Good morning,

Just picked up a new tent for the kid and I.  was going to set it up in the yard to air out and wanted to spray it with permethrin (ticks).

I have a couple spray bottles of Sawyer for clothing.  I wanted to know if I can use the concentrated stuff I use for the yard.  I mix it with water, I think 2-3oz per gallon.

It smells a little like petroleum, though and I'm not sure if it will damage the fabric.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks

I wouldn't trust it, although somebody might be along that has first-hand experience.

You can get water-based concentrate at any farm store (TSC, Family Farm and Home, etc). I bought that and have used it on clothing, nylon hammocks, etc, without issue. Plus it's way cheaper than Sawyer.

Just use the stuff that you spray your clothing down with.

Many Oil based infect repellents will wreak havoc on synthetics. It will ruin watch gaskets, flashlight switches and some painted surfaces.

The TSC stuff will work,I've used it for years on my hunting clothes.Particulary during Turkey season (like now).

Directions will be on the bottle I think 2-3 oz per gallon may be a bit high on concentration.

I've settled on about 1oz/gal and haven't had a tick on me in years.

It does have a bit of odor but after sitting out a couple of days it is gone.

I've also used this on my Mountain Hardware tent with no issues/staining etc,then I apply waterproofing.

It’s actually DEET that’s HARD on certain plastics. I’ve actually used DEET to clean up fogged plastic headlight lenses (actually polishing kits work better but the DEET is a temp quick solution)

If I was the OP, I’d use water based Sawyer products permethrin. Permethrin won’t hurt a tent neither will a water based carrier.

The stuff you spray on the yard has the same chemical (permethrin) but a different carrier. I wouldn’t spray it on clothes or tents.

I don't even bother with DEET anymore.  I spray down my hammock, down-quilt, clothing/shoes, even my pack with Permethrin every spring.  Zero issues.  To maximize use, just spray around the openings and that is usually enough to deter most crawling arthropods.  

ROCK6

The stuff that smells like oil or fuel has a petroleum distillate that is a UV stabilizer for permethrin. The water based stuff will just lose effectiveness faster on exposed surfaces.

The stabilized stuff will smell every time it gets wet, not desirable for a tent or clothing. Use the non-stabilized stuff. You can buy both versions in concentrated form. The non-stabilized is usually 10% and is most commonly found under the name "Martin's" in my experience. The stabilized stuff is usually 30%+ and every time I've bought it it was listed as "Permethrin SFR".

No problem OP. Do it.
Properly dilute the Permethrin (Depends on the concentration, the bottle will tell you what it is) You can spray it on or saok and let it dry. It works great. Most of my hiking gear is some form of synthetic and it is hasn't damaged any of it. DEET will fuck a lot of stuff up.
DEET repels bugs, Permethrin kills them.
Keep liquid permethrin away from cats and fish, it can kill them, after it dries it is no problem.
Once, maybe twice a year I soak my hiking clothes, hammock etc., I also spray my pack. Never had a tick problem.