Picaridin beats DEET. Permethrin beats everything.

Use picaridin on your skin and permethrin on your clothes. That’s the modern, proven combo.

DEET has been the gold standard for decades, but picaridin works just as well and doesn’t melt your sunglasses, smell like a chemistry lab, or leave you feeling greasy. It’s also safe on synthetic fabrics. The CDC backs it, and so do most avid campers I know. Get a 20% lotion or spray.

For clothes, buy premixed permethrin spray (Sawyer’s is the one) and treat your pants, shirt, socks, and tent fly before you leave. It bonds to fabric, survives several washes, and actually kills ticks and mosquitoes on contact. You can’t put this on your skin—it’s for gear only. Worth every penny if you’re in tick territory.

Natural options like oil of lemon eucalyptus work okay for short trips but need reapplication every couple hours. Citronella candles? Better for ambiance than actual protection. Campfire smoke helps a little but is not a real strategy.

Don’t rely on your friendship bracelet. Treat your clothes and carry a picaridin bottle. That’s the whole system.