Not me!!
Today we were measuring and digging in a field that had a lot of fire-ant hills. Everyone was stepping carefully. I went back to our camper and got the duct tape. Ta-daaaahhhh! Ant-proof pants!
Hmm, this will also work for tick country on the AT. Or places where pebbles and pine needles get in your boots. I'm not buying gaiters. They look dumb. Not that this duct-tape version looks haute-couture. I'll get the camo color. Or black.
You always carry duct tape on the AT. You wrap a few feet of it around your water bottles or your hiking poles. You don't carry a whole roll, too heavy. If you run out, you buy more in town. Or, you put the roll in your "bounce box:" a box of things you need but don't want to carry a full supply of. You mail the box to yourself at an anticipated stopping place, pick it up at the post office, take out what you need, and re-mail it to your next mail-drop. You carry just a little to last you a week or two, then refill without re-buying, since stores in a lot of the little towns don't carry travel-size stuff. Like toiletry items. And duct tape.
