Table of Contents
This Review’s Credibility
This Rynoskin review is based on my extensive use of the clothing for my profession and hobbies for over the last 7 years. I’ve used the original Rynoskin for about five years, and Rynoskin’s new Rynoskin Total clothing for the last two years. In this time, I have regularly been in the harshest insect conditions Maine has to offer.
When I’m not working in the outdoors as an environmental consultant I’m either hunting, fishing, or exploring the outdoors. For these reasons, I wear my Rynoskin almost daily from April into December. Because of my occupation and outdoor hobbies, I have been able to draw strong conclusions on how they both (original and new) perform and how they compare to each other. These experiences and conditions are what this Rynoskin review is based on.
The purpose of this post is to share a product I believe in, and that will help keep people be safe in the woods. I’ve been so happy with the results I wanted to share my experiences with it. I am not affiliated with this company in any way. I am an Amazon Associate and I earn from qualifying purchases. If you’re looking for a rigorous field test to determine if Rynoskin actually works, or wondering how Rynoskin Total compares to previous versions of Rynoskin than this post is for you.
You can find my other gear reviews here: Gear Reviews
What Is Rynoskin?
Rynoskin Total is a chemical-free, breathable base-layer that is designed to protect you from ticks, mosquitoes, chiggers, biting flies, no-see-ums, and other biting insects. The clothing is created with very fine mesh material, making it difficult for insects to bite or penetrate through the Rynoskin fabric.
The original Rynoskin also protected against many biting insects. The major difference is that it did not protect against mosquitos. This Rynoskin is no longer made, only Rynoskin Total is currently made.
How Breathable is Rynoskin Clothing?
Maine’s Hot Summers
The first question I often get asked is: “is it breathable?” Since insect season is during the hot spring/summer months this is an important question. The answer to that question is a resounding yes. It reminds me of Under Armour, but with insect-resistant capabilities. It may not be quite as breathable as Under Armour due to its close-knit fabric, but it works very well. For the extra protection, it is well worth it in my opinion. It’s thin and stretchy, allowing sweat to dissipate. While working in Maine’s hot summers I’ve relied on Rynoskin Total to keep me cool and dry for the last two years and I couldn’t be happier with the results.
Other States
The hot months of Maine are cooler than the hot months of other states. I have not tested this clothing in other states. For this reason, I am personally unsure of how it would perform in hotter locations. That being said, I did a little digging and on Rynoskin’s website they state that:
“The answer will depend on the climate and the season of where you are located. For those in the northeast of the United States, the New England states where you want that extra layer of protection from Lyme Disease. We’ve heard positive feedback in terms of the coolness in the comfort level of the wearer. However, in the southern part of the United States where humidity is 80% in the summer months it may feel a little warm by having an extra layer of clothing, but during the fall and spring months, are generally more favorable for the wearer that resides in those more humid climates. Now for those who reside in a dry climate during the summer months, there hasn’t generally been any complaints about Rynoskin Total providing any extra heat for the wearer.” – Rynoskin
Is Rynoskin Chemical Free?
One of my favorite aspects of Rynoskin is that it is chemical-free. Since I am outside all the time and always need protection during insect season I decided for health reasons that being as chemical-free as possible was the route I wanted to take. Since I don’t currently use the gloves, hood, or socks that Rynoskin sells, I do have some areas that insects are able to bite. When insect densities get really bad I’ll throw on a head net and I’ll spray my hands with bug-spray. Even though I do use bug spray on occasion Rynoskin Total reduces the overall amount of chemicals that I need to use which I really appreciate.
Insect conditions in Maine can be very dense, especially around wetlands, which is where I spend most of my time at work. Rynoskin has done such a great job that I only need insect repellent for non-Rynoskin covered areas in the harshest of mosquito conditions. As I mentioned, I am outside all of the time for work and for fun. For this reason, my skin would be in constant contact with repellent all day, every day. I don’t know about you but I’d rather not have chemicals on my skin all day long if I don’t have to, even if it’s low exposure.
Frequency
If you’re someone who does not go outside much and you’re worried about getting bitten it’s probably not going to affect you all that much to use chemicals every now and again. But like I mentioned above, I’ve found that ticks still find ways to get under clothing, and mosquitos still bite. If your mind is made up on using chemicals I highly recommend doubling up with Rynoskin for extra protection. Rynoskin will prevent ticks from getting underneath regular clothing. It will act as an extra layer of defense against biting insects, and will also help put distance between your skin and the chemicals.
Insecticides & Repellents
Before I started using Rynoskin I used chemicals such as DEET and Permethrin to help prevent ticks and insects from biting me. Even after applying the chemicals ticks would still find a way to get under my clothing and mosquitos would bite me. Some chemicals work better than others, but in general, the ones that work better are more potent.
Consistent contact with chemicals over time has been shown to cause irritation of the skin, and absorption of the chemical into the bloodstream. It’s more than likely this will cause harm to your body over time. There are many insecticides, repellents, and insect repellent/insecticide clothing on the market today. In my opinion, these repellents are not the best option for health reasons. I don’t claim to be an expert in toxicology, but if repellents are strong enough to kill and repel bugs, especially those with exoskeletons, they are probably not the safest items to use on our body on a consistent basis. For more information on the side effects of these chemicals/insecticides check out this article by Indiana University Bloomington: Insect Precautions – Permethrin, Deet, and Picaridin.
Rynoskin Review – Rynoskin vs Rynoskin Total
Original Rynoskin
I received my first pair of the original Rynoskin as a gift about seven years ago (2012) and consisted of the Rynoskin pants and shirt. The original version of Rynoskin claimed it would protect against ticks, chiggers, biting flies, and other biting insects. Prior to 2017, however, it did not protect against mosquitoes. I knew this as the company made it clear. However, this was not a problem for me because I was only worried about ticks at the time.
Rynoskin Total
The newest version of Rynoskin (Rynoskin Total) was brought into the market in 2017. The claim to fame of Rynoskin Total is that it protects you from a wider range of insects. On the company’s website, they state Rynoskin Total prevents ticks, mosquitoes, chiggers, biting flies, no-see-ums, and other biting insects from being able to bite through or penetrate the fabric.
The Differences
The biggest difference that I noticed between the original Rynoskin and the newer Rynoskin Total shirt and pants was their ability to protect against mosquito bites. From wearing the clothing there is a clear difference between the two. Rynoskin Total was so much more effective. Mosquitos were still able to penetrate Rynoskin Total but you can tell mosquitos struggle with finding a spot to get through the fabric. I noticed they’d oftentimes get frustrated because they were not able to penetrate the clothing and would try to find a new spot. Sometimes they were able to get through if you gave them enough time.
Rynoskin Review: Field-Tested Results
Lucky for me 2017 was the year I was hired as an environmental consultant. Not wanting to use my hunting pair of Rynoskin for work, I found out very quickly that I would need to buy a second pair. A big part of my job is providing wetland services. Wetlands are where many insects breed so I often find myself in the middle of prime biting insect and tick habitat. After finding ticks crawling on me throughout the day I knew I would need to get a new pair for work, and pronto!
At this point, I was unaware Rynoskin Total had been brought into the market. When I saw Rynoskin Total protected against both ticks and mosquitos, as well as other biting insects it had me very excited. In addition to improved clothing, many more color and size choices were available as well. I purchased Rynoskin Total’s shirt and pants right away.
Personally, I’ve tested the clothing against ticks, mosquitoes, horse flies, and black flies so that is what this review will cover. I discuss the results below:
Rynoskin vs Ticks & Lymes Disease
Maine is close to ground-zero for Lyme disease. Ticks in Maine come out of winter hibernation in April, peaking in May, June, and July. Ticks remain at lower numbers throughout the Fall. After being treated for Lyme disease myself I did not want to take any chances of getting bit by a tick again. That being said, refraining from the outdoors was a non-option for me. Rynoskin clothing seemed like a more than reasonable alternative so I decided to give it a try and I’m glad I did.
I am blown away with how effective Rynoskin and Rynoskin Total are against ticks. During the summer, it is common for me to pick off between 30-50 ticks per day! From the thousands, and quite possibly tens of thousands of ticks I’ve had on me I’ve never had a tick fully burrow into my skin. In a year I might get one or two ticks that bite quickly and only penetrate partially through the skin layers, not making it to the bloodstream. These bites are not deep enough to cause an infection like Lyme disease because they haven’t made it to the bloodstream.
Tick Bite Prevention Method
Although I give almost all of the credit to Rynoskin for this feat, I do have a tick prevention regimen that I follow. My regimen greatly reduces the odds of being bitten. I have fine-tuned this regimen over the years and it works very well for me. My regimen protocol is simple and is outlined in the next section below called: Rynoskin Regimen – Get the Most Out of your Rynoskin Clothing. My regimen combined with Rynoskin clothing is a brilliant combination for preventing tick bites.
Rynoskin vs Mosquitos
As mentioned earlier there was a major difference between Rynoskin Total and the original Rynoskin when it came to mosquitoes. I have tested both against mosquitoes to see what the results would be. Rynoskin recommends it be worn as a base layer but I wanted to see the results when the bare fabric was exposed to mosquitoes.
Out of curiosity I have let mosquitos land and stay on the Rynoskin Total on my forearm so I could observe their behavior. What I found was that mosquitoes had to poke and prod with their mouths, otherwise known as their proboscis, then reposition and move to various areas of my forearm in order to find just the right alignment in the fabric where it would get through. Many times they would become frustrated that they were not able to find a spot so they would fly away or land on a different spot on my forearm. Eventually, with enough time, mosquitoes were able to penetrate the Rynoskin Total clothing, but they had to really take their time. The fabric of the original Rynoskin clothing was almost immediately penetrated by mosquitoes. The improvement from the original Rynoskin to Rynoskin Total is a big win in my book.
Experimenting with Clothes
As stated above Rynoskin is made to be a base-layer, so the fact Rynoskin Total did this well without any additional clothing added was very impressive. I started adding more clothing slowly. Next, I wore an Under Armour T-shirt over my Rynoskin Total, and I saw the same results; mosquitoes were able to penetrate through my Under Armour and Rynoskin Total if given enough time. However, I was sitting very still without moving. Walking through the woods I noticed mosquitos had a lot of trouble biting me with the movement of the Under Armour. It seemed like they didn’t want to risk hurting their proboscis with the increased movement between the two fabrics.
Button-up Cotton Flannel For Added Bite Prevention
I was definitely bitten more often when wearing polyester (like Under Armour) than when wearing cotton. The thin and breathable properties of polyester seem to be penetrated more easily than other materials. From what I have tried, cotton seems to be the best. Currently, I use a lightweight, long-sleeved, button-up cotton flannel. This works very well for me. I think the fibers of cotton are more rigid and dense, making it harder for mosquitos to penetrate.
In my experience, if you are moving around or able to brush away mosquitos periodically than mosquitoes really don’t have a chance to bite you. Just a lightweight shirt, preferably cotton, is all it takes to keep from getting bitten in low to moderate mosquito densities. If you have to be very still – like in hunting situations, or if you’re in high mosquito densities you will get bitten if you don’t wear some additional clothing. I recommend a cotton long-sleeved shirt. The hood and gloves would probably be a good addition in these scenarios as well.
Although mosquitoes can penetrate Rynoskin Total, it’s much more difficult for the mosquitoes to do so. Because of the increased difficulty of mosquito’s ability to penetrate the clothing it greatly reduces the number of bites you endure.
Rynoskin vs Horse Flies
I have never been bitten by a horsefly through Rynoskin Total. That being said, horseflies are much easier to detect than mosquitos and are more easily brushed away. I did not let a horsefly land on my Rynoskin clothing and wait to see what would happen as I did with mosquitos. However, in the last seven years, I can’t recall a time where I was bitten through any version of Rynoskin by horseflies.
Rynoskin vs Black Flies
Both Rynoskin and Rynoskin Total have worked well for me against black flies. For me, Rynoskin shined during fishing trips to remote locations of Maine. Black flies at dusk while fly fishing can be brutal. Prior to Rynoskin, it was hardly worth trying to tie on a new fly. Once both hands were occupied you were defenseless against the swarms. In the time it took to tie on a fly you’d be just about eaten alive.
Both versions of Rynoskin kept black flies from touching my legs and body which was fantastic. However, black flies seem to be able to find any little spec of open skin. For this reason, black flies were able to bite me everywhere the Rynoskin was not present such as my head, hands, wrists, neck…etc. That being said, no black flies were able to get underneath my Rynoskin and no black flies were able to bite through the fabric so it performed as advertised.
Furthermore, Rynoskin offers additional articles of clothing. The additional articles of clothing consist of: a hood, gloves, and socks. These additional articles of clothing would have been a great addition to preventing black fly bites especially. I have not personally tested these smaller articles of clothing out, but because they are made from the same material and double-layered. I imagine they’d work the same if not better than the shirt and pants. They have been designed so that you can tuck the smaller articles of clothing into the shirt and pants to create a seal so no skin is open to insects.
Rynoskin Regimen – Getting The Most Out Of Your Rynoskin Clothing
Below I share my tick prevention methods that I apply every day to make sure I don’t get bitten by ticks while wearing Rynoskin:
Wear a Ball Cap to Protect your Head.
Wearing a ball cap to prevent ticks from getting into your hair is important. Usually, ticks will get onto your body at waist height or lower because that is their preferred size of vegetation to wait for hosts. That being said, if you’re ducking under branches you’re more apt to get one higher than waist height once in a while. It also helps prevent ticks from crawling up your neck and getting deep into your hair. Wearing a ball cap is a worthwhile prevention method.
Wear Rynoskin Underneath Clothing
By wearing layers, it makes it harder for ticks to come into contact with your skin as it is an extra line of defense. More importantly, Rynoskin is not all that durable and is designed to be worn under clothing. This is how it is meant to be worn as recommended by the company. Wearing layers on top of Rynoskin will keep your Rynoskin intact for many years. I still use my older original Rynoskin when sometimes from 7 years ago!
Tuck Rynoskin Into Itself
To prevent ticks from biting around the ankles I tuck my socks over my Rynoskin pantleg cuffs. I also pull my pant legs over my 18″ Lacrosse Grange Rubber boots. This will prevent ticks and debris from falling into your boots that could potentially come crawling out at a later time. I also tuck my Rynoskin shirt into my Rynoskin pants.
Regularly Checking Clothing Throughout the Day
I get just about all the ticks off of me in a day but regularly checking the front and back of my pants from the waist down. I do this every time I walk through scrubby brush or grass. Because ticks utilize a lie and wait tactic to come into contact with a host they will almost always attach to the front part of your body. I’m 6’3” and the vast majority of ticks I get are also below my waist. But routinely looking down on your pants and shirt you can eliminate 90-95% of the threats, which will greatly reduce the number of ticks that make it to your neck.
The other 5-10% will do is migrate upwards on the body until they reach skin. Since Rynoskin will prevent them from getting on your skin until they reach your neck (assuming you’re not wearing the hood) you will eventually get the remaining ticks on your neck if not picked off. DON’T PANIC. I find my neck to be more sensitive because of the fine hairs located on the neck allowing me to easily notice crawling ticks and pick them off before biting. Although this sounds a little unsettling for some, this has worked better for me than any other method so far.
Prevent Hitchhikers – Bring a Change Of Clothes And Storage For ‘Tick Clothes’
Since Rynoskin does not use chemicals it does not keep ticks and insects from being on the clothing, it only prevents them from getting onto your skin. For this reason, it is common to have ticks alive and, on the clothing, when you’re done with your outdoor adventures. You might have looked yourself over good, but trust me it’s inevitable some will still be on you, they’re difficult to see.
Rynoskin will protect you against ticks but watch where you drag them. I’ve had a few close calls where I’ve dragged ticks into my car on my way home from work without knowing it. Later, when my Rynoskin was off, on my way to the grocery store I’ve had ticks crawling on me. Friends and family have also got them from being in my car.
After learning from these incidences, I decided it was time to make a change. Now when I am finished in the outdoors I remove all clothing I had on outside, including my Rynoskin. I use fabric grocery bags, they work well if I roll up the tops so the ticks don’t get out of the bag. The bags in the link above are white, so it will be easiest to see ticks. Ideally, you could invest in a sealable bag. I like fabric bags because I toss them in the washer/dryer along with the clothes so any ticks that fell in the bag will be killed.
Throw All Clothes In The Washer – Dry On High Heat For At Least 10 Minutes
Before getting into the shower wash or dry your clothes. I like to do this step before getting into the shower because a few times I’ve had ticks get onto me from handling my ‘tick clothes’. The last thing I want is to feel nice and clean and then feel like I have ticks on me again.
Throwing your clothes in the dryer on high for 10 minutes will kill the ticks that are on your clothes. So, if my clothes are clean I will always throw them in the dryer after I come back from the field. If they’re dirty, I will wash and dry my clothes. This helps ensure that when I wear my clothes and Rynoskin that the following day there won’t be any surprises.
Take Shower and Comb Hair with Fine-Toothed Comb
The final step is to take a shower. The sooner you can take a shower when you get home, the less likely a straggler will inhabit your house and bite you or someone else. Additionally, when I take a shower I use a fine-toothed comb to comb my hair in order to ensure no ticks made it into my hair. In my time using Rynoskin, having ticks on you after removing the clothing is a very rare occurrence. I have only had a couple of ticks make it into my hair, and the comb has been effective at removing them.
Hunting With Rynoskin
Turkey Hunting
For me, I find Rynoskin really shines during turkey hunting season. Turkey season coincides with peak tick activity (May) here in Maine. During this time of year, I find it doesn’t matter if I’m busting through brush, or just sitting on the ground waiting for a gobbler to come into range, ticks seem to find me in numbers. It is not uncommon for me to get 10-20 ticks in a morning of turkey hunting. Mosquitos also start popping up later in May and Rynoskin Total does a great job of protecting me in turkey hunting scenarios.
Early Season Deer Hunting
Expanded archery season in Maine starts at the beginning of September. During this time ticks are still around but are not nearly the same as they were in May. However, mosquitos are surely still around. Rynoskin helps reduce the number of mosquito bites during this time of year.
Scent-Free
As a diehard whitetail hunter, being as scent-free as possible is very important to me in order to get the most out of my hunts. Since no chemicals are used to create the product, there is no smell. Also, there’s no need to spray repellents on the clothing because it already prevents insects from biting. Rynoskin clothing is a huge win as far as I am concerned in regards to hunting. You can wash Rynoskin in your favorite scent-killing detergent and they’ll be just as scent-free as the rest of your clothing.
Less Movement
Since the clothing does a great job at preventing insects from biting through the clothing, I am not moving around nearly as much trying to swat away bugs when on stand or in the blind. Sure, I am still doing a little swatting, but not nearly to the same extent. I am able to take a little bit more time to brush off bugs, instead of flailing and swatting. Less movement helps reduce the chances of an animal spotting me.
How Does Rynoskin Fit?
Being tall and skinny (6’3’’ 155lbs) I chose the large options and it fits well. The elasticity of the material allows it to stretch and take the shape of the individual wearer. On Rynoskin’s website, they have a sizing chart so that you can see what size would work best for you.
As a skinny person, I have noticed that the neck of the product does not fit all that tightly around my neck. This was concerning at first because I thought ticks would be able to fall down my neck and into my suit. However, since I’ve been wearing Rynoskin I haven’t had a problem with ticks getting under my suit. For some reason, they just don’t seem to crawl downward once getting to the neck. They crawl upwards from the suit up my neck where I am able to feel them and pick the ticks off.
Rynoskin Review Considerations
Skinny People
At first, I was skeptical if the Rynoskin was going to work for ticks. Being skinny I thought the elastic cuffs of the pant legs, sleeves, and neck may be too loose to prevent ticks from working their way underneath. But after putting my first pair of Rynoskin to the test I found this not to be an issue. The elastic cuffs worked well, not once did I have a tick get underneath my Rynoskin while hunting. You can see an example of this in the video provided in this review.
Durability
Rynoskin is plenty durable as a base-layer and will last a long time if worn underneath clothing. However, it is not durable enough to be worn as an outer layer. Thorns will chew through the fabric and sticks will tear the clothing over time. For this reason, it is best to wear the clothing as a base-layer, as designed, for maximum longevity.
Threading
On both the original Rynoskin and Rynoskin Total thread starts to come loose due to the type of material it is made out of. Thread has a hard time staying in the fabric, I’m not if this is because it is very elastic. The company realized this was a problem on the original Rynoskin and made upgrades to the new Rynoskin Total in order to prevent this from happening. From what I have found Rynoskin Total is much better at keeping the thread from coming out, nonetheless, over time it still does come out. That being said, for me the thread only comes out around the cuffs, but the cuffs act as a scrunchy whether the threading was in them or not. For this reason, there was little to no negative effect on the performance of the clothing because of some thread loss.
Rynoskin vs Wet Feet
Be careful if your feet or legs are wet like when getting out of the shower. It is easy to pull too hard on the material and rip the cuff. This is not a fault of the company but a lack of taking care on my part. However, it shouldn’t be a deciding factor in your purchase but rather something to be aware of so you can get the most out of the clothing.
Rynoskin Review Conclusions
Both versions of Rynoskin have worked incredibly well for me over the last seven years or so. Rynoskin has worked so well for me because I have created a regimen that allows me to protect myself effectively. In order to get the most out of the clothing, my regimen includes simple techniques to supplement the effectiveness of the clothing.
I can’t say enough good things about this clothing and I highly recommend it to everyone and is why I wanted to create this Rynoskin review. The clothing in combination with tick prevention best practices mentioned above has allowed me to remain just about free from tick bites in one of the highest tick-infested areas for over seven years.
To learn more about this product check out the Rynoskin Website. You can purchase it there as well, or on Amazon. I believe you can get better prices on Amazon. Leave a comment below if you have any questions and I’ll do my best to answer.
If you liked this Rynoskin Review, check out my other Gear Reviews!