Flextail Products

[Gambit McCrae]

Has anyone tried any flextail products? I have their little pad pump and am very impressed with it. I am seriously considering trying out one of their repellent products. I appreciate that its all rechargeable.

https://www.flextail.com/?gad_source...kaAid4EALw_wcB

[grumps]

I haven't but have seriously considered trying the pump. Good to see a non-commercial comment that it works. Something you would recommend?

[Gambit McCrae]

I haven't but have seriously considered trying the pump. Good to see a non-commercial comment that it works. Something you would recommend?

I haven't put a lot of miles on it yet, but I really like the construction, feels very durable.
The timing is quick to inflate, it also has a vacuum option which is nice.
Rechargeable battery with a very large advertised battery life.

I think I would be comfortable recommending this product under the disclaimer that its only from my first impressions of it, and not years of use.

[grumps]

I haven't put a lot of miles on it yet, but I really like the construction, feels very durable.
The timing is quick to inflate, it also has a vacuum option which is nice.
Rechargeable battery with a very large advertised battery life.

I think I would be comfortable recommending this product under the disclaimer that its only from my first impressions of it, and not years of use.

Sounds good, thanks for the reply and I look forward to hearing how it continues to work for you.

[Miner]

I'd be interesting to know how the bug repellent device works against mosquitos. My experience in the past with non-chemical methods have been disappointments. Having something that would keep the blood suckers at bay in camp would change where I tend to camp at night, at least before things dry out later in summer.

[perrymk]

I have the pump also and have used it on a couple of trips. It performs as advertised. I also saw other people using it so I guess it’s getting popular. Probably because it’s the lightest.

I purchased the mosquito repellent and will probably take it on a trip I have planned in a couple of weeks. It uses chemical pads that are inserted into a heater to spread the chemicals. The big downside is it weighs around 5-6 oz. I also have some incense style mosquito repellent (light and let slowly burn) that is much lighter that I can compare.

[Gambit McCrae]

I have the pump also and have used it on a couple of trips. It performs as advertised. I also saw other people using it so I guess it’s getting popular. Probably because it’s the lightest.

I purchased the mosquito repellent and will probably take it on a trip I have planned in a couple of weeks. It uses chemical pads that are inserted into a heater to spread the chemicals. The big downside is it weighs around 5-6 oz. I also have some incense style mosquito repellent (light and let slowly burn) that is much lighter that I can compare.

Please report back on the repellent!
I am interested in getting one as Miner said, those mosquitos out west can be absolutely brutal.
I did see they make a much lighter option but it requires being plugged into battery bank, maybe not a deal breaker for the weight savings.

[Miner]

I am interested in getting one as Miner said, those mosquitos out west can be absolutely brutal.

For me, my interest is for next year. In 2-3 weeks, most western mountain areas will have dried out enough where mosquitos will be rare till next spring; there are always exceptions though. I'm heading to Colorado later this month for a few weeks and I'm not planning on bringing DEET.

[grubbster]

Here is an interesting pump. https://rex-creations.com/products/p...ase-phasing-in
Ordered this to try. Only weighs 9 grams!

[Night Train]

For me, my interest is for next year. In 2-3 weeks, most western mountain areas will have dried out enough where mosquitos will be rare till next spring; there are always exceptions though. I'm heading to Colorado later this month for a few weeks and I'm not planning on bringing DEET.

Agreed! Did a short hike yesterday, PCT at Donner Summit TH. Mosquitos were few compared to a month ago.

[Miner]

I've looked more into these mosquito repellers like the Flextail one and other similar items I saw on Amazon. The active ingredient in most of the pads used seems to be Citronella or a synthetic version called Allethrin. But I have a UCO mini candle lantern that is decently wind proof and uses those tiny tea lite candles. I have often paired it with 8 hour Citronella tea lite candles for bug repelling.

My experience with the candles is they do work somewhat, but it's not a full proof solution, especially when the little buggers are swarming. So I would like to know peoples results with the Flextail and similar electronic repellers when there are more than a few mosquitos around.

I'm questioning if these electronic devices will give much better results. A candle burns hotter than these devices are able to achieve, though perhaps the electronic ones are able to discharge a more concentrated amount as the candles have to mix the Citronella with the wax and the pads don't necessarily have to be as diluted?

One improvement that I can see is you don't need to worry about knocking it over and spilling wax inside the lantern; something I've done a few times and it's an annoyance to have to clean it up. The overall weight of the devices is similar, though the candle lantern is only 3.5oz with a 4 hour candle. But the pads are smaller and lighter than a tea lite candle, especially the larger longer lasting candles. So it should be easier to carry extras. My Mini Candle lantern can only fit about 3x 8 hour tea lite candles inside the lantern when not in use for travel; though that provides more than enough time to get to my next bounce box location.

[jeffmeh]

We bought one of these Amazon.com: Thermacell Mosquito & Multi-Insect Repellent 96-Hour Refill; Includes 8 Fuel Cartridges & 24 Repellent Mats; Compatible W/ Fuel-Powered Thermacell Repellers; Repels Mosquitoes, Noseeums & Black Flies : Everything Else earlier this season. We did find it effective, using the multi-insect pads, compared to not using it. How effective it would be during a serious swarm remains to be seen, but it certainly makes a difference.

[Pringles]

I have had a Thermacell for about 10 years. I use it in camp, and think it works great. I hike in the west, Yellowstone mostly, and once I hang my food, and set up my tent, I start the Thermacell. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve shued away mosquitoes, muttering about the Thermacell not working, when about five minutes after starting it up, all the mosquitoes are gone. It clears an area about 10 feet in diameter. For pit toilet visits, I take it, let it do it’s work for a few minutes, and then don’t have to deal with mosquitoes. It’s the last thing I hang at night. When the mosquitoes start to return, it’s time to replace the little pad. I weighed it a while back, and I think it came in at about 7-8 ounces, but it doesn’t really matter. I’m taking it.

I have had one of the small flex tails for this hiking season, and like it. I do have to make sure, as I pack, that I have the adaptor for that particular pad. Whereas with the older editions of the Flextail, I carried a little bag with all the adaptors, the new adaptors are heavier. They are better, out of a rubbery substance, but they are heavier. Now that I have the new one, I anticipate they will come out with one the same size, but that has a light on it. I do like the Flextail that has the light, as well as the blower.