Its summertime! And for most of us that means soaking up the natural sunshine and staying away from a classroom as much as possible.  This time of year is all about taking a break from routine, venturing out and seeing what there is to explore, and steering clear of textbooks and teachers.  However, some trips involve one certain pesky, bloodthirsty animal.  No, I’m not talking about the leech.  Whether you are heading to an outdoor concert or festival, or a hike through the nature trails, Mosquitoes are inevitable.
This week I decided to try out a new product that, if works, could be considered a Mosquito miracle.  It’s the Clip on Mosquito Repellent by OFF!  You can skip the tangy smells of bug repellent and DEET-which many have claimed confuses the bug as opposed to repels it, so the bugs are still present but too flustered to bite- and simply clip this bug repellent to your pants with no mess or hassle.  Admittedly, the Clip on is certainly not the cutest accessory, but when the bugs come munching, all fashion sense will fly out the window.
To test the clip I wanted to make sure I was in an area where there was a good amount of bugs, to certify that this product doesn’t just magically work in my backyard, where the Mosquito count is a total of 10.  I headed to a pond in the evening, when the sun was going down and the bugs were gathering together for their itchy attacks.  Unfortunately I did still see bugs around, but after standing by the lake for an hour, I managed to come out essentially bite free, except for two pretty large bites to my ankle.  Pleasantly surprised with this near-gimmick, I decided that the only way to really test this repellent was to go out the next night to the same spot, but instead of the clip I would just use regular bug spray, and compare how the two worked.  I trekked to my same spot and stood awkwardly around the lake, staring at a few fisherman who were probably wondering why I was there, alone, at dusk, with no fishing or boating equipment.
Turns out, after being there for the same amount of time, and at the same exact spot, I still managed to get one or two bites with the bug spray.  The go-to bug spray is just as reliable as the new, questionable Clip on.  So, the conclusion I have draw from my oh-so-extensive research about Mosquitoes is this: If you really do not enjoy the smell or feel of spraying bug spray on your skin, then the Clip on is the best option.  It repels those flying bloodsuckers just as well as the spray so you girls can still smell like roses, or berries, or some type of exotic fruit, and you boys can remain smelling like, sweat.  It’s simply a preference.
However, one negative for those who are excited about the Clip right now is that the Clip may slip or move around if you are running, hiking or climbing.   It is a strong clip for every day actions, but it’s not strong enough for you Hulk-like adventurers out there.