Dressed to repel
The only way to guarantee you're not bitten by disease-carrying insects is to keep them off your skin.
Deluxe Spring Ring Headnet ($18, www.orgear.com). Designed to fit over a large-brimmed hat, this net has a built-in steel ring to keep it out of your face.
Insect Barrier Pants ($43, www.insectout.com). These white pants stay cool in hot weather. Elastic cuffs and super-fine nylon mesh keep bugs off your legs.
Mombasa Spider Netting ($35, www.rei.com). Good for travelers or campers in buggy climes, this netting can be hung from a ceiling or tree branch.
Everglades Protective Clothing Treatment ($10, www.skeeterdefeater.com). Soak your clothes or even a tent in this solution, which contains permethrin--the only substance known to repel the ticks that carry Lyme disease. And it also wards off those pesky mosquitoes.
Buzz-off Ultimate Jacket ($59, 800-640-3529). With tightly woven mesh and a hood with a zipper that closes face-high, this jacket keeps out even the smallest no-see-ums. Matching pants cost $20. Even better, fashionistas say mesh is oh-so-in.
This story appears in the June 16, 2003 print edition of U.S. News & World Report.