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01 — Camp / Roundup

Best bug repellent for camping

Three active ingredients have real evidence behind them. Everything else in the aisle is scent, and the campsite is not the place to find that out.

By Brijon M.Last updated How we pick
Clothing and camping supplies being packed into duffel bags

The short answer

Picaridin 20 percent on skin, permethrin on clothing, and that is most of the problem solved. Sawyer Picaridin lotion is the pick for skin because it lasts as long as DEET without damaging synthetic fabrics or plastics.

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Our picks at a glance

Best bug repellent for camping -- ranked picks
#ProductBest forKey specPrice
1Sawyer Picaridin 20% Insect Repellent (Lotion)As effective as DEET at the same task, and it does not dissolve synthetic fabric, watch crystals or tent coatings.skin, for almost everyone20% picaridin, ~12 hr
2Sawyer Permethrin Clothing & Gear Insect RepellentGoes on fabric, not on you, and survives several washes. The single most effective thing you can do about ticks.treating clothing, not skin0.5% permethrin, 6 washes
3Ben's 30% DEET Tick & Insect RepellentThe benchmark active ingredient at a concentration that lasts, in a bottle small enough to live in a first aid kit.serious mosquito and tick country30% DEET, ~8 hr
4Thermacell E55 Rechargeable Mosquito RepellerCreates a protected area rather than coating you. Excellent sitting still, close to useless walking around.a zone around the camp chairs20 ft zone, rechargeable
5Repel Lemon Eucalyptus Insect RepellentOil of lemon eucalyptus is the only plant-based active ingredient the CDC lists alongside DEET and picaridin.a plant-derived option with real evidence30% OLE, ~6 hr

Ranked by the criteria in how we pick. We hold no live prices, so every button goes straight to the current Amazon listing.

Every pick, in full

The picks

1

Best for skin, for almost everyone

Sawyer Picaridin 20% Insect Repellent (Lotion)

As effective as DEET at the same task, and it does not dissolve synthetic fabric, watch crystals or tent coatings.

Picaridin is the default recommendation for most campers because it removes the main practical objection to DEET without giving up effectiveness. DEET is a solvent: it hazes watch faces, softens synthetic shirts, and marks the coating on a tent fly. Picaridin does none of that.

Buy the lotion rather than the spray if you are choosing one. The lotion sits on skin longer and the published protection time reflects that. Pack it where it gets used -- the checklist versions are in <a href="/camp/camping-checklist">camping checklist</a> and <a href="/trail/day-hike-checklist">day hike checklist</a>.

Specs

  • 20 percent picaridin
  • Up to about 12 hours against mosquitoes and ticks in the lotion form
  • EPA-registered
  • Does not damage plastics or synthetic fabrics

Good for

  • Safe around the gear it will inevitably get on -- packs, sunglasses, tent zips
  • Near-odorless and not greasy, so it gets reapplied rather than avoided
  • CDC lists picaridin among the active ingredients recommended for tick and mosquito protection

Bad at

  • The pump spray version protects for noticeably less time than the lotion
  • Still has to be reapplied, and people reliably forget
  • Slightly harder to find in stores than DEET
2

Best for treating clothing, not skin

Sawyer Permethrin Clothing & Gear Insect Repellent

Goes on fabric, not on you, and survives several washes. The single most effective thing you can do about ticks.

Permethrin is the half of the system that most campers skip, and it is the half that does the most about ticks. Treat the clothing you hike in -- socks, trouser legs, shirt cuffs -- plus the tent floor and the outside of the pack, let it dry fully, and the protection is there whether or not you remember anything.

The combination to aim for is permethrin on fabric and picaridin or DEET on exposed skin. That pairing is what public health guidance for tick-heavy areas actually recommends. Dog owners should note the cat warning carefully and read <a href="/trail-dog/hiking-with-dogs-guide">hiking with dogs</a>.

Specs

  • 0.5 percent permethrin
  • Bonds to fabric and lasts around six weeks or six washings
  • For clothing, tents, packs and sleeping bags only
  • EPA-registered

Good for

  • Kills ticks on contact rather than just discouraging them
  • Treated clothing works without you remembering to reapply anything
  • One bottle treats several outfits plus a tent

Bad at

  • Never goes on skin -- this is a fabric treatment and nothing else
  • Must be fully dry before the garment is worn
  • Toxic to cats until dry, which matters if a cat shares your house
3

Best for serious mosquito and tick country

Ben's 30% DEET Tick & Insect Repellent

The benchmark active ingredient at a concentration that lasts, in a bottle small enough to live in a first aid kit.

There is a persistent idea that higher DEET concentration means better protection. It does not -- it means longer protection, and the curve flattens around 30 to 50 percent. A 100 percent product is not more effective per hour, just messier.

Carry this where mosquito pressure is genuinely high, or where Lyme is endemic and you want the strongest exposed-skin option. For everything else picaridin does the same job with fewer side effects on gear. Kit it with your <a href="/trail/best-first-aid-kits">first aid kit</a>.

Specs

  • 30 percent DEET
  • Around 8 hours of protection
  • Pump spray, available in a 1.25 oz travel size
  • EPA-registered

Good for

  • The most studied repellent active ingredient there is
  • 30 percent is the point where more concentration stops buying more hours
  • The small bottle is realistic to carry, so it is actually with you

Bad at

  • Damages synthetics, plastics and finishes -- keep it away from gear
  • Oily and has a distinct smell
  • Not for use under clothing or on broken skin
4

Best for a zone around the camp chairs

Thermacell E55 Rechargeable Mosquito Repeller

Creates a protected area rather than coating you. Excellent sitting still, close to useless walking around.

Treat this as a comfort product for the hours between dinner and bed, not as tick protection. In still evening air around a picnic table it works well enough that people buy a second one. In any wind it does very little.

It does not replace skin or clothing treatment -- it supplements it. Mosquitoes carrying disease and ticks carrying Lyme are not addressed by an area repeller. Set it up where the chairs are, next to the <a href="/camp/best-camping-lanterns">lantern</a>.

Specs

  • Roughly a 20 foot protection zone
  • Rechargeable, around 5.5 hours per charge
  • Heat-activated repellent cartridges, scent-free
  • No open flame

Good for

  • Nothing goes on skin or clothing, which is the whole appeal
  • Genuinely effective in still air around a seating area
  • Quiet and scent-free, unlike coils

Bad at

  • A breeze destroys the zone -- it needs still air to work
  • Cartridges are a consumable and the running cost adds up
  • Pointless while moving; this is a stationary-camp product
5

Best for a plant-derived option with real evidence

Repel Lemon Eucalyptus Insect Repellent

Oil of lemon eucalyptus is the only plant-based active ingredient the CDC lists alongside DEET and picaridin.

This is included to be useful to the large group of campers who have decided against synthetic repellents, and to be clear that oil of lemon eucalyptus is not interchangeable with the citronella and essential-oil products beside it on the shelf. OLE is EPA-registered with a published duration; those are not.

Note that oil of lemon eucalyptus and lemon eucalyptus essential oil are different things. The repellent is a refined extract standardized for the active compound. The essential oil is not, and does not carry the same registration or the same evidence.

Specs

  • 30 percent oil of lemon eucalyptus
  • Around 6 hours of protection
  • EPA-registered
  • Pump spray

Good for

  • The one plant-derived option with published efficacy behind it
  • Strong citrus scent that many people prefer to DEET
  • Works on mosquitoes at a level comparable to lower-concentration DEET

Bad at

  • Not approved for children under three years old
  • Shorter duration than picaridin or 30 percent DEET
  • The scent is strong enough that some people find it worse than DEET

01 — What works

Three active ingredients, and the rest is scent

The repellent aisle is wide and the evidence base is narrow. For mosquitoes and ticks, the active ingredients with registered efficacy and published protection durations are DEET, picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus (and its synthesized form PMD), and IR3535. Permethrin is a fourth, but it goes on fabric rather than skin.

Everything else -- citronella candles, ultrasonic devices, wristbands, vitamin B1, most essential oil blends -- either has no published efficacy or has protection measured in minutes rather than hours. Some of it smells pleasant. None of it is a plan for a week in mosquito country.

The practical system is two products: something registered on exposed skin, and permethrin on the clothing you hike in. That combination is what tick-prevention guidance recommends, and it covers both problems with one thing to remember in the morning.

02 — Compare

The picks at a glance

Skin, fabric and area products do different jobs. Most campsites want one from the first group and one from the second.

PickActive ingredientGoes onProtection
Sawyer Picaridin Lotion20% picaridinSkin~12 hr
Sawyer Permethrin0.5% permethrinClothing and gear~6 weeks or 6 washes
Ben's 30% DEET30% DEETSkin~8 hr
Thermacell E55Heat-released repellentNothing -- area device~20 ft zone
Repel Lemon Eucalyptus30% OLESkin~6 hr

03 — Method

How to use repellent so it actually works

Most repellent failures are application failures rather than product failures.

  1. 01Sunscreen first, repellent second, with a few minutes between. Combined sunscreen-repellent products are a bad idea because the two need different reapplication intervals.
  2. 02Cover every patch of exposed skin. Mosquitoes find the inch you missed, and a treated arm with an untreated wrist is an untreated wrist.
  3. 03Spray repellent into your hands and then onto your face. Never spray directly at the face.
  4. 04Treat clothing with permethrin at home, two days before the trip, and let it dry completely outdoors.
  5. 05Reapply on the published schedule, not when you start getting bitten. By then you are already behind.
  6. 06Wash it off when you get into the tent. Repellent on skin all night is unnecessary and it transfers to the sleeping bag.
  7. 07Do a tick check every evening regardless. No repellent is a substitute for looking.

04 — Before the bottle

Campsite choices that matter more than any product

Where and when you pitch changes the insect load by more than any repellent does.

Pitch away from standing water and tall grass

Mosquitoes breed in standing water and ticks wait on vegetation at knee height. A site on open, short-grass ground with a breeze, fifty yards from the pond, is a different experience from the pretty spot at the water's edge.

The two hours around dusk are the whole problem

Most mosquito species are crepuscular, so the bulk of the biting happens in a narrow window at dawn and dusk. Eat earlier, have long sleeves ready for that window, and the rest of the day looks after itself. A camping fan helps too -- mosquitoes are weak fliers and will not fight moving air.

Check your tent's mesh before you need it

No-see-ums pass through standard mosquito mesh. If you camp anywhere coastal or marshy, check the tent specification -- and keep a repair patch in the kit for the hole you will eventually find. See best camping tents.

Questions

Frequently asked

What is the best bug repellent for camping?
Picaridin 20 percent on skin and permethrin on clothing. That pairing covers mosquitoes and ticks, lasts long enough for a full day, and picaridin does not damage synthetic gear the way DEET does.
Is picaridin better than DEET?
Equally effective at comparable concentrations, and better behaved. DEET is a solvent that hazes plastics and softens synthetic fabric. Picaridin is near-odorless, not greasy, and safe on gear, which means people reapply it.
Does higher DEET concentration work better?
It lasts longer, not stronger. Protection time rises with concentration and flattens around 30 to 50 percent. A 100 percent product gives you very little extra duration for a lot more mess.
Can I put permethrin on my skin?
No. Permethrin is a clothing and gear treatment only, applied at home and allowed to dry fully before wear. It is also toxic to cats until dry, so treat garments outdoors and away from pets.
Do citronella candles and ultrasonic repellers work?
Not meaningfully. Citronella produces a small effect measured in minutes and only directly downwind. Ultrasonic devices have no demonstrated efficacy against mosquitoes in published testing.
What repellent is safe for kids when camping?
Picaridin and DEET up to 30 percent are both considered appropriate for children over two months by US pediatric guidance. Oil of lemon eucalyptus is not approved under three years. Apply it yourself rather than letting a child do it.

References

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