|
Rynoskin anti-bug armor:
Field Test by: Mike Skelly
The general discomfort from ticks, biting flies, gnats,
chiggers, ants, and others critters makes avoiding them
highly desirable. It doesn’t really matter where you hunt,
fish, or hike you are probably concerned with the increasing
threats of tick borne diseases such as Lyme Disease, Rocky
Mountain spotted fever, and Typhus. You can get more info
on tick borne diseases from the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention at:
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/list_tickborne.htm.
I’ve
seen the tick population in New York’s Adirondack Mountains
steadily increase over the past decade. Ten years ago I had
never encountered a tick. Then I began to see them on the
dogs and I tried flea collars. They didn’t work. I
followed the usual advice of wearing long pants and long
sleeves and socks, but as the tick population increased I
found more and more of them on our pets and under my
clothes. One of my dogs was diagnosed with Lyme in 2006.
The vet explained that even the best products on the market
for pets only killed the ticks after they had bitten.
(Editors note: We had our dogs vaccinated for Lyme disease
early on)
In an
effort to protect myself from a similar fate I began
treating my hunting clothes with DEET for defense against
ticks, gnats, mosquitoes and the dreaded annual plague of
black flies. In June of 2008 I suffered flu-like symptoms
and sported the tell tale bull’s-eye rash of Lyme. A regime
of doxycycline helped me to get back on my feet but it was a
miserable couple of days that I don’t want to repeat, or
subject my family to.
(Editors
note: I also had the tell tail signs and was treated with
antibiotics. If caught early on, you can expect a full
recovery. If your bitten and a rash or circle mark starts to
appear around the bite area…get in with your Dr. to start
treatment)
Then I
saw an advertisement for a new product called Rynoskin
claiming chemical free protection against ticks, chiggers,
ants, biting flies, gnats, and other insects. Just like
traditional screen head nets and the old fashioned mesh “bug
suits” have protected outdoorsmen from biting insects for
decades; Rynoskin creates a barrier of protection between
you and the vermin seeking to chew on you. Best yet they
back their products with a 100% satisfaction guaranty.
The
Rynoskin shirt and pants arrived quickly. They are light
weight (really light weight at 9 oz.) and form fitting, but
with the ability to stretch to your body shape. The fabric
is both flexible and breathable. I’m not a tights wearing
kind of guy, but I felt like I had snuck into a superhero’s
closet when I put on the Rynoskin shirt. I found them
downright comfortable, so comfortable that I found myself
sitting around watching TV in them.
They are
designed to be worn under your clothes as a second skin with
form fitting cuffs at your wrists and ankles and a long
shirt tail to keep those multi-legged infiltrators from
creeping in to reach the sensitive areas that they attach
themselves to. It was 40 degrees Fahrenheit when I left the
house at sunrise to go goose hunting. With the extra layer
of Rynoskins under my camo jeans and sweatshirt I was
comfortable.
When I
arrived at the pond where I hoped to bag my first waterfowl
of the year, god was kind and there were a couple dozen
birds on the far side of the water. This meant that I had
to hike through a half mile of brush choked swamp and woods
to get close to them. It was perfect tick habitat.
During
the stalk the Rynoskins not only remained comfortable
without restricting my movement as I negotiated the rough
terrain, they were quiet. There was no fabric on fabric
noise as I snuck into position for my shot. I jumped and
dropped a goose and hiked back through the brush choked
swamp and woods to the car as the temperatures climbed into
the mid fifties. I would have been much too warm in two
layers of any traditional clothing. But removing the
sweatshirt allowed me to remain comfortable in the full set
of Rynoskins plus my jeans and hat.
 My
son and I returned to the pond a half hour before sunset and
dropped two more geese. The only trouble was that they fell
farther from shore than I could reach (even with my line
brought along just for that purpose).
This
gave me an opportunity to give the Rynoskins a field test
that their makers never intended.
My pair
of my geese fell into the pond and I had neither boat nor
dog to retrieve them. So, as soon as legal shooting light
was done, I stripped down to my Rynoskins and went in up to
my chest to retrieve the closest one.
While
not exactly balmy I was pleasantly surprised how comfortable
I was in the Rynoskins both while in the water and when I
got out. I was MUCH warmer than I would have been going
into the 55 degree water with bare skin. The second goose
had drifted into deeper water and appeared to be in a slow
moving current that would eventually bring it to shore. I
decided to let the current do the work.
Even
while soaking wet the Rynoskins did not restrict my movement
or chafe. In fact, they were so comfortable that I took
time for a photo with the retrieved goose before getting out
of them.
After
photos with the first goose, I showered, changed into dry
clothes, and had dinner before returning to retrieve the
second goose. I threw my muck splattered Rynoskins in the
washing machine and hung them up to dry. By the time I
returned home from retrieving the second goose they were
dry. During my shower I had checked myself for ticks and
any other parasites that I may have picked up throughout the
day. I was delighted to see not a single one. The Rynoskins
had protected me not only from ticks and teeth chattering
cold, but also from hordes of slimy blood suckers!
Between
saving my butt from ticks and worse, and saving me from the
slow poison of wearing insecticide on my skin and clothes
for years to come, I am sold on Rynoskins. I’m already
looking forward to using them as I sit in ground blinds
hunting turkey and deer this fall. I won’t have to worry
about ticks and I won’t be afraid that the deer will smell
my insect repellant.
I’m
taking the money I’ll no longer need to spend year after
year on permethrin and DEET and investing in Rynoskin for my
family so that we can enjoy the outdoors together and in
comfort.
*
Editors Note: We neither endorse nor discount what this
product can actually do. We have yet to field test any of
these garments and this article was submitted by one of you
readers out there in the field. What I can say is up to this
point we have found Skin so Soft to work wonders on the tick
population in our area. * |
The New York Hunter
