avoid carrying them from place to place and spreading any infestation.

 

[WalkingInGers]

I spray my silk sleep sack and my down blanket with permethrin. No issues at all.

I also spray the pack, but mostly inside. The permethrin doesn't repel bedbugs, but with prolonged exposure of a couple of hours or so it should kill them. If they get inside my backpack I want them exposed to the treated surface.

Why don’t you use a bunch of cloves that you place in your bag instead of using a chemical agent? Bed bugs hate cloves and will stay away and apparently won’t bite you either.

 

[Tincatinker]

Permathrin is a neurotoxin , a known carcinogen and should be avoided

Not quite, though I appreciate where you are coming from. Interestingly no-one here is suggesting that eating Permathrin or applying to your own skin in quantity is an efficacious approach to dealing with Bed-bugs.

Permethrin General Fact Sheet

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

To get scientific articles on bed bugs, permethrin, DEET, picaridin, etc. use the search box found here

Google Scholar

Google Scholar provides a simple way to broadly search for scholarly literature. Search across a wide variety of disciplines and sources: articles, theses, books, abstracts and court opinions.

scholar.google.com

URL as text: https://scholar.google.com

Instead of entering bed bugs enter cimex.

 

[dougfitz]

Why don’t you use a bunch of cloves that you place in your bag instead of using a chemical agent? Bed bugs hate cloves and will stay away and apparently won’t bite you either.

Because I would prefer to use a well established and proven insecticide. Besides, essential oils and their sources are just as much chemical agents as permethrin, and there are many people who will react to having essential oils and other scented chemical compounds used in dormitories. Be kind to your fellow pilgrims.

 

[DwainS]

Personally for me, spraying my gear with any preventative substance is a complete non-starter. Haven't ever done it on any of my six Camino's and certainly won't be doing so for our walk this fall.
My wife and I always ask to look at our accommodations before we lay our money down. If we have any doubts as to cleanliness we move on ( which we have done on a few occasions.)
The idea of sleeping in something that has been sprayed with a chemical is more terrifying than preventing the remote chance of an encounter with bed bugs.
We do bag our clothes inside a bag and keep our packs off the floors when possible. Zero bed bug issues so far.
Chemicals are always said to be safe until they aren't.
The idea that you aren't spraying your gear for yourself but for the protection of others is the same fractured ultimately disproven reasoning that was used early on with the covid shots.

I walked the Camino Frances this past May-June and did not spray any of my gear or clothing.

 

[WalkingInGers]

Because I would prefer to use a well established and proven insecticide. Besides, essential oils and their sources are just as much chemical agents as permethrin, and there are many people who will react to having essential oils and other scented chemical compounds used in dormitories. Be kind to your fellow pilgrims.

The use of cloves has a distinct odor but is it that problematic to my fellow pilgrims in a dorm?

 

[C clearly]

The use of cloves has a distinct odor but is it that problematic to my fellow pilgrims in a dorm?

Yes, it will be, to some people. It is especially annoying when one knows that there is no evidence that it is effective against bed bugs.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

The use of cloves has a distinct odor but is it that problematic to my fellow pilgrims in a dorm?

I don't know about cloves but oil of cloves or other "essential" oils may. Peg and a friend have big problems with these and perfumes (as do many others). Scientific papers I've read don't give them much of a chance of working.

 

[WalkingInGers]

I don't know about cloves but oil of cloves or other "essential" oils may. Peg and a friend have big problems with these and perfumes (as do many others). Scientific papers I've read don't give them much of a chance of working.

To each his or her philosophy as long as one does not impede on others’ welfares.

 

[dougfitz]

To each his or her philosophy as long as one does not impede on others’ welfares.

This is not a question of philosophical position on some matter, but on having other people in an albergue that have an intolerance to the chemicals contained in certain essential oils and similar products. So, yes, it might well be something that affects someone else's welfare in a albergue dormitory.

 

[walking sticKs]

I spray the outside of my pack before each Camino also. I do take a garbage bag JUST in CASE I can't find a place to put my pack up off the floor. I take a hook or bungie so I can tie it up on the bed or put it on a chair - never on the floor unless forced.

Ditto on this approach, I do the leaf bag thing when I return home. Everything goes into a leaf bag (large thick trash bag) sealed then into my vehicle, windows up in the blazing sun for four to five days to ensure total elimination of any critters!

 

[trecile]

I spray the outside of my pack before each Camino also

I spray the inside of my pack with permethrin. If a bedbug gets inside the pack I want to make sure that it's exposed to the permethrin treated surface for as long as possible - that's how it kills the bedbugs. Since permethrin isn't a bedbug repellent it's not going to stop one from crawling inside regardless of which side is treated.

 

[Anniesantiago]

I spray the inside of my pack with permethrin. If a bedbug gets inside the pack I want to make sure that it's exposed to the permethrin treated surface for as long as possible - that's how it kills the bedbugs. Since permethrin isn't a bedbug repellent it's not going to stop one from crawling inside regardless of which side is treated.

Yeah, I don't want it touching my clothes but I understand why you do it.
So far, never had an issue (knocking on wood)

 

[Anniesantiago]

Ditto on this approach, I do the leaf bag thing when I return home. Everything goes into a leaf bag (large thick trash bag) sealed then into my vehicle, windows up in the blazing sun for four to five days to ensure total elimination of any critters!

Yes, and I even undress in the garage and leave everything in that bag.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Since we're thinking about clothes here is more to think about.

Bed Bugs and Dirty Clothes
Being blood-sucking insects, you wouldn’t expect bed bugs to be attracted to dirty clothes. But that’s exactly what researchers at the University of Sheffield in England discovered. Bed bugs are twice as likely to hide in soiled clothing that has been worn versus clean clothing.

The article continues at
https://www.pctonline.com/news/bed-bugs-dirty-clothes/

 

[Lovebubble]

Me as well...

Me too!

 

[dougfitz]

Permethrin is a highly neurotoxic dangerous chemical. The thought of choosing to sleep bathed in its poison cloud baffles me.

Me as well...

Me too!

It would baffle me too, if this was how permethrin behaved. But it isn't. Once treated fabric is dry, the permethrin molecules bond tightly to fabric, and do not form a vapour cloud. You are not 'bathed in [any] poison cloud' and provided to don't allow the treated fabric to come into contact with the wet areas of your body, any transfer through your skin will be minimal, well below the levels considered dangerous.

Some years ago, I calculated the amount of the Sawyer product commercially available in the US. To achieve an LD50 dose, you would need to drink about 5 kg of this. So I feel confident suggesting that it isn't going to be dangerous in the quantities and concentrations used to spray sleeping bags, liners and backpacks.

Permethrin is almost completely eliminated from the body within 12 days (see: https://web.archive.org/web/20070927094027/http://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/permethrin.pdf) so doesn't present an accumulation risk.

So yes, it is a treatment that should be used with caution, but the concern expressed here is not sustained by the facts as they are known. It is not toxic in the concentrations and quantities used to treat pilgrim's gear, nor does it form a vapour cloud that you sleep in.

 

[Paynefive]

Permethrin takes a few hours to kill bed bugs. It can stop you spreading bed bugs to your next accommodation or home. It can't stop you getting bitten if the bed bugs fancy a meal! I also have a Sea 2 Summit Traveller; I will spray the compression sack inside but not the down blanket. I will spray the inside of my pack too. I sprayed my pack last year and have not seen that it caused any problems. I did the spraying outside hung on a washing line. I keep my clothes etc inside UL dry sacks and these I spray inside and out too.

I try to keep my belongings sealed in their bags as much as possible. I hang my pack up if I can (and have a small S hook). I didn't use a garbage bag every night. That's just what I do

This is a side note question, but what size dry bags do I need to order? My town is small so I can’t see them. And do you spray the inside of all of those, too?

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

This is a side note question, but what size dry bags do I need to order? My town is small so I can’t see them. And do you spray the inside of all of those, too?

Get one that can fit inside your pack and big enough to fit your pack inside. At night you protect your pack from being invaded by bed bugs and when walking you have your belongings safe from getting wet (of course you don't need to seal the bag if it is not raining). I'm not sure how effective spraying the bag will be as the fabric will already have been sprayed with waterproofing.

Rather than using a dry bag I think I would go with a nylon sack sprayed on the inside and a large garbage bag (usually folded) to put inside the sack and then the pack when walking in the rain. The sack then helping to prevent tears in the plastic bag.

 

[MightyFree]

Putting your bag in a plastic bag at night is a good idea. Remember to leave the room before unwrapping so all else can sleep. Permathrin is a neurotoxin , a known carcinogen and should be avoided .

Second this. You’ll be very unpopular rustling a big plastic bag morning and night.

Also, please don’t spray the chemicals inside. Had a woman douse herself next to me in an albergue and it triggered my asthma.

 

[Beeman]

I’m planning for the Camino Frances in late September and would appreciate some guidance on some finer points of bedbug avoidance. I’ve read lots of posts and I have the basic covered (e.g. check the mattress seams, don‘t put your pack on the bed, etc.), but could use some help with the following questions:

- Has anyone treated a down sleeping bag with permethrin? Will it wreck the down? Any watch-outs?
- If one can’t treat a down bag, has anyone tried sleeping with a down blanket or bag inside a treated silk liner? (I have a lightweight down Sea2Summit Traveller and a slik liner).
- Is it worth it to bag you backpack in a sealed garbage bag everynight, or is that just overkill and not worth the weight?

I’m planning to treat my pack (outside and inside) and the silk liner — I’m just not sure whether it would be OK for the backpack. Any and all thoughts are welcome. Thanks!

I walked the aragones and Salvador in 2019 and treated everything with permethin,including my pack. I found that my back would break out in a terrible rash if I did not wear two shirts. I would suggest that you first spray a shirt to see if you are allergic.

 

[dougfitz]

I walked the aragones and Salvador in 2019 and treated everything with permethin,including my pack. I found that my back would break out in a terrible rash if I did not wear two shirts. I would suggest that you first spray a shirt to see if you are allergic.

That cannot have been pleasant, and I am sorry to hear that. However, I wonder why you treated your clothing as well as other equipment, and whether you treated your underwear as well.

 

[Trekker One]

I walked the aragones and Salvador in 2019 and treated everything with permethin,including my pack. I found that my back would break out in a terrible rash if I did not wear two shirts. I would suggest that you first spray a shirt to see if you are allergic.

Hmmm. That doesn't strike me as a product that is 100% 'safe and effective.' Getting a chemical induced rash from a product that may or may not save you from a bug bite seems like a poor trade at least to me.

 

[dougfitz]

Hmmm. That doesn't strike me as a product that is 100% 'safe and effective.' Getting a chemical induced rash from a product that may or may not save you from a bug bite seems like a poor trade at least to me.

Unlike this post, @Beeman's earlier post seems to have carefully avoided leaping to any conclusion about what caused the rash, but did recommend a perfectly reasonable check that others might use were they to want to treat their clothing.

Note that I have already said earlier that treating clothing seems unnecessary to me. Unlike areas where one is seeking insect protection against an insect active in the daytime or at dawn and dusk, on the Camino, one is seeking protection against an insect that is active at night. Unless one is sleeping in their clothes, treating them will offer no protection against bed bugs.

 

[howardd5]

Unlike this post, @Beeman's earlier post seems to have carefully avoided leaping to any conclusion about what caused the rash, but did recommend a perfectly reasonable check that others might use were they to want to treat their clothing.

Note that I have already said earlier that treating clothing seems unnecessary to me. Unlike areas where one is seeking insect protection against an insect active in the daytime or at dawn and dusk, on the Camino, one is seeking protection against an insect that is active at night. Unless one is sleeping in their clothes, treating them will offer no protection against bed bugs.

Agree, I treated only outside of my lite bag and outside of my pack.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Hmmm. That doesn't strike me as a product that is 100% 'safe and effective.' Getting a chemical induced rash from a product that may or may not save you from a bug bite seems like a poor trade at least to me.

You have to weight the risks against the benefits. There are the differences between not using permethrin at all, having the permethrin on the outside of a pack, outside of clothing, and inside/outside of a pack. Then there is the weigh-off of the risk of rash against a normally harmless bed bug bite, one that you are allergic to, and mosquitoes and ticks that may carry serious diseases.