Before I met my husband Tim, who is the founder of EasternSlopes.com, I didn’t spend much time outdoors. Since meeting him my life has changed… and much of it has moved outside.  Goodbye Girlie Girl, Hello Outdoor Woman! And Hello bugs. For awhile, bugs were the bane of my existence. But that’s changing . . .

My favorite season is still winter: downhill skiing, cross country, Nordic skating, sledding, snowshoeing  and no bugs. They are all on vacation in Florida. Summer for me used to mean air conditioning, TV and lots of books. Now it means kayaking, cycling, camping and hiking – all activities that place you in bug territory.

I hate bugs!! I’ll bet you hate bugs too. I hate crawling bugs, squirming bugs and, worst of all, flying, biting bugs.  At least with bugs that crawl, you can get up and walk away -most of the time.  Flying bugs hunt you down wherever you try to hide, get in your face, sting you, suck your blood and leave  bites that develop into red, swollen mountains that seem to last forever.

I’ve tried  every possible solution that will let me get out and enjoy the things I love to do without being bugged by bugs. Maybe what I’ve discovered  works for me will help you.

Let’s start with bug repellents.  Tim swears by the low-concentration DEET formulas, but then… bugs don’t like him very much to begin with. Personally, I haven’t found a bug repellent I can live with. They all feel awful on your skin. Most just don’t work for very long, especially the “natural” ones.  And the ones that do work? Do we really want to be putting chemicals on our skin?  Hello?!!!

Fortunately, there are other options if bug protection is as important to you as it is to me.  And they all beat staying cooped up indoors.

First you can try the mosquito head nets. These just fit over a hat and are very inexpensive.  They  do work (sort of), and are definitely light weight and inexpensive.  But headnets have one tragic flaw. They only cover your head. The one I used had arm loops that were supposed to keep it down. Now imagine having a mosquito or black fly somehow find its way inside the net. It’s buzzing in an enclosed space around your eyes and ears, ready for a gourmet meal (that would be you . . . ).  HORRIBLE!  No matter what else you’re doing, your first priority is to get that net off fast.  Mosquito head net?  No thanks! Not enough protection for me.

If you’re braver than I, or just want to make a smaller investment and get some protection, Bug Baffler (see below) has a quality mosquito head net for just $7. If you want a head net with elastic around the neckline for better protection, REI has the Outdoor Research Deluxe Spring Ring Headnet for $18.  I haven’t tried it but I  like the idea of the stainless steel spring that keeps the net off your face and probably keeps bugs from touching you through the net.

A much better choice for me is the Bug Baffler suit, which comes in tops and bottoms.  I’ve had a couple of sets.  The roomy one-piece shirt is made entirely of mesh, with an attached hood.  It provides complete upper body and head protection and the hood design allows plenty of room to wear your favorite hat beneath the mesh.  The brim of your hat keeps the netting from touching your face. There’s a convenient zipper in the front neck seam in case you want to unzip quickly and take a drink. The pants are roomy and have an elastic waist and tight knit cuffs. They fit easily over your shorts or long pants. A Bug Baffler suit is reasonably priced – the top sells for about $35 and the pants are around $25. I’ve used a Bug Baffler for early morning gardening for the past 15 years.

One small disadvantage is that the mesh does limit your vision a bit, but you learn to live with that.  The two other disadvantages to the Bug Baffler are that mosquitoes can bite you anywhere the mesh pulls tightly against your skin. Wearing long pants and a long-sleeved shirt under the netting solves this problem but it can get pretty hot under there on a summer day.  This outfit works very well on a cooler day.

Speaking of cooler days. I’ve tried some of the insect repelling clothing from L.L. Bean.  It looks great, keeps away bugs, but I found the shirt  I have is just TOO HOT to wear in warmer weather when bugs are often most active. The pants are fine and look good enough to wear around town. There’s newer stuff on the market and Tim and EasternSlopes.com Publisher and Senior Editor David Shedd  and his girlfriend Susan have all been trying it out. They’ll let all of us know how it works.

As good as the Bug Baffler is, I’ve found something I like even better. The Original Bug Shirt Company has a shirt that does it all.  It has an attached hood, mesh on the sides to keep you cool and a lightweight, tightly woven microfiber fabric that actually breathes–and that mosquitoes can’t get their hypodermic mouthparts through! You are completely protected, even where the fabric is tight against your skin (sitting and watching the sunset, for example).

The shirt has zippers with two sliders to make opening it for eating and drinking easier. It also has an adjusting cord to keep the hood back off your face and ribbed cuffs and elastic cord adjusters at the wrist, two pockets and an adjustable drawstring at the bottom. The Elite Edition sells for $79.95 and I think it’s worth every penny.

If you hate bugs as much as I do, you’ll get the pants, too. The pants have elastic stirrups in addition to being very long, both functioning to keep your ankles covered. They come in two versions: drawstring waist pants sell for $57.95 and the zipper-fly style is $69.95.

The real challenge in bug season is enjoying yourself camping. Except when you are in the tent and asleep, you are under attack. We just did an overnight backpacking trip and I wore my Elite Edition top and matching pants the entire time.  I can’t even begin to tell you how wonderful it was!  I stood by and watched mosquitoes swarm, land on and bite everyone else while I was fully protected.  During periods that were bug-free, I just unzipped my hood and had the luxury of quickly putting it back on whenever the nasty critters reappeared.

At last, peace of mind where bugs are concerned.  Never again will I have anything to dread when Tim says, “Want to go camping this weekend?”  My answer will be, “Sure!  I’m prepared.”

If you have additional good ideas about how to show the bugs who’s in charge, please post a comment and let me know.  I’ll not only use it myself, I’ll share it with others. We’re all in this battle together.