Tested and Reviewed: Does Sitka Equinox Guard Apparel Actually Repel Ticks and Mosquitos?

Creating an apparel system that will effectively protect you against such vile creatures is no easy task, and would take some innovation to really produce results. Sitka accomplished this by focusing on three distinct methods of prevention. Limited skin exposure, bite-reduction fabric, and integrated Insect Shield protection within the fabric itself.

One of the ways that Sitka battled the issue of skin exposure with this system, is by developing internal leg gaiters into their Equinox Guard pants. When you tuck these integrated gaiters into your socks, it blocks any chance of ticks and chiggers crawling up your pant leg, and reaching your skin.

The bite-reduction fabric was something that I had to see to believe. As innovative as it sounded, it seemed impossible to do without compromising the breathability of the products. But sure enough, through numerous rounds of testing, they were able to develop a highly breathable fabric that significantly reduced the amount of bites from mosquitoes. With a sample size of 20 mosquitoes, only 1 was able to successfully suck any blood membrane through the fabric, compared to 16 with the leading competitor.

Sitka partnered with Insect Shield on this line, and that immediately got me excited to test it out, because I knew how reputable Insect Shield was, and from experience I know just how effective their product is. Insect Shield uses a proprietary permethrin formula that actually binds directly to the fabric itself. This process and formula is EPA approved and its repellency is effective upwards of 70 washings. Which essentially is the entire lifetime of the product!

In the Turkey Woods

Sitka

I was first able to test out the Equinox Guard system down in Missouri with a few hunting buddies. Only one of us was able to try out the system, fortunately enough, that was me. Unfortunately for them, they desperately needed it.

The temperature was unusually warm for an early spring hunt in central Missouri. As I rested against a mature oak tree surrounded by Japanese honeysuckle, I was pretty impressed by the breathability of the material, in both my pants and hoodie. The pants also feature zippered leg vents, which was extra convenient for when I needed to cool down once we started to run and gun through the woods.

While the breathability and comfort of the product was great, it wasn’t really the main thing I was focused on. I was looking to see just how big of a difference it made on repelling ticks, mosquitoes and chiggers. Let me tell you, it was quite incredible. However, it would have been hard to distinguish its efficacy without my friends suffering just a few hundred yards down from me. So I thank them for that, even though they don’t appreciate it.

According to them, the mosquitoes wouldn’t leave them alone, to the point of one of them even blowing his opportunity at an approaching Tom because he had to swat away several mosquitoes that were congregating near his face. Thankfully, two out of the three of us shot birds, and it was a successful hunt despite heat and humidity. However, there was more to be discovered.

We decided to check for ticks after the hunt like we always do. I figured there was probably still a good chance that at least one broke through the security systems that Sitka had put into place, and I would have been satisfied with one lone survivor. But sure enough, I was clean! I can’t, however, say the same for my friends, as one buddy had two ticks on the back of his legs, and the other found four then, and even another one later that evening when we were back at the cabin. Needless to say, they were envious that I was the one wearing the Equinox system.

Final Thoughts