The Best Mosquito Repellents for Camping in 2022
Mosquitoes suck, but your camping trip doesn’t have to as long as you have one of these repellents
Mosquitoes don’t just suck blood, they also suck the fun out of camping, and if you want to prevent both, you’ll need a mosquito repellent for camping. Repellent comes in various forms and formulas from natural essential oils to harsh chemicals and lotions to aerosol sprays. If you need help separating the hype from the ineffective, this is the review for you. I tested the best mosquito repellents for camping in my buggy woods to find products that actually work, and here are my picks.
- Best Overall: Coleman Insect Repellent SkinSmart
- Best for Your Pack: Repel 100
- Best Lotion: Sawyer Picaridin Insect Repellent Lotion
- Best for Treating Clothing: Sawyer Permethrin
- Best Device: ThermaCell MR450 Armored Mosquito Repeller
- Best for RVs: ThermaCell EX90
Choosing a Mosquito Repellent for Camping
Mosquitoes find humans by first detecting the carbon dioxide we exhale, then they cue on our odor. Finally, body heat is their final signal before landing when they use their feet to taste our skin to find a bite location. Most mosquito repellents work by disrupting the mosquito’s ability to smell. The repellent evaporates off our skin and the vapor doesn’t allow them to pinpoint our location.
When you’re choosing a mosquito repellent for camping, the first consideration is the product’s effectiveness. The best way to determine that, beyond reading this review, is looking at the ingredients.
Ingredients: DEET vs. No DEET
Products with at least 20 percent DEET effectively deter mosquito bites. Most commonly, you’ll see 70 or more percent DEET in mosquito repellents. While DEET is highly effective it can have side effects such as rash, irritation, as well as vomiting, nausea, and upset stomach if swallowed. DEET isn’t the only option though, and there are other natural and chemical ingredients that repel mosquitoes with fewer side effects. A 2015 study found products with Picaridin, IR3535, Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus, or Permethrin effective at repelling mosquitoes.
Continue learning about the best mosquito repellents fro camping here.
Kutoka kwa kikosi
Mazungumzo ya Campfire na jamii yetu, kutoka kwa Wanachama wa Squad na Mabalozi kwa Washirika wa Brand na timu ya Sawyer.
Majina ya Vyombo vya Habari
Add an extra layer of protection to your clothing, shoes and gear with this unscented and editor-chosen permethrin spray by Sawyer that bonds to fabric fibers and repels ticks and 55 other insects, including mosquitoes.
Majina ya Vyombo vya Habari
This Sawyer repellent won a SELF Outdoor Award in 2022.
Majina ya Vyombo vya Habari
The only line of defense between me and a veritable galaxy of painful mosquito bites was the humble $11 bug repellent I almost left at home.
