So, I've been zapped by poison ivy three times, once quite badly, the other two times minor brushes. I've looked at online identification pictures, but I still couldn't identify it if my life depended on it. Can someone point me to a clear identification guide?

Thanks

Leaves of 3, leave it be.

What he said. Poison ivy is easy to spot as the center leaf is more symmetrical than the leaves on either side.
https://fthmb.tqn.com/27c9HhuRFi4CFlYw9kJ6974Y1Ag=/2123x1412/filters:no_upscale():fill(transparent,1)/about/poison-ivy-leaves-big-592c5b3b5f9b5859504a89c9.jpg

However, you may not be getting into poison ivy, but poison oak or poison sumac which will cause the same basic sort of reactions on the skin.

I was the same way but I'm not allergic. If it has 3 leaves like other people said but also if the leaves looks looks like mittens. The mitten is the easiest identification for me.

Dark stems

Words of wisdom right there.

I watched a very good video the other day. Basically you have to wash your skin very well with wash cloth after being in the woodsbc the oil from poison Ivy,Oak, and sumac is a lot like grease its hard to get off. Wash the exposed areas or possibly exposed areas 2-3 times using soap and a wash cloth scrubbing to ensure oil is removed and between 2-8 hours after contact is best and this should prevent future outbreaks.

yep, a good dish washing detergent that cuts grease/oil works as well as the OTC specialty soaps. I think I recall to use cold water also as the warm water will open up the pores of your skin more while scrubbing with soap to get the oils off.

When small it will grow like a plant and may get several feet high, straight up. If it can latch onto something, it will grow up the tree like a vine. It will have dark bark with a lot of hair like roots attaching itself to the tree. From the vine will be small stiff branches sticking out, up to several feet.

Leaves of three, wipe with thee.

And if you have the oil on your hands, be careful what you touch lol.

Yes poison ivy oil is not a sexual oil

https://www.thespruce.com/pictures-of-poison-ivy-4071932

Everything you ever wanted to know about poison ivy.

Don't forget about poison summac and poison oak as well they all contain the same oil as poison ivy

I don't and can identify them, too. Highly allergic to all three. P.S., that link I posted has them all if you will scroll down.

Or your untucked shirt that you tuck in to go to dinner!! I left the Dermatologist speechless when she ask for me to show her the rash . 2 weeks of misery I will never forget.

One of my old hunting buddies was horribly allergic to poison ivy. We accidentally sat down in a patch one turkey season. That poor guy had rashes in places a man should never have to endure...

I am not allergic, so I wasn't really paying attention.

If I get a rash I go to the doc they give me steroids and it's gone in no time

Tecnu wash works well. They make other products as well.

Cortisone will knock it out quick if you can get a shot or pills.

Long pants, long sleeves, and gloves. Bring a change of clothes and a big jug of ice water to rinse your hands when you change clothes. Put the clothes you change out of in a trash bag and dump them straight out of the bag into the washer when you get home. That will protect you pretty good till you learn to identify it. Like stated earlier "leaves of three let it be"

my wife is highly allergic to it ... I never had any issues for 50+ years, could roll around in it and nothing ... until one day I went weedeating in shorts, splattered it all over my lower legs and 2-3 days later I was in misery, 4-5 days later it was moving upward, 6-7 days it had reached my knees and I went to get a Kenalog shot. Once it got in my blood, I have to be very careful around it now.

Here are more good photos:
http://www.poison-ivy.org/climbing-poison-ivy

As people have already said, as soon as you get back from the woods, wash. Best to wash in dish soap because it cuts the oil better. Also, the vines can get big and rather woody. You can recognize the larger vines because they go straight up the tree, cling to it tightly, and have a huge amount of little hairy fibers that go from the vine to cling to the tree. Some poison ivy vines are so big that the leaves are only way up in the tree and are quite large. But mostly you'll find it on the ground, sides of trees, creek banks.

As people have already said, the oil will get on clothes and backpacks and stay toxic for a long time....sometimes weeks. Plus, I've found that once you get it, you're more susceptible on each future contact. So those of you who say you're not allergic to the stuff.....still best to watch out, because your body can grow to get more sensitive to it.

I've learned to walk through the woods without touching more than I have to....you never know what you're going to touch. It's possible to crawl through the thickest of brush and minimize the contact with the plants.

So here is a secret. Many years ago I built highend furniture. We used all types of wood many of which could not be glued together because of the oils and wax in the grain. Someone in the plant tried using laundry detergent to wash the oils away before gluing the pieces together. They determined that Amway and Tide powder had enough lie in their formulations to strip the oils and clear the grain so that the glue would hold. Other brands did not work. At the time I Coon Hunted with hounds and was covered in poison Ivy most every summer. One day, I notice the areas that got wet from the Tide soap mixture used to wash down Teak cleared up in a matter of a couple days. I intentionally washed down the remaining areas with the Tide soap and low and behold, it all quite itching and dried up within a few days. From then on I would bathe with Tide powder when I came home from hunting and it solved the problem.

I have tried dish soap, hand cleaner and everything else under the sun and for me the only thing that has worked every time is the Tyde Powder detergent. Try it! If it doesn't work for you, wash your clothes with it.