Fun in the Sun #16: Coleman Repellents Review and Summer Prize Pack Giveaway

Summer is a great time to enjoy warm weather and spend time together outdoors. Unfortunately, there are times when bugs make that almost impossible. I remember last year simply trying to take the kids down to the park several nights after supper. The bugs were just terrible, cutting our fun outing short. We were miserable! That's why I'm thankful for Coleman Repellents.
The Coleman Company encourages people to get outdoors by developing outdoor products that make being outside more enjoyable. From Coleman lanterns and stoves, to tents, sleeping bags, coolers, grills, and more...they have much of what you need to have a great outdoor experience.

Coleman® knows the outdoors. Our products have long been at the center of family fun, and with the addition of our insect repellents, sunscreens and the other great products you'll find here, your family can fully enjoy being outside together.

Anyone who reads here often, knows how important family is to me. Our time together is my top priority, which is why I love summer and the many opportunities it offers us to get outside and have fun. I love that Coleman understands that, and wants to make it enjoyable by offering products families can use. I was thrilled to learn we were going to have the opportunity to review some of their insect repellent products.

We were sent the Coleman® SkinSmart® DEET Free Insect Repellent and Coleman® SkinSmart® DEET Free Wipes to review.

It's not just the bite and irritation from bug bites that bother me, but also the risk of serious diseases that Mosquitoes and Ticks can carry. Yellow Fever, Malaria, and Lyme Disease are just a few. That's why I was looking forward to seeing what we'd think about these Coleman products to help keep us safe.

When each of the products arrived, I was happy to see that both were DEET free. I don't know a lot about DEET or its effects, but I do know that my family and I have very sensitive skin and my doctor has advised in the past to use DEET free products whenever possible. A lot of insect repellents contain DEET, so I was happy to see that these did not. And, according to Coleman, their DEET free products are clinically proven to be as effective as DEET based repellents!

We first tried out the Coleman® SkinSmart® DEET Free Insect Repellent.

Features/Benefits:

• Proven effective against mosquitoes and ticks for up to 8 hours
• Odorless, fast drying formula
• Clinically proven to be as effective as DEET based repellents
• Aluminum can with twist locking cap is lightweight, rust resistant, and sprays at any angle

With anything like sunblock or bug spray that I have in the beach bag or diaper bag, I like to know that I don't have to worry about it leaking. That's why the locking top was a huge plus for me! It stays closed until we need it which is great.

Upon using it, we were impressed with how evenly the repellent went on. Not only that, but the aerosol can made it very easy to spray wherever we needed it. One thing I've never liked about insect repellents is that they are usually very greasy and wet. I couldn't help but wonder if this would be the same way. To my surprise, it's not! It dried quickly, and really didn't feel greasy at all.

Another thing I was concerned about was how it would smell. I am very sensitive to frangrance and get headaches easily. I saw that both the wipes and spray said odorless, but couldn't help but wonder if there would be some sort of scent. To my amazement, there wasn't! My husband and I were both surprised that it didn't really smell at all.

The Coleman® SkinSmart® DEET Free Wipes were equally as impressive.

Features/Benefits:

• Proven effective against mosquitoes and ticks for up to 8 hours
• Convenient, mess free application method - ideal for children's faces and necks
• Safe for children ages 1 and up
• Odorless, fast-drying formula
  

These wipes didn't seem greasy either! They were also odorless, and what we really like about them is that they're so easy to quickly use when we need insect repellent. They're convenient and a great mess-free application method....ideal for faces and necks. I love how evenly the wipes apply the repellent and how quickly they dry (even faster than the spray)! I could see us using these more than the spray even. They come in a great resealable packet that we can stick the wipe back in and continue to use.

The weather has not been warm here for very long, so we didn't start noticing mosquitoes until just a couple of weeks ago. Since that time though, we've been able to use the Coleman Repellents we received and have been happy with how effective they are. They really do seem to help repel mosquitoes and keep us from getting bitten. My husband is looking forward to having such a high quality, effective product to use when he goes golfing this summer. I really appreciate that they are family-friendly and clinically proven to be as, or more effective than DEET, Picaridin, and other common pesticides. It helps give me peace of mind knowing that the active ingredient, IR3535, in the DEET Free insect repellent formula is non-toxic and safe for children 1 and up. The fact that they are long-lasting is also nice, as we're not having to reapply them all the time! Overall, we've been very impressed with both products.

After using these great products, I'm also interested in trying the SkinSmart Repellent Go Ready Pen. It looks like a really nice size and great for families on the go. I think it would fit perfectly in a purse or diaper bag and with 180 sprays per pen, it would probably last us quite a while.

If you and your family enjoy the outdoors as much as we do this time of year, you may want to look into Coleman's DEET free insect repellent. They have many different affordable options, including wipes, aerosol sprays, pump sprays, and a Go Ready Pen...so you're sure to find something that suits your needs perfectly.

Be sure to check out Coleman Repellents Great Spa Giveaway too! The Grand Prize includes a Coleman® 7' Lounger Spa valued at over $8,000 and a year's supply of Coleman insect repellents! Other prizes include Coleman® gear and Coleman® Repellents gift packages.

Buy It: You can purchase Coleman DEET free insect repellents at ColemanRepellents.com.

Win It: One very lucky winner is going to win a Coleman Repellents Summer Prize Pack which includes:

Two (2) packages of SkinSmart wipes
One (1) aerosol spray can of SkinSmart Repellent
One (1) GoReady spray pen of SkinSmart Repellent
One (1) Backyard Fogger

Mandatory Entry - Visit Coleman Repellents and tell me something you learned or another product you'd like to try.

Extra Entries: (Only valid after the mandatory entry has been completed. Leave 1 comment for each extra entry)

1. 1 extra entry- Enter the Coleman Repellents Prize Pack Giveaway at Thanks, Mail Carrier

2. 1 extra entry - Like Coleman Repellents on Facebook

3. 1 extra entry - Follow Coleman Repellents on Twitter

4. 3 extra entries- Grab our Fun in the Sun Button and leave a comment with the URL where it can be found.

5. 3 extra entries- Blog about this giveaway (linking to this post and Coleman Repellents) and leave THREE comments with the URL to that post.

6. 1 extra entry- Follow me on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway (You can tweet once a day for one extra entry every day)! You can copy and paste:

Fun in the Sun 16: #WIN a Coleman Repellents Summer Prize Pack! http://bit.ly/jSAArh Ends 7/8 #giveaway

7. 3 extra entries- Post my blog button or blog URL to your blog and leave a comment with the URL to your blog. (If it already is, leave me a comment letting me know)

8. 2 extra entries- subscribe to A Mom's Balancing Act via e-mail (found along the side column) and leave TWO comments letting me know.

9. 2 extra entries- 'Like' A Mom's Balancing Act on Facebook

10. 2 extra entries- Follow my blog publicly on Google Friend Connect

11. Enter any of my other Fun in the Sun giveaways running now. Leave me a comment on which one(s)....ONE entry for EACH giveaway you enter!!

Leave one comment for each entry you complete. Be sure to leave your email address with your comments or make sure it's visible in your profile so that I have a way to contact you if you win!

This giveaway will end July 8th and is open to the US Only!

**The products for this review and giveaway were provided for free by Coleman Repellents. All opinions found here are my own and were not influenced in any way. The opinions of others may differ from my own.**