BugBand is one of the most important things you can bring with you when heading outdoors. It’s right up there with water, food, sunblock, and layers. I can’t begin to think of how many times our fun was ruined by pesky mosquitoes and other insects looking for a free meal from me and my family. But we don’t want to spray ourselves with chemicals just to enjoy being outside. And that’s where BugBand comes in.
The key ingredient in BugBand products is Geraniol, which is derived from geraniums, long known to be good at repelling insects. Now, it’s not as simple of grabbing some flowers out of your window box, and rubbing them all over exposed skin, but the handy BugBand towelettes make it very easy. A great deal of research went into developing this product, and careful breeding of geranium plants was done to ensure high concentrations of oil. This is extracted and refined, and forms the basis of Geraniol. There are other ingredients in BugBand, which together are not toxic to humans or animals. Compare that to DEET, which is a chemical that is toxic to fish, birds, and other animals we might encounter outdoors, and you can see the problem with it. To make things worse, DEET is a solvent that will damage most of your outdoor gear, from cameras to fishing gear, and even your sunglasses. our very own EPA considers DEET mixed with anything, even water, to be a pesticide. And people slather it on their skin. This should scare you, at least a bit. But it’s a real concern. Which do you want on your skin?
Of course, we chose BugBand. They have wristbands, a spray, beads, and a few other products, but it’s the BugBand Towelettes that we love. A small foil packet contains a folded towel with enough Geraniol to repel bugs for at least three days of camping. I wipe both arms, my legs, back of my neck, ears, and forehead. If you only have one, that can cover two people, or you can seal it in a baggy, and use it for touch-ups later. You’ll find that it repels mosquitoes, house flies, stable flies, horn flies, gnats, no-see-ums, plus cockroaches, fire ants, dog ticks, lone star ticks, and even fleas. BugBands do have a scent, but it’s not unpleasant, and it’s such a relief to be bite-free. We tested them on multiple camping trips, and even around our fire pit at home, always with the same great results.
BugBand was kind enough to provide some samples for review, but they are priced so low (as little as 99 cents for a two-pack of Towelettes) I would have been happy to pay double the retail just to be free of pesky bugs. This is one of those products that we can’t say enough good things about – very low cost, and does what it claims. Make your next outing that much more enjoyable, with BugBand, and skip the chemicals.
– Brian
I‘d like to thank BugBand for providing their BugBand Towelettes for this review. Of all the products and gear we have reviewed in the last 8+ years, this has been the most cost-effective when it comes to enjoying the outdoors.