Camping is a great way to get into nature, but insects can make your time outdoors less enjoyable. This effective insect repellent spray can be used on skin and clothing to ward off biting pests. It’s DEET-free and made with essential oils that are known for their natural bug-repelling properties. Camping and the great outdoors is an experience that everyone should enjoy and Nature’s way! Our camping insect repellent is a safe and effective way to protect from insects. Our 100% pure essential oils blend together to create a powerful defense against mosquitoes, ticks and other biting bugs. Great for use on you, your family and even pets! Sweaty, itchy, and uncomfortable is more than enough reasons to not want mosquitos, ticks, and flies around you while camping. The best camping insect repellent should be capable of holding them off for at least a couple of hours so that you can enjoy the great outdoors without fearing possible bites from any unwanted creatures. This guide will show you some highly recommended brands and how to keep you safe from mosquito attacks altogether!

Best Camping Insect Repellent

Introduction

Mosquitoes, ticks, and other biting insects are one of the more annoying parts about the great outdoors. Repellents with DEET (N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide) have been the gold standard for decades because they work so well. But DEET is quite smelly and it can irritate your skin. Picaridin and essential oils are more pleasant alternatives to DEET that do a decent job of repelling biting insects, but they don’t last as long. If you’re looking for a really effective insect repellent that’s safe to use on your skin—and that won’t stink—you should consider going with a good permethrin product instead. Permethrin is an insecticide designed to kill insects on contact or repel them before they land on you. It works very well when used on clothing and gear, but it’s not safe to apply directly to your skin.

What is a good insect repellent?

DEET is the most effective insect repellent. DEET is the most effective repellent for ticks and mosquitoes. You can buy a variety of sprays, lotions and wipes that contain DEET, but if you want to know what works best, look for products with 20% or more DEET concentration.

Repellents containing oil of lemon eucalyptus (OLE) are also very effective at keeping away mosquitoes and ticks. When choosing an OLE product, look for one that contains 30% oil of lemon eucalyptus instead of just 10%. To be extra safe, make sure you apply it directly to your skin as opposed to spraying clothing or gear with it because this could lead to accidental ingestion by children which could cause serious side effects like dizziness or vomiting when they get too close while playing outdoors after applying the repellent

The Centers for Disease Control recommends using insect repellents with a DEET concentration between 20-30 percent on exposed skin surfaces such as feet ankles hands wrists underarms face legs feet ankles hands wrists underarms face legs feet ankles hands wrists underarms face legs feet ankles hands wrists underarms face legs feet ankles hands wrists underarms face legs feet ankles hands wrist

Is DEET really that bad?

While there’s no doubt that DEET is the best choice when it comes to insect repellent, it’s not without its downsides.

DEET is a chemical that can be toxic to humans and animals. Although there are different levels of toxicity, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), “no level of exposure can be considered safe for humans.”

The EPA has linked DEET with neurological damage and skin irritation in some people, but these effects aren’t common or severe enough for them to recommend against using DEET products at all times or in all conditions. They recommend limiting your exposure: “If you plan on being outdoors during peak mosquito hours, apply insect repellent once every two hours while traveling outside. Reapply if you get wet or sweat heavily.”

Picaridin vs DEET

Picaridin is a synthetic compound that is an alternative to DEET, which has been around for over 60 years. Picaridin is effective against mosquitoes, ticks, and flies with no known adverse effects on humans or animals. Some people who are sensitive to DEET may also be allergic to picaridin. However, many people who are not sensitive to DEET can safely use picaridin products.

Picaridin is safe when used as directed on skin but should not be ingested by children under three years old or by pregnant women because of unknown effects on their unborn child.

Essential Oils vs DEET

Essential oils, particularly those that contain lemon eucalyptus oil, are an effective insect repellent. The essential oils are derived from plants and have been used for hundreds of years to deter insects like mosquitoes and ticks. They’re both effective and safe, but before you run out the door with a bottle of go-to citronella in hand, it’s important to understand how they work and what they are good for.

Essential oils all contain a plant’s active ingredients (the part that gives them their healing properties). Essential oils also contain other compounds such as terpenes (which give them their pleasant smell) and phenols (which give them their stinging or warming sensation). When these compounds bind together, they create a chemical reaction that attracts bugs because of the way the scent wafts through the air. This scent is what keeps bugs from coming near you while you enjoy your weekend camping trip!

Some people worry about using essential oils because they think it will be too much of an inconvenience or might leave them feeling sticky after application. Fortunately there are options available which prevent this issue including: sprays made specifically for this purpose as well as lotions which can be applied prior to going outdoors so no one knows except maybe everyone else who sees someone wearing bug spray lotion!

What about natural insect repellants?

A study published online in the Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association looked at a variety of natural insect repellents, including citronella and lemongrass oil. These chemicals are often touted as being safer than DEET, but they were actually no more effective at keeping away mosquitoes than a placebo (a whiff of cotton balls).

The researchers also found that while natural repellents seem to be better for you—they don’t contain DEET’s toxic ingredients—they’re not necessarily all that effective. That’s because mosquitoes have evolved to avoid certain plants: For example, if you’re wearing citronella perfume or eucalyptus oil on your skin, insects will just keep flying around until they find something that smells tasty enough to bite into.

Permethrin for clothing and gear, but not skin

Permethrin is a synthetic chemical compound that is used to treat clothing and gear. It does not repel insects from the skin, but it can provide some protection against ticks. However, permethrin is not safe for use on human skin and should not be applied directly to your skin or clothes unless they are adequately treated beforehand.

Permethrin has been approved by the EPA since 1985 as an insecticide against mosquitoes, ticks and other biting insects. Permethrin kills insects by interfering with their nervous systems – it creates a neurotoxic reaction in those who come in contact with it, causing paralysis and eventually death.

Picaridin and essential oils are great alternatives to DEET for repelling insects.

Picaridin is a synthetic compound that is the active ingredient in many insect repellents. Picaridin is an effective insect repellent, and it has shown to be non-irritating to the skin. Picaridin can also be used on children over 2 months of age.

Essential oils are another great choice for an alternative to DEET when you’re camping in a wooded area or other place with insects that bite. The essential oil eucalyptus has been shown to have some effectiveness against biting flies, mosquitoes, and other types of flying insects when applied before exposure to those insects.

Conclusion

We hope this article has helped you find the best insect repellents for your trip. If you are still unsure, we recommend that you look at our list of the top insect repellents and read more about each of them.