7 Tips On How To Keep Bugs Away When Backpacking:
When backpacking through Yosemite National Park, I was stunned by the natural beauty. From Clouds Rest to Half Dome, Yosemite had some of the most incredible landscapes I’ve ever seen, but you know what they say, with great views comes- the worst bugs you will ever experience!
These guys were insufferable and surrounded me any chance they got to take little nibbles out of me for miles at a time. After this experience, I dedicated my next several backpacking trips to learning how to keep bugs away while backpacking. Although you cannot avoid pests in the backcountry, here are some strategies to keep them at bay when you are out on the trail!
- Bug Spray
- Bug Repellant Bracelet
- Have a bug net
- Camp away from water
- Make a campfire if permitted
- bug nets for your head
- Keep your skin covered
Bug Spray
First, we have the most obvious solution: your traditional bug spray. Just spray the solution on exposed areas of skin as directed by the product’s instructions. The only problem with using bug sprays is that the canister is typically a bit bulkier and rigid taking up more pack space than desired. Despite this, bug spray is a great way to keep these pests away in the backcountry.
Keep Skin Covered:
Bugs do not give a damn what they bite so long as they can get a piece of you, face, forearms, hands, and ankles. Any inch of exposed skin is open season to bugs in the backcountry.
Given the persistence of these bugs, I recommend covering up as much as possible in extremely buggy conditions. This means wearing a long sleeve hiking shirt, hiking pants, and boots with high-cut hiking socks to keep you well protected. While being completely covered up during a summer backpacking trip does not sound comfortable, I assure you that it beats being bit by hundreds of mosquitos for miles at a time.
Make A Campfire
Campfires are an excellent way to keep mosquitos away when you make it to camp. The combination of the smoke and the heat helps keeps these annoying bugs at bay and allows you to curl up and relax after a long day of hiking. As always, be sure you adhere to your park’s rules and regulations and that there are no active fire bans in place.
Have A Bug Net For Shelter:
Camp Away From Water:
While camping on a lake is beautiful, you need to be prepared for the swarms of mosquitos that come with setting up shop near a body of water. The reason is that flies love laying their eggs in still water, yea, it turns out bugs love hanging out by alpine lakes just as much as we do!
So if mosquitos are terrible during your trip, you may want to camp a little further away from that lake. If not, I recommend waking up earlier, as the cooler temperatures will keep the bugs away. That way, you can avoid the onslaught of bites during breakfast!
Bug Nets For Your Face
So if I’m going to be honest with you, I loathed these things. Bug nets just seemed so lame and unnecessary to me when backpacking. But boy, did I wish I had one of these when I was hiking through some of the fly-infested meadows in Yosemite. Those bugs bit me all over, including my face, and a bug net would have kept me way more comfortable during this trek.
Mosquito Repellent Bracelets:
If you don’t feel like regularly spraying yourself on a backpacking trip and want an option that’s easier to carry around, you should look into getting a mosquito-repellent bracelet. These bracelets work by slowly releasing chemicals or coated in a series of essential oils to keep bugs away while backpacking. What’s nice is that they can be worn on your person or attached to a piece of equipment such as your pack or belt buckle.
