Technu is standard treatment for the real stuff on the West Coast, Poison Oak. Should be good enough for that sissy poison ivy you have back East.

That's inconceivable!

Try living in Texas. We have both.
Also, everything is poisonous.

On second thought, everything in southern California is deadly, too.

I've get poison ivy very easily and violently. I've tried and heard about several things that are supposed to work great. Here's what I know.

Pre-rash:

Tecnu has worked on and off for me, though I've never thought about bringing some and washing down at the truck with a spare gallon (or so) of water. I will now be doing this.

The standard initial step is shower absolutely as soon as possible and no scratching until you do, for ovbious reasons.

The last time I got a shot from a doctor I asked her not to give me any bull**** and tell what the hell I can do to prevent it and she referred me to the Hypothecary Shoppe, which is an all-herbal all-natural semmingly hippie paradise with a bunch of potions to help various things. Frankly, I'm down to kick it with some hippies if the itching will go away (which puts another idea into my head, if you catch my drift...).

Post-rash:

Using the $30 cream is the only thing that I've done that legitimately helped anything at all (minus the steroid shot). It did not apear to get rid of it faster, but one application every morning and I could essentially forget about it for the rest of the day - which is like a godsend compared to how it usually affects me.

My dad puts egg-whites on it, and he says after it dries it helps a lot with the itching.

I've heard taking a cold shower, lathering up in lye soap and standing there for five minutes out of the shower, then rinsing off in the cold water again, gets rid of it. Couldn't find lye soap, so I don't know, but several different people have heard of this.

Bleach. I hear hardass old timers taking a wire brush to the poison ivy, pouring bleach on it, and all is gone. I tried this (though I just rubbed with a rough cloth to open up the rash, not a wire brush) and got nothing but scabbed over poison ivy. This also came from multiple, unrelated sources.

That's about all I know about Satan's flower. But of course, not coming in contact with it is the best way, but understandably not always doable.

You could also try Ivy Block for the ride, but definitely tecnu and a good wash right immediately after the ride. You can't really tell you've been exposed until it's too late(rash starts)

I took my bike for a ride today. Notice I did not say I rode my bike today.

I drove to a local single track park, unloaded and headed in. Go to the edge of the first set of rollers and was greeted with a sea of poison ivy and sumac.

Screw it, I loaded the bike up and went and had a beer instead (no reason to waste a good day

The last couple of years I have started having terrible reactions. Could roll in it as a kid, not anymore. I probably spent $200 the last three years on Zanfel.

I am getting itchy just reading about this!

advices ? poison ivy, etc., just don't ride thru it.

Boom. Problem solved.

When I used bleach in the rash, I just dabbed it on gently and sparingly.

I started wiping mud on my shins and arms where Poison Ivy will show up - and all too often. Also spread mud on my shoes. It doesn't need to be a lot, just so when I wash the mud off at the watering hole/dog-swim area (or my water bottle), the oils wash away with the mud.
Having said that, whenever I forget to do this, my girlfriend gets mysterious itchy 'bug bites' on her arms & legs...& I just act like we gots a mosquito problem.

I never read this until today!!! Inconceivable!

My cousin gets poison ivy BAD, to the point he has to go to the hospital. What we do to help is take chlorox bleach and a scrub brush. Scrub it in under warm water and try to make it bleed, helps run the oil out and dry it up.

Water neutralizes poison ivy oils, as soon as you realize you got the oil on you, wash down with cold water.

After you get the rash, something I heard and tried with a bit of success was:
Soak the body part in warm-hot water. Hot water helps release histamines, which is a trigger for inflammation and itching. It will itch like a B**ch while in the water. If you go long enough, you can actually deplete the histamine reserves in the cells in that area, should give you 4-8 hours of relief.

Think Mil Surp BDU's. They are lightweight. They tie off at your ankles, or blouse if you wear real boots. They are usually cheaper than dedicated attire, and think BIG POCKETS!

Leave it to gastro to again send me scrambling to google and IMDB to decipher his references

You must watch the whole thing, D.