The jungles of Guatemala are hot, sticky, and FULL of bugs! Without some way of combating the onslaught of mosquitos and ticks you are in for not only a very uncomfortable experience but also the opening yourself up to the possibility of some very bad illnesses. Sure, deet works during the day and out in the woods but do you really want to sleep in deet? What will protect you while you sleep? Enter Sea to Summit Insect Shield Sleeping Bag Liner.

Sometimes it is hard to tell if a product is truly working or not. That is the point of many products, to work in the background quietly doing their job without you knowing how it’s preforming. You want this in most things. But when it comes to insect repelling things operating in the background isn’t always comforting. You don’t really know if something is working unless you can see it working. You desire to have that comforting feeling that the product you’re using is not only keeping bugs off your skin, but keeping them in a different country as far as I’m concerned. Well, I can’t say that the Sea to Summit Insect Shield Sleeping Bag Liner pushed them to a different country but i can say it worked, and worked well.

A long sweaty day in the jungle taxes anyone, no matter how good of shape you’re in. Fighting bugs the entire time you’re hiking, swatting them from your face, flicking them from your clothes, and peeling them off your skin only adds to the tax that being in the jungle takes on your body. You really don’t want to deal with it while you’re trying to rest and recover too. Deet is an effective deterant for most bugs. But the simple fact is that its bad for your skin. We tried a few of the off main stream products, some of the more natural ones, and imminently started getting bites… back to deet. But the fact is I hate wearing it at night. I want to clean all those chemicles off my skin and get myself oriented for sleeping, precious rest. So when i saw that there was a sleeping bag liner that actaully kept bugs off you in your sleep i was game to try it.

The liner itself is made of coolmax treated with permethrin. The chemical acts more like an insecticide than a repellent. Click on the link to learn more about it. The fabric is permeated with it so that it kills and repels insects while you sleep. The FDA says that it does not get off of the fabric onto your skin, which is good. The idea is that the liner keeps bugs from getting on you while you sleep, killing them. The US army uses this stuff and it has proven itself to not only protect people from bugs but actually reduce the number of insects in an area by killing them over time. (you can also buy this chemical to treat your own clothing, tent, sleeping bag, or whatever else)

The liner is comfortable and soft although the color is …. bright. It’s lime green. The coolmax fabric stretches and moves with you as you toss and turn on your undoubtedly uncomfortable camping bed. In Guatemala where the temperature in the jungle barely dipped below 85 at night I used the liner as a sleeping bag itself by laying it on top of my bag (which provided a little more cushion). I can’t say that I was cold, or even cool but the liner breathes well enough and doesn’t feel stipheling like a true sleeping bag would. It also served as a great barrier between me and the questionably clean accommodations. I can honestly say that i didn’t receive ANY bug bights while sleeping. I never woke up to any ticks on me, bugs in the tent, or even the sounds of bugs flying around. Occasionally i would find dead bugs lying around near my sleeping area, and as mentioned before, I wonder if the liner killed them.

Overall the small investment of $60 for peace of mind was worth it to me. It packs small and is very light thereby not making it a big deal to carry with you. If you are considering camping in the jungle, or anywhere with a lot of bugs, the Sea to Summit Insect Shield Sleeping Bag Liner is a great addition to your trekking pack. Not only will it serve you well as a liner (or standalone bag) but will help you deal with all the creepy crawlies in the night.