7 Best Tick Repellents of 2024

Each year in the United States alone, an average of 36,000 cases of tick-borne Lyme disease are reported, according to the CDC, though some experts believe the actual numbers are significantly higher, with as many as 500,000 cases occurring each year and many being misreported or unreported. And that’s just Lyme disease — ticks can also transmit ehrlichiosis, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, babesiosis, and more. The long and short of it is this: if you are going to be in an area where ticks are potentially present, you need to be using a reliable tick repellent.

As a frequent hiker and camper, I use several different types of tick repellent when outdoors, including tick repellents designed for use on gear and apparel as well as tick repellent that’s safe for use directly on human skin. I trust the brands I use, like our pick for the best overall, Sawyer Picaridin Insect Repellent, and, even with countless miles logged on the trail and many nights spent in a tent, I have never gotten a tick bite.

Continue reading to learn more about tick repellent, written by Steven John.

Contributor

Steven John

Expertise

Gear reviews, product testing, interviews

Education

BA, Emerson College

Steven John is a journalist with 13-plus years of experience testing and reporting on consumer products. He specializes in outdoor gear and consumer technology. In addition to U.S. News, his work has been featured in New York Magazine, Forbes, The Daily Beast, Architectural Digest, Insider, Gear Junkie, and many other publications.

John is an avid hiker, skier, paddler, and biker, and has been skiing and cycling since his elementary school years. His love for hiking began in high school when he spent two summers trekking hundreds of miles across northern Spain. He began climbing mountains in his 20s and has reached the summit of many of America's most prominent peaks, including Mt. Rainier, the Grand Teton, and Mt. Whitney. Two of his favorite outdoor achievements are completing a marathon in the Swiss and French Alps, and hiking more than 120 miles through the jungles and mountains of Colombia.

John also has reviewed scores of consumer tech products from air purifiers to smart lighting, and along the way has interviewed countless experts in various technology fields. For example, he has tested more than a dozen security cameras for the Tech & Electronics team at Forbes, written smart fitness gear reviews for The Daily Beast, and reviewed home tech such as electric lawn tools and portable air conditioners for New York Magazine. John lives outside New York City with his wife and two kids.

来自小队

与我们的社区（从小队成员和大使到品牌合作伙伴和 Sawyer 团队）进行篝火对话。

来自小队

4 MIN

媒体报道

I’m also a fan of the venerable Sawyer Squeeze. Just collect water and drink!

Trey French

作家

媒体报道

Sawyer’s picaridin lotion lasts a long time, stores well in survival kits and cars, and doesn’t have the laundry-list poison control label like DEET sprays.