Review: Packtite Portable Heating Unit

The Packtite™ portable heat chamber is one of the more exciting new products to be introduced in the war against bed bugs.

Exposure to lethal temperatures has proven to be among the most effective methods for destroying bed bugs and their eggs and hot laundering is at the top of the list when it comes to recommendations for addressing bed bugs that are associated with bed linens, clothing and other launderable items. However, there are many items that cannot be hot laundered or placed in a clothes dryer. The development of the Packtite™ heat chamber offers an affordable method for people to address many of the items that cannot be laundered. I have personally used the Packtite on numerous occasions in a pro active fashion to protect myself and my family from the potential introduction of bed bugs into our home when returning from my many business trips. Items such as my computer bag, luggage, shoes, folders etc. can simply be placed in the chamber and left to bake, destroying any bugs or eggs that have may have hitched a ride home with me. Not only is this a great preventive tool but it can be used very effectively to heat items that are present in infested dwellings. The heat chamber is lightweight (less than 20 lbs) and very portable (collapses in a similar fashion as a dog crate) but when expanded is large enough to heat a wide variety of items, (3 foot long x 1 1/2 feet wide) and can be plugged into a regular 120 volt wall outlet. In our testing with this device we recorded interior temperatures of 145oF after running the unit for 2 hours. These temperatures are well in excess of the lethal temperatures required to kill the bugs as well as their eggs.

As with most new products, there are some features that could be improved. For example, the electrical cord for this unit exits the chamber at the top where the zipper is located. This means that the unit cannot be completely sealed during the heating process. The manufacturers have addressed this issue using a metal sheath that is wrapped around a portion of the electrical cord that is inside of the heat chamber, to prevent the potential escape of any bed bugs. Sean Rollo, a well known entomologist specializing in bed bugs, has tested the metal sheath and did not observe any escapes in the test replicates that he ran. In discussions with Sean, he concurs that while a design change of the electrical cord exit point would be welcomed, the benefits of the unit far outweigh the shortcomings of the current design. Consumers and pest management professionals should follow the use directions and should be sure not to "over pack" the unit or pack the unit. I anticipate that the location of the electrical cord will most likely be addressed by the manufacturer at some point in the future. As for now, the Packtite™ unit serves a much needed role and is a very important tool in the bed bug tool box. Packtite™ fills a niche for addressing many items that are lacking simple yet effective solutions. Anyone that travels, is concerned about introducing bed bugs into their home , or is battling an existing infestation will surely benefit form this product.