Scouting Report: Ranger Ready bug spray is skin safe, thanks to the primary ingredient picaridin. It lasts 12 hours and comes in scented and "Scent Zero" which is, in fact unscented.
For nearly 12 years, my wife and I lived in lovely Los Angeles, a part of the world where you can spend most of the day outside almost year-round for two reasons: great weather and very few mosquitoes. Upon moving back to the East Coast, we gained proximity to family but lost the great weather and minimal mosquito issue.
Now frankly, for me, insects aren’t much of an issue: either they don’t bite me often in the first place, or I don’t much react to mosquito bites, I’m not sure which and I don’t look that gift horse in the mouth. But my wife and son are what he charmingly (but kind of saddeningly, too) describes as “mosquito sandwiches.” They both get attacked by droves of the bloodsuckers whenever they step outside from May through September, and each bite results in huge, itchy welts. (Our daughter seems to have my distasteful and/or nonreactive blood, for the record. Good for her.)
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Problem: bugs love to bite family members who love to be outside. Solution? A damn good bug repellent. And when I call Ranger Ready bug spray damn good, I mean it, and all the more so because we have tried a lot of different ways to keep insects at bay. From citronella-scented bands worn on wrists and ankles to belt-mounted miniature fans actively billowing out repellent aromas to all manner of natural bug sprays and oils to UV electric zappers (which can actually draw more insects to your yard and be counterproductive when improperly placed – there’s a quick PSA for ya) and on and on, we have tried a lot of products in the past few years.
The primary functional ingredient in Ranger Ready insect repellent is picaridin, and I’ll just let them explain that one to you: “Picaridin is a synthetic compound derived from the natural compound piperine, found in the group of plants used to produce black pepper.” These sprays are completely safe to be applied to your skin, and unlike what you can experience with DEET-based repellents, Ranger Ready sprays won’t corrode plastic-based materials, so they are also safe on apparel and gear, like tents or hats or such. (They also offer repellents that use permethrin, a synthetic chemical that not only repels but can kill insects but isn’t intended for use on the skin - just be mindful of that.)
Mosquitoes, ticks, and other small creatures you’d be happy to never encounter again in your life really hate picaridin and will fly or scurry away from it, leaving you and other humans alone as you camp, garden, hike, or lounge. You and said humans, on the other hand, will find Ranger Ready bug sprays much more appealing than those offered by many brands because most varieties have pleasant scents (with dainty names like “Ginger Orange” or “Night Sky”) or, better yet, because their “Scent Zero” solution really does have almost no odor. In fact, I just sprayed both of my wrists and I can’t even smell the stuff as I sit here, indoors, finishing writing out this sentence.
Best of all, when I’m outdoors, I can take solace knowing my favorite mosquito sandwiches are going to get a lot fewer itchy welts this bug season as we camp, garden, hike, lounge, paddle, grill, rake, wash cars, bike, play, and so on.
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