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I've just had my first bites of 2022 (depressingly early!) and am reminded that mosquitoes seem able to bite through most of my regular clothes.

I can't wear giant overcoats and PVC trousers in warm weather and dousing myself in chemicals just to go in my garden is somewhat unpleasant!

Are there any types of clothing or specific fabrics that are lightweight and comfortable but able to resist those proboscis getting through? Bites on exposed skin are bad enough, but to find your back covered in bites through your clothes is not nice.

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  • Are you willing to accept answers including chemically treated clothing, or are you only interested in physical barriers?
    – fyrepenguin
    Mar 25, 2022 at 13:57
  • @fyrepenguin all options welcome
    – Mr. Boy
    Mar 25, 2022 at 14:35
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    Try two layers of very loose and thin fabric. That might not protect your back much, though, if they are pressed togther. A puckered/crinkled fabric like seersucker would help to keep the layers apart.
    – Weather Vane
    Mar 25, 2022 at 15:32
  • There are a variety of mosquito repellent creams and rollers. Why not consider those too?
    – ahron
    Mar 25, 2022 at 20:25
  • @Yogesch because that's a different question! I use them already and they make you and your clothes stink when you want to enjoy a beer.
    – Mr. Boy
    Mar 26, 2022 at 19:36

3 Answers 3

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Building on the comment of @Weather Vane: First, my qualifications to answer this -- mosquitoes love me; I am the best mosquito repellant at an outdoor dinner a fellow diner could have!

I wear my husband's old white cotton shirts when gardening. They are much too big for me, and hence very loose and blousy. White, cotton, looseness, all help with heat. A neck-scarf with sewn-in gel pack fresh out of the freezer also helps with the heat. This means the shirt usually does not stick to my back with perspiration, and if it does, there is always a fresh old shirt and a fresh neck-scarf gel-pack combo. One layer is enough, for me. I live in Virginia, about 20 miles from Capitol Hill.

We don't have mosquitoes yet, so you probably live in a warmer area -- but I hope not with tougher mosquitoes!

As an aside, in the arctic summer, two loose layers are a necessity.

@Weather Vane comments that in scorching weather, two layers are necessary. I have not felt the need for two layers, but I am not out in blazing sun at high temperatures. I can believe that in blazing sun and high temperatures, two layers, both loose, would be better than one.

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  • I would add that in the scorching summer, IMO two layers are also necessary. For some crazy reason most westerners take off their clothes when hot and get burnt by the sun. In very hot countries they understand that layers keep you cool, just as they keep you warm in winter. Mad dogs and Englishmen...
    – Weather Vane
    Mar 25, 2022 at 16:58
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There are certain outdoor brands which make lightweight outdoor clothing that is specifically advertised to be mosquito-proof. Being outdoor brands this clothing is also targeted at people who are active in it, so it is mostly very breathable and comfortable to wear.

--> I can personally vouch for Fjällraven, especially their clothing line made of their proprietary G-1000 fabric. It will cost you an arm and a leg, but it is light, comfortable, breathable, dries fast and most importantly - as I have personally tested during weeks and weeks in the Swedish arctic summer - 100% mosquito proof. Also it is very sturdy, I have used my G-1000 trekking pants for hundreds of kilometers of treks and walks, and they are still tip top.

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  • I second that. Fjällräven and the G-1000 is very sturdy and mosquito proof. It also stops thorns and undergrowth and even small caliber bullets (I have not tested this).
    – Max
    Mar 31, 2022 at 7:34
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Gore-Tex is impossible for mosquitoes to get through. The pores in the polymer are too small for their mouth parts.

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