Insect Shield
26 June 2008
I recently bought a hat. I wanted a hat that would smush into my suitcase, but not look too ridiculous and smush my hair, and would protect my ears, nose, and neck from the sun. I looked at online websites and finally picked out a hat that I liked. Then I read the specs on the hat. The site stated the hat had Insect Shield Insect Repellant protection. I had never heard of Insect Shield before and I was skeptical. The site claimed the hat would repel mosquitoes, ticks, fleas, and other biting insects. I grew up in Minnesota, land of mosquitoes and ticks, and didn’t really believe that a hat could repel bugs. But I liked the hat and ordered it anyway. Before it arrived I was already having regrets. What if the hat smelled like bug repellant and my whole suitcase would smell that way? What if whatever made it repel pests also made it stiff and scratchy and itchy? When it arrive, I opened the package carefully. I sniffed it – it just smelled like new hat. I felt it – it just felt like a cotton poly blend. So I took it along. On my trip I visited beekeepers and strolled through vineyards and went kayaking and went to the beach. I don’t remember any bugs except for one night when I was dining outdoors — without my hat.
