Best Mosquito Repellents for Hiking

KEY CONSIDERATIONS For Anti-Mosquito Products

Physical vs. Chemical Barriers

A classic debate in the anti-mosquito arena focuses on chemical versus physical barriers to these little bloodsuckers. Let’s look at these options in more detail.

Physical barriers are, just like they sound, a solid/physical obstacle between you and the mosquito. Think of long sleeves, head nets, long pants, tent screens, and any other barrier that keeps mosquitos at bay. The benefits of physical barriers are that they are 100% effective for the covered areas and don’t involve exposing yourself to chemicals that may or may not be harmful in the long run. On the flip side, relying solely on physical barriers tends to lead to some overheated hiking since wearing long pants and sleeves that are thick enough to prevent bites can be stifling in hot weather.

Chemical barriers can be applied to skin, your clothes, or dispersed into the air and rely on mosquitoes’ aversion to certain compounds such as DEET, Picaridin, Permethrin, and others. These barriers have the benefit of convenience, allowing you to apply them to your skin on hot days and still wear shorts and a t-shirt without getting eaten alive. Alternatively, some chemical treatments for clothing will repel insects that try to land on the treated articles, allowing you to wear lighter clothing (like sun hoodies) without worrying about mosquitoes biting right through the fabric. However, some chemicals can cause irritation, damage certain fabrics and plastics, or generate uncertainty about their safety for children or pets. We’ll discuss chemicals in much more detail later in this article.

Considering the pros and cons of these two options, we tend to recommend a blend of the two for maximum protection in the outdoors. Combining chemical and physical barriers tends to give you the best protection possible with the benefits of both options while mitigating the downsides at the same time. Of course, everyone’s anti-mosquito system will be different, so it’s important to consider your priorities and comforts and figure out a plan that works for you.

Longevity

Somewhat along the lines of the physical vs. chemical barriers we discussed above is the concept of longevity. No chemical mosquito repellent will last forever. Products you apply to your skin will last a few hours, chemical treatments for clothing will last a few washes at best, and chemicals dispersed around an area will last as long as you have fuel and refills. Meanwhile, physical barriers to mosquitos will last as long as the material does, potentially for years.

Therefore, it’s worth considering how long your mosquito solutions will last and factor that into what you buy and how you prep for your trip.

Power Requirements

This category pertains to airborne chemical mosquito repellents that are designed to protect a specific area from those skeeters – Thermacell is a prime example of this product type. These devices typically rely on some sort of power source, be it electric or propane, to disperse their product. So, if you’re considering taking one of these devices into the backcountry, remember to think about how much power they need and bring a sufficient supply to keep them operating through the entire course of your trip!

Price

Luckily, effective mosquito repellent methods are within easy reach for most folks’ budgets. The classic bug spray solution is typically just a few dollars per bottle. Meanwhile, higher-tech solutions like chemical dispersers that protect a whole area (like Thermacell) can run around $50 for the initial device, plus more for the chemical refills. So, consider your susceptibility to mosquitos, the local risk factor where you are hiking, and your available budget to plan out which products are right for you.

Thermacell Backpacker

Best Area/Airborne Mosquito Repellent for Hiking

• MSRP: $39.95
• Repellent Type: Chemical Barrier (allethrin)
• Weight: 4.0 oz. (plus fuel canister)

PROS: Protects 15ft radius – Uses same fuel as most backcountry stoves – Effective mosquito repellent

CONS: Doesn’t work while actively hiking (camp only) – Need to bring multiple fuel canisters to cook and use Thermacell at the same time

CLOSER LOOK: Airborne repellents project a chemical into the air that’s intended to keep mosquitos and other biting insects from venturing into that area. Thermacell has established itself as one of the main contenders in this market, with a slew of products designed to release allethrin (more information on this is in our chemical guide below). The Thermacell Backpacker works by using a standard cooking gas canister to heat a blue pad that, in turn, releases allethrin into the air to keep the skeeters away.

We’ve used Thermacell products in a number of scenarios, and we have to admit that they’ve proven reasonably effective and definitely keep the mosquitos in check, assuming you’re not in super windy conditions. However, this type of product only works at camp since it takes time for the allethrin to disperse through the air, and it won’t be effective if you’re actively moving. But for enjoying a skeeter-free evening at camp without swatting your arm or leg every couple of minutes, the Thermacell Backpacker is an excellent addition to your kit. Additionally, we like the concept of using the same gas canister type that we use for cooking, but just remember you’ll need to bring two canisters if you want the Thermacell Backpacker to be working while you cook at the same time.

VIEW At REI.com

L.L. Bean No Fly Zone

Mosquito Repellent Clothing

• MSRP: 
  • Women’s Shirt: $99.00
  • Women’s Pants: $99.00
  • Men’s Shirt: $99.00
  • Men’s Pants: $99.00
• Repellent Type: Chemical + Physical Barrier
• Weight: Unavailable

PROS: Good repelling capability – Combines physical and chemical barriers for maximum protection

CONS: Washes out after around fifteen washer loads – Needs to be washed alone – Can sometimes have a distinctive smell

CLOSER LOOK: Pre-treated mosquito repellent clothing has slowly been diminishing in popularity over the years, but its effectiveness against nasty biting insects persists. Mosquito-repellent clothing combines the benefits of a physical barrier (the clothing itself adds a layer of protection against bugs) with the benefits of chemical repellent by pre-treating the materials with the insecticide permethrin. See our mosquito-repellent chemicals overview below for more information about permethrin, but we’ll say here that it binds to both synthetic and natural fibers very well and incapacitates or kills insects that land on you before they have the chance to bite. L.L. Bean’s No Fly Zone clothing is an excellent example of this method, providing a very effective barrier against biting bugs with long-sleeve shirts and pants that are light enough to accommodate working hard on the trail without overheating with excellent UPF and bug protection.

However, the Achilles heel of mosquito-repellent clothing is that it will wash out after around fifteen or twenty machine washes and, therefore, lose its effectiveness. Additionally, these clothes can sometimes have a very distinctive smell. This last point isn’t all bad, however, since it alerts you that the clothing hasn’t lost its mosquito-repelling capability, but it does mean that you need to wash these specific clothing items alone.

L.L. Bean No Fly Zone

Women’s ShirtWomen’s PantsMen’s ShirtMen’s Pants

Types of Mosquito Repellent Chemicals

Below, we’ll discuss some of the most common repellent chemicals that you’re likely to encounter on the market and discuss their origin, effectiveness, and any health concerns.

Deet

This ubiquitous chemical is perhaps the most well-known mosquito repellent on the planet. Deet was developed by the US Army and Department of Agriculture during the 1940s in response to the terrible mosquito-borne illnesses the army encountered during the Second World War. Since then, it has become one of history’s most studied bug repellents.

Deet has proven highly effective at protecting users from mosquitos, ticks, flies, and any number of other outdoor pests. Over the past 80 years, Deet has been used billions of times, and adverse reactions and risks remain extremely low. Both the EPA and CDC recommend Deet as an effective mosquito repellent, and many studies support the conclusion that, when used as directed and at recommended concentrations (typically 10-30%), Deet is an extremely safe chemical to use for children and adults.

That said, Deet can irritate your eyes, mouth, or open wounds. Therefore, be careful when applying this chemical and keep it on healthy skin. Additionally, Deet is a solvent, meaning that it will quickly eat through many synthetic materials, including plastic, spandex, polyester, and rayon – all the more reason to be careful when applying this chemical and aware of what it is coming into contact with!

Deet’s harsh interactions with synthetic clothing and growing worry about long-term health effects have spurred the development of several alternatives in recent years; we’ll look at these newer chemicals next.

Picaridin

This chemical is perhaps the second-most common bug spray we see today for applying directly onto our skin. This is the synthetic version of the natural compound piperidine, which comes from the same plants that we harvest for black pepper. Picaridin was first developed in the 1980s and only became available in the USA for bug sprays around 2005. So, it’s the newcomer on the block for insect repellents, but it shows tremendous promise.

In fact, recent studies show Picaridin is just as effective as DEET – if not a little more so – when it comes to keeping those little nasties at bay. What’s more, Picaridin doesn’t have the oily and greasy feel that DEET sprays sometimes have. And if that wasn’t good enough, Picaridin is completely safe for synthetic clothing and plastics, giving it one more point over DEET.

As far as downsides go, there really aren’t many. The EPA has found Picaridin to be safe for skin application, and the risks from this chemical are very low. As with any product applied to the skin, there’s a very small chance of irritation, and it’s best to keep it out of your eyes and mouth. However, overall, studies show Picaridin to be a stable and low-risk chemical repellent. That said, Picaridin hasn’t been around nearly as long as DEET, so the long-term risks (if there are any at all) may not have been thoroughly studied or realized quite yet.

Allethrin

Chrysanthemum flowers naturally produce pyrethrin, an organic compound that is a highly effective insecticide since it disrupts the nervous system in insects. Allethrin is the synthetic version of that compound and has been widely used in repellents and insecticides for decades. For mosquito repellents, we most often see Allethrin as an airborne repellent used by devices to create a safe bubble that mosquitos won’t enter – Thermacell products are the main example of this use.

Despite its widespread use, Allethrin hasn’t been as widely studied as DEET, especially in terms of safety and long-term exposure to humans. As this dated EPA report on Allethrin notes, there are “no developmental neurotoxicity or comparative neurotoxicity studies in adults and offspring available for the allethrins.” So, hard data is a little spotty, but the report goes on to note that there can be adverse effects and changes to liver function. This New Jersey Fact Sheet also states that allethrin could be harmful to the lungs and eyes in high doses or with prolonged exposure. The fact that Allethrin is an airborne repellent that we are inhaling (and not just inertly applying to our skin) makes these risks worth considering. Of course, we’re not using Allethrin bug repellents all day, every day, and the overall risk in the small doses seems to be fairly low. But if you’re very conscious of chemical exposure in your life, airborne repellents and Allethrin may be worth passing on.

Despite the debated health effects of Allethrin on humans, one thing that is universally clear is its potent effect on invertebrates (both on land and in the water). Combine this fact with the principle of airborne repellents and how they disperse Allethrin in the general area, and it becomes worth noting that any bug in the area will be affected (not just the pests). So, if you’re concerned about the overall chemical footprint of your insect repellent, allethrin-based products are arguably among the most damaging and widespread and may be worth avoiding if this is a concern for you.

Permethrin

Permethrin is in the same class as Allethrin and is derived from Chrysanthemum flowers. However, unlike Allethrin, Permethrin is formulated to be applied to clothing fibers to give them bug-repelling capability. When an insect lands on you, Permethrin disrupts the bug’s nervous system and incapacitates or kills it before they have a chance to bite you. Permethrin can be applied during clothing manufacturing to give hiking clothes off-the-shelf bug repellency, or it can be applied from a simple spray bottle to any clothing or accessories you’d like.

It’s very important to note that Permethrin is a potent insecticide and should never, ever, be applied directly to your skin. Additionally, if you’re going to treat your clothes with Permethrin, you should do so outside with the clothes hanging up (not wearing them) and allow clothes to dry for at least two to three hours.

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