Is it necessary to treat my two waterproof Axiom bike panniers with permethrin ?
Never been camping and I've read of people waking up and finding their tent and gear covered in ticks. I will be doing the Erie Canal Bike trail as my first bike touring/ bike packing trip. Not sure if treating them will mess up their durable water repellent and I will be putting my clothes, sleeping bag and tent in the panniers . Thanks for your help and tips.
by Aardvark_Cultural
1 Comment
I don’t have any special knowledge, but I wouldn’t attempt to apply permethrin to any waterproof fabric. It seems like it either would simply bead up and wipe off, or if it didn’t, it might compromise the waterproofing. I use permethrin on my cloths and my tent, but I don’t use it on the tarp that keeps my tent dry.
Personally, I’ve never experienced waking up to my stuff covered in ticks, even before I started treating my gear with permethrin. Ticks are looking for a host. 99% of the time that I have found a tick, it has been crawling on me. There’s not much to attract it to anything that doesn’t have blood. I wouldn’t leave untreated clothing lying out in tick-infested areas, just in case they hitch a ride, but I also don’t think that’s their normal way of getting to a host: finding a shirt and waiting for some warm-blooded mammal to come put it on.
Basically a topical insect repellent for your skin, and permethrin for any fabric you’re in prolonged contact with, and you should be fine.