I was asked to do a review on bugjackets when they were brought up a couple weeks ago by myself. so here it is! keep in mind however, that i have had several "wobbly pops" before posting this. haha
let me say that i may be young, but i grew up in the bush, and spend time with oldtimers more than with ppl my age. my wisdom is mostly their wisdom so here it is. i personally NEVER use bugdope, under any circumstances. mostly i just don't want those chemicals on my body or sprayed near my mouth. also i don't find it to be as succesful a product as jackets. when flies and mosquitos look like a plague of locust, jackets are the only option.
so far as i can tell, there are three major types of bugjackets out there.
The first and only jacket to consider.
-completely mesh, which is cooler.
-zips across the neck (from ear to ear)
-this zip option lets you unzip the jacket and rest the "face guard mesh" on the rim of a baseball hat (for resting, shooting, eating and so on)
-this jacket allows you to have it on nearly all the time without noticing it. and will be there when you need it.
-keep in mind, this bugjacket doesn't fit me, all i could find was my ex's so it's a medium, and at 6 foot 180+ pounds i don't always do mediums that well haha.
the second zips straight up from the bellybutton as most any jacket does.
-this jacket is only partly mesh, and so it is CRAZY hot at a time of year where you don't want to keep warm
-you cannot partly unzip this jacket in order to see without the mesh in place. you either unzip it nearly entirely, or you zip it entirely. there is no in between which is a HUGE pain, when you're resting away from bugs, eating, smoking, shooting, fishing, taking a picture and so on....
-when unzipped and the hood is left on the back of your neck often the zipper will aggravate the back of your neck (or in my case is does no unzip enough and is constantly applying pressure to your neck.
The third type of bugjacket-
-completely mesh and much like the first (i will get photos up later this week of this style when i find the thing burried in my basement)
-it is much like a beekeepers suit in looks, completely mesh, but ONLY unzips a few (3 or 4) inches at the mouth!
-this allows only smoking and snacking comfortably. but keep in mind that you WILL likely want to shoot, take photos and so on while in the bush, AVOID THIS AT ALL COSTS.
if a bug jacket does not allow nearly immediate open air access to your face, do not think about buying it. it's worthless. if you want to take a picture or eat and have to REMOVE a bugjacket entirely then it is USELESS!!!
if you only have the option of a zip up (from the bellybutton) then go ahead, it will work great, though slightly less comfortable.
if you can get the "neck zip" style, where it opens from ear to ear, then pick one up! make sure it has ample space to wear a sweater underneath as you may want this in the evenings in the spring (depending on where you are.)
Best wishes
Russell
let me say that i may be young, but i grew up in the bush, and spend time with oldtimers more than with ppl my age. my wisdom is mostly their wisdom so here it is. i personally NEVER use bugdope, under any circumstances. mostly i just don't want those chemicals on my body or sprayed near my mouth. also i don't find it to be as succesful a product as jackets. when flies and mosquitos look like a plague of locust, jackets are the only option.
so far as i can tell, there are three major types of bugjackets out there.
The first and only jacket to consider.
-completely mesh, which is cooler.
-zips across the neck (from ear to ear)
-this zip option lets you unzip the jacket and rest the "face guard mesh" on the rim of a baseball hat (for resting, shooting, eating and so on)
-this jacket allows you to have it on nearly all the time without noticing it. and will be there when you need it.
-keep in mind, this bugjacket doesn't fit me, all i could find was my ex's so it's a medium, and at 6 foot 180+ pounds i don't always do mediums that well haha.
the second zips straight up from the bellybutton as most any jacket does.
-this jacket is only partly mesh, and so it is CRAZY hot at a time of year where you don't want to keep warm
-you cannot partly unzip this jacket in order to see without the mesh in place. you either unzip it nearly entirely, or you zip it entirely. there is no in between which is a HUGE pain, when you're resting away from bugs, eating, smoking, shooting, fishing, taking a picture and so on....
-when unzipped and the hood is left on the back of your neck often the zipper will aggravate the back of your neck (or in my case is does no unzip enough and is constantly applying pressure to your neck.
The third type of bugjacket-
-completely mesh and much like the first (i will get photos up later this week of this style when i find the thing burried in my basement)
-it is much like a beekeepers suit in looks, completely mesh, but ONLY unzips a few (3 or 4) inches at the mouth!
-this allows only smoking and snacking comfortably. but keep in mind that you WILL likely want to shoot, take photos and so on while in the bush, AVOID THIS AT ALL COSTS.
if a bug jacket does not allow nearly immediate open air access to your face, do not think about buying it. it's worthless. if you want to take a picture or eat and have to REMOVE a bugjacket entirely then it is USELESS!!!
if you only have the option of a zip up (from the bellybutton) then go ahead, it will work great, though slightly less comfortable.
if you can get the "neck zip" style, where it opens from ear to ear, then pick one up! make sure it has ample space to wear a sweater underneath as you may want this in the evenings in the spring (depending on where you are.)
Best wishes
Russell
