If you’ve ever had the unfortunate experience of being in a hot, dry place that’s also swarming with biting flies and mosquitoes, you’ve been faced with a common dilemma. It’s too hot to put on long sleeves, and too buggy not to. You pick your battle, and either way, you lose.
Luckily for hikers, Exofficio’s Damselfly Bugsaway Jacket solves this problem. The incredibly lightweight jacket is crafted of unobtrusive mesh, so it allows your skin to breathe in the heat. The material also wicks away sweat and is quick drying for those times when you get rained on in the backcountry. It’s also been treated with Insect Shield technology to mercifully repel a range of bugs, including mosquitoes, ticks, ants, flies, chiggers and midges.
The jacket’s minimal weight and ability to be stuffed into its own pocket means it is nearly negligible in your pack; you won’t have to make any big sacrifices to take it with you. The jacket’s shoulders and sides give it extra durability, even under the friction of a heavy backpack. The jacket’s hood can be tightened to cinch around your face, keeping bugs away there, too.
And Exofficio installed elastic binding at the wrist cuffs and waist hem to allow the jacket to fit snuggly where other garments are loose. It’s a successful attempt to further deter bugs from getting at your skin. The jacket comes in a lovely chlorine/aquatic blue as well as a more neutral white/oyster.
There are a few downsides to the jacket: The zipper is a bit tough to work, and the insect shield lasts only 70 washings. Ultimately though, you’ll wish you had a jumpsuit made of the same material because this jacket works. Pity they haven’t made full-body armor.
Learn more about the Exofficio’s Damselfly Bugsaway Jacket at Exofficio.com.
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