personal protection in the heat, ticks, poison ivy?

[MAXA]

So i am a idiot and manged to get in some poison ivy now i have this crap on my arms! I have not had it in 25 years at least. This is what happens when you don't pay attention. It's been in the upper 90s and i always just wear some shorts and short sleeves no protection at all and work early in the am.

Anyway i am wondering what everyone wears when they are working with brush, bush hogging, weed eating fence lines etc as blue jeans are just to damn hot.

My wife says to wear Synthetic Utility Pants and long sleeve shirts that are SPF and are quick-drying, i just wonder if poison ivy oils can get through this type of clothing.

When i bush hog weeds and other bad things manage to rub my legs it's not just poison ivy it's also ticks and thorn bushes to deal with.

 

[Flintknapper]

Same as you. Shorts and short sleeves. I will strive to stay cool at any cost.

Rarely, do I complete an outing of brush cutting unscathed, but so what.

Sorry, you have poison ivy, no fun.

 

[MAXA]

battle scars, i even where crocs.

I hate the heat.

 

[Mak65]

I’m in Texas so 90 is a nice Fall day. Forecast can be in low 100 degrees and I’m going out in long sleeves and pants. We have Academy‘s here (outdoor store) that has a clothes line called Magellan. Long sleeve, breathable, spf, quick drying, fishing shirts and pant. Pants have tons of pockets for gear, tools, phone. Not the coolest but I don’t cook. You get used to it Gloves for hands. Long socks, work boots, and OFF on socks, boots, and pant legs for ticks.

I can’t attest to how well the shirt will fend off poison ivy oils. But better than direct contact.

Drink lots of liquids and take periodic breaks in the shade Is the best advice.

 

[MAXA]

It's the humidity that gets me, i know when we went out west is was over 100 but it didn't feel that hot.

 

[Botamon]

It's the humidity that gets me, i know when we went out west is was over 100 but it didn't feel that hot.

Ah, yes...that humidity out here in the desert southwest! Screen shot of the National Weather Service web site:

 

[Russell King]

You can get pants that are much better than jeans in the heat. Duluth sells some called Armachillo that look like jeans. I have tried them since I don’t need any toughness for briars. I use some nylon type pants from REI that are cooler but load up with sweat too quickly.

For shirts there are some performance materials that are great getting rid of the sweat and keeping you cool. I have a long sleeve T-shirt that is okay but the arms are too tight. I bought a button up long sleeve shirt that is much better since the arms are loose. Both are SPF material.

For insects, get something like Sawyer’s permithern to spray the cloths with. Treat the clothes and it is good for 6 washes or 42(?) days. Only problems are trying to remember what socks you sprayed that look exactly those that didn’t get sprayed and how many times you have washed them.

Permethrin Fabric Treatment | Sawyer Products

Odorless after drying, Sawyer Permethrin Fabric Treatment can be used to treat a variety of fabrics like clothing, gear, and tents. A successful application of this insect repellent treatment is effective against mosquitoes and ticks for 6 weeks or 6 washes.

www.sawyer.com

All of this is sold for camping and fishing so look into those categories for this kind of stuff.

No idea if they work for the poison ivy problem but there is some type of soap that is supposed to help remove it from your skin and clothing. I recall a name like TechNu.

 

[lynnmor]

Bring water and dish soap, then wash up every 15 minutes.

 

[Scm]

 

[WI_Hedgehog]

Imagining myself as an actual landscaper...there's lots of infectious "stuff" out there I'd rather not tangle with. Hat, glasses, earpro, long-sleeve shirt, long pants, long socks, and solid boots are a must. Often I'll wear Carhartts or Cloggers over jeans--I'm no hero, and have no intention of dying from some crazy plant/bug infection.

https://www.amazon.com/33-000ft-Protection-Cooling-Fishing/dp/B0C64QPTHX

 

[Runs With Scissors]

I have no idea about Poison Ivy because I am not allergic to it.

But I treat all my "outside clothing" with Permethrin for ticks.

It's pretty good stuff for tick protection.

I also 2nd @Russell King suggestions about Duluth....They make awesome stuff.

I am particularly fond of the "Dry On the Fly" line they have. It's like wearing pajamas. Unfortunately that line-up is not nearly as tough as the regular "Fire Hose" line-up, but it breaths awesome.

My second choice for breathability/comfort is the "Fire Hose Flex" line.

It is tougher than the Dry on the fly, but not as tough as the regular Firehose, but it is still kinda tough, with LOTS of flex....especially near the "Ballroom" area.......(if you know what I mean)

But that stuff ain't cheap neither.......expect to pay `65-85 bucks a pair.....

 

[D2Cat]

I went through some growth to get to a water gap to be sure the cows hadn't been down there. Walked about 200 yards of waist high buck brush and various trees. I always have long jeans, 8" work boots, T shirt, cap when doing about anything.

The next day I had a feeling of something crawling on my back, but couldn't see anything. Then I began itching a spot on my forearm, then under my biceps. Under close inspection my wife notices very small dots at the red areas.

Talking to a friend he clued me to the idea of Oak mites. Never heard of them, never had them. Put some Extreme tecnu (poison ivy and oak scrub) on it, hoping I got it under control.

Do you folks get these critters? Just certain regions, temperatures, rain seasons?

 

[Shawn T. W]

Probably a quarter of my poison ivy problems are from my cats!

I wear jeans, leather boots, either a T-shirt or long sleeve button up shirt if the sun is really hot, shower as soon as I come in, (usually once with dawn and then regular soap) and still get ticks and poison ivy! Just last week pulled a crawling tick off my chest after my shower after weedwacking for an hour!

 

[pigdoc]

For poison ivy rash, what is key for me is to shower in COLD water ASAP after finishing a job. Actually feels pretty good after a stint in ~90F heat! The cold water turns the toxic urushiol oil to a wax, which can be easily washed off.

Soap up thoroughly with Fels-Naphtha soap. This is a laundry product - that's where you'll find it in grocery stores. Sold in individual bars which are wrapped in paper. I usually soap up twice - once in cold water and again in lukewarm water. Works every time for me to prevent the rash. I keep a bar next to the wash sink to use on my hands when I'm suspicious of a minor exposure.

When I was a kid, I used to get desensitization shots for (the toxic oil in poison ivy). I'd get 3 shots, two weeks apart. Helped some, but was not fully protective.

I've probably had the rash a hundred times...

-Paul

 

[skeets]

I have ALWAYS worn long jeans when working around that stuff, I can shower the sweat away. But if you know where the poison ivy is spray it with the cheapest chorine bleach you can find, it is non slective and kills most everything. And from child hood memories Mom would wash the rash with it as well,,, burned like crazy but the rash went away

 

[PoTreeBoy]

Heat - cab with AC (no, I don't have one but a canopy sure helps). I wear shorts and short sleeve T shirt. I may try some shirts the guys above have recommended. Gloves with mesh backs, if necessary. My legs haven't looked quite as bad as Flintknapper's, but those green briars can do some damage. A couple of years ago, I got a skin staph infection that started on one ankle that I attribute to some of those scratches. Force yourself to drink more water than you want.

Ticks - permethrin on clothes every outing. DEET might help with horse/deer flies, but it's an elixir for my ticks.

Poison ivy - at least keep your skin moist with lotion and stay hydrated. Teknu has a line of products for pre-contact, post- contact and too-late that seem to work well.

 

[MAXA]

Duluth is nice but costly.

My dumb ass was cleaning up a down tree that had been laying there for months this summer and guess what was growing on/over/around the branches i put a bunch of it on a small trailer and a lot of it was hitting the tractors seat where your arms go so now it's all over my underarms.

I feel like i should soak the tractor in something but i don't know what to get rid of the oil. They say soap but the splash back....

 

[Youbet]

I bought a gallon of concentrated permethrin on Amazon that I dilute and use spray bottles to spray my farm working cloths and boots after every wash.

After working in the woods or fields I go straight to washing machine when coming inside and wash and dry on hot.

I use a rack to hang my cloths, spray, and keep in the garage to dry. I Just pile them up after wash till I need to spray again.

Works for me. Have not picked a tick off me since I declared war.

 

[NCL4701]

Duluth is nice but costly.

My dumb ass was cleaning up a down tree that had been laying there for months this summer and guess what was growing on/over/around the branches i put a bunch of it on a small trailer and a lot of it was hitting the tractors seat where your arms go so now it's all over my underarms.

I feel like i should soak the tractor in something but i don't know what to get rid of the oil. They say soap but the splash back....

And if you cut it with a chainsaw, it sprays all over you and everything else within about 10’.

Only problem getting rid of the oil is you can’t see it so you don’t know where it is or when it’s gone. I’d wash the tractor and trailer and the rest of the potentially exposed equipment with soap and water. Most anything will do. I usually use Dawn.

I’ve had issues with repetitive exposure and therefore repetitive rashes due to being a dummy and not recognizing all the stuff that had oil on it. Don’t be a dummy like me.

I think it’s been well covered by others but I where light weight long pants in summer unless greenbrier or blackberries are involved. Jeans for briars and chainsaw chaps for chainsaw work. Neither are cool but I can wash off sweat a lot quicker than my legs can heal from looking like I’ve been attacked by a herd of cats.

 

[lynnmor]

And if you cut it with a chainsaw, it sprays all over you and everything else within about 10’.

My thickly wooded lot was like a jungle with heavy poison ivy vines climbing many trees. Usually poison ivy doesn't bother me but the large drops of the sap from the chainsaw was tough on my forearms. Each heavy dose burnt in and left a black center with the surrounding red.