Insect repellent clothing from Craghoppers

Rebecca and I are an active couple with a passion for travel and enjoy exploring and adventure in all weather. One thing we don’t enjoy though is being bitten by insects, so we’re always on the lookout for ways to repel the biting little buggers and protect ourselves. Craghoppers sent us some insect repellent clothing from their NosiLife range*.  *We were not paid for this review and all our views are our own. Links to products may sometimes go to Amazon and we receive a small amount of commission in return for you purchasing an item in this way. There is no additional cost to you for this.

Insect bites

Insect bites carry dangerous diseases such as malaria, dengue fever and Zika to name a few. I’m not a doctor, but I’m certain that we would all rather avoid catching these nasty diseases. For me, even without this worry, they also cause itchy bites on my skin so I try to protect myself from being bitten whenever I can. There are all kinds of insect repellents and gadgets on the market, some of which are quite toxic and smell rather unpleasant (DEET stinks). These include sprays, wrist bands, candles, nets and electrical zappers (always pleasing to zap one of the biting little buggers). Sprays and creams that are applied to the skin will either contain an insect-repellent chemical such as DEET or a herbal blend including citronella. Some sprays will say that they contain DEET, but it will be such a low percentage, they’re all but useless. Also, with sprays, you have to reapply on a regular basis, due to humidity and sweat naturally wearing off your previous application. Now, what if we told you there was a way to save your nose and you wouldn’t need to worry about applying and reapplying sprays? Well, welcome to insect repellent clothing called NosiLife by Craghoppers, independently tested to provide 90% protection from biting insects.

What is NosiLife Insect repellent clothing?

NosiLife is insect repellent clothing developed by Craghoppers to help protect from biting insects. The clothing contains permethrin woven into the fabric and works as soon as insects touch the fabric. Insects are sent flying back by the NosiLife forcefield into the air (OK, they will be repelled, but wouldn’t it be awesome if they were sent flying by a bug zapping forcefield?). It is effective on all biting insects from the mosquito and sand fly to the midge. Unlike other fabric-based insect repellent solutions, NosiLife clothing doesn’t require any treatment and can be washed using normal detergent with your other clothes. The non-toxic repellent compound is permanently woven into the clothing and is guaranteed for life. (Anything that isn’t DEET certainly sounds good to us!) It’s also free from harmful chemicals like PFOA (Perfluorooctanoic acid) and PFOS (Perfluorooctane sulfonate).

Fabric feel and smell

When I first heard about NosiLife insect repellent clothing, I thought the material would have a funny feel or smell to it. However, there’s no strange smell and after wearing several of the items, Rebecca and I were pleasantly surprised at how nice the items felt on the body. The NosiLife Pro convertible trousers, which zip off at the knee to become shorts, hoodies and jacket are stretchy and feel very comfortable during outdoor activities like hiking and walking. I don’t often wear shirts, but I can honestly say I really like the NosiLife Barmera shirt. It looks like an everyday casual shirt, with the added protection of being insect repellent. It’s also designed for travel, with secret pockets and sun protection.

NosiLife clothing is multi-functional

Rebecca has said to me on many occasions that a lot of ladies’ clothing lacks pockets, or that the pockets it does have are too shallow to be of much use. With 18 pockets on the Dainley gilet alone (21 on the Davenport jacket), there are more than enough pockets to carry everything she needs. Lack of pockets is certainly something that neither of us will have to worry about anymore. Other features of the clothing include:

• Sun protection (UPF 50+)
• Solar Shield (UV protection)
• Antibacterial finish
• RFID shield
• NosiLife Stretch
• Pockets, plenty of pockets
• Moisture control
• Lightweight fabric
• Glasses wipe integrated into a pocket
• Did I mention pockets? I keep finding them still

Does NosiLife work?

The short answer is yes. We have not been bitten while wearing NosiLife. It’s a question many of our friends and fellow travellers have been asking. I (Darren) normally come back from a walk with multiple insect bites, but since wearing NosiLife insect repellent clothing, I’ve not had a single bite.

Testing NosiLife

Our unscientific field test was to wear the clothing during our normal day-to-day activities to see if we remained bite-free without any special treatment. It’s the best way to test anything in our opinion. I’m normally gourmet dinner of the day for the biting little buggers, so if it worked, I would be more than happy that the clothing was effective and it was worth the risk. Our real-world test environments included walking the dog in a field with a stagnant pond (day and night), sitting in a beer garden with friends, and country walks on humid days. One occasion, on a warm and humid evening dog walk, we were carrying a torch which was attracting insects to us in droves. We were surprised at the number of insects around us and we were sure we would have a couple of bites on our return home. Shining the torch towards us, we could see the insects seeming to bounce straight back off the clothing. It really felt like we were surrounded by a magical forcefield, but it was the NosiLife insect repellent clothing doing its thing. We have worn the clothes on many occasions over the last 3-4 weeks and have so far not been bitten. Something I’m more than happy about, as I’m usually very attractive to insects. Overall, we are really pleased with NosiLife protection and will certainly be packing it as part of our regular travelling kit.

Looking good

The NosiLife range includes casual tops, jackets, hoodies and t-shirts, and we were impressed that something so functional could also appeal to our sense of fashion. With over 50 years’ experience, Craghoppers is a brand we both love and trust and NosiLife is just one more reason to look at the NosiLife insect repellent clothing range.