Does anyone have experience with a ThermaCELL on wilderness trips?
I purchased one last year for turkey hunting in GA and haven't had a need to use it to determine if it works as well as they say. I'm taking a trip in the Q in late May/early June and I'm considering bringing it along in case we have an early spring and the black flies try to carry us away. I've read reports from black bear hunters in Canada who swear by them, but I'd like to hear from some Q/BWCA travelers. If need be I'll stick with my head net as I hate slathering myself in DEET.

Do a search, this topic has been discussed recently.
For what it's worth, treating ALL your clothes with Permethrin is an effective and favored remedy among many of us here.
Search under Permethrin and you should find all kinds of useful info for fighting the winged demons ;)

Thanks ST. This will teach me once and for all to search for EVERYTHING before posting a question. I should have known this topic would've been discussed at some point in the past.

Ive been using the thermacell in the Q for 4 years now and it works great. The mosquitos keep about a 15 foot radius around you but there are still a few black flies. The down side is that it doesn't work at all when moving so in the portages you still need some other kind of protection and the ankle biters still get you in the canoe. But in camp it is invaluable and i'll never leave without it!

I think you'll find that any of the external bug devices are limited in windy conditions or if expected to cover large areas in calm conditions.

Of course if it's windy enough the skeeters are not a problem.

I think you would do well to use the Permethrin on your garments and then use the Thermacell as a additional barrier in camp if necessary?

I've tried a few different external bug products. I used this one on a trout fishing trip. Around camp in little or no breeze, it kept the skeeters at bay. I just clipped it to camp chair and it worked great.

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I use a 3 sided Dry-fly set-up in the Q. I set my solo tent up under the fly. I use these Mosquito sticks and they worked well as the dry-fly provided a semi-enclosed area for the repellent to collect. I'd light one a little before the skeets came out and put it close to my tent door. Once I go to bed, I extinguish it and if needed, re-light the next morning. They resemble giant kitchen matches. Just stick in the ground.

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I don't know the costs associated with Thermacell, butane fuel/bug repellent but the other items I mentioned are relatively cheap and convenient. Maybe bring them all and do a little field report 8-)

I have used the threma-cell on two solo's.  I really like it.  I set it on a rock next to me, when sitting by the fire, or just sitting.  You can see the cloud of Permethrin, it spits out,  Basically it has a butane cartridge that heats up a pad with Permethrin on it.  So it is kind of like your own portable Skeeter/fogger like I ran through on the streets as a kid.
It works great when it is calm or there is a slight breeze, If windy not so good, but then if it's windy, the darn skeeters, dont bother you much anyway.  The thing is, you got to remember to shut the darn thing off!!! or it will run untill it runs out of butane, (learned this the hard way)  Pads last about 4 hours, but butane last longer then that, so MUST remember to shut off.
SunCatcher