As I write this mid-summer, it’s prime time for tick and mosquito bites in North America. Making matters worse, tick populations are on the rise and with them some truly dreadful tick-borne illnesses, including the familiar Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever, along with the newly added Alpha-gal syndrome, to name just a few. Any dirt, dual-sport or ADV rider needs protection from these tiny pests while in wooded or brushy areas. Ticks have multiple ways of finding you, and can crawl up from the ground, drop from overhead, or hop aboard as you pass through low-level vegetation. You almost certainly won’t know they’ve landed until after your ride, since they’re too small and slow to feel as they crawl on your skin, and they nestle into dark, moist cracks and crevices where you won’t see them without a thorough examination sans gear and skivvies. The longer they stay latched on, the greater the likelihood they’ll infect you during their feeding process, trading the microorganisms they host for your delicious red blood cells. Mosquitoes are not only annoying but carry their own increasingly long and disturbing list of awful diseases, too, such as West Nile virus, Dengue fever and several versions of encephalitis.

There are a multitude of insect repellents on the market for keeping ticks, mosquitoes, chiggers, biting flies and other small-caliber vermin from feasting on our precious bodily fluids. This kind of protection ought to be considered equal in importance to a helmet, boots and body armor. (Think of it this way: is it really worse to bring home a broken arm than a potentially life-threatening—and perhaps even life-long—disease? Obviously, you don’t want either one, so avoid both.) The active ingredient most commonly found in these treatments is DEET, a synthetic compound that works by confusing the scent receptors insects use to detect prey. By disrupting their ability to smell our sweat or the carbon-dioxide in our exhalations, for example, DEET “hides” us from nearby pests so they’re unlikely to track and bite us. DEET doesn’t actually kill (or even offend) insects, but it’s still quite effective and can provide a high level of protection for two to six hours, depending on the concentration (concentration determines effect duration, not degree of effectiveness). DEET is generally safe when applied properly but can cause skin and eye irritation if mishandled. Its solvent-like properties may also damage certain plastics and synthetic fabrics, and some variants have a strong chemical odor and/or an oily or sticky feel.

Picaridin is just as effective as DEET and has significant advantages over it, being odorless, non-greasy, and posing no threat of harm to plastics or synthetic fabrics. It’s also longer lasting, with different concentrations lasting between four to twelve hours, and it’s less likely to cause skin irritation. Picaridin is a synthetic version of piperine, a natural compound found in black pepper. Like DEET, it doesn’t actually harm insects but works by creating a vapor barrier that interferes with their ability to sense us clearly as they get close to making contact. Since the vast majority of modern off-road riding gear is constructed of plastic and synthetic fabrics, Picaridin is a better choice than DEET because there’s no risk of damage to expensive kit.

Whereas both DEET and Picaridin can be applied to clothing as well as skin, Permethrin spray is for fabric only. These are best used in combination. You’d apply a lotion or spray containing DEET or Picaridin to treat exposed skin, and a Permethrin spray on your clothing and gear. Permethrin is an odorless synthetic compound that mimics the pyrethrins naturally produced by Chrysanthemums.

Unlike DEET and Picaridin, Permethrin actually poisons insects on contact, paralyzing or killing them if they don’t quickly detach. It’s the active ingredient in certain lotions used to treat scabies and lice, but the fabric spray isn’t good as a topical insect repellent because your body will break it down and render it ineffective, and it can cause skin irritation while wet (not after drying). Permethrin bonds to fibers in your clothing and gear, including boots, packs, camp chairs, sleeping bags and tents. Once dry, its protection can last six weeks or six washings, whichever comes first. So, depending on how often you hit the trail, you may not have to reapply Permethrin for every outing or repeatedly during a multi-day trip, making it vastly more convenient (and likely more cost-effective) than spraying Picaridin products on those same items. Treat fabrics outdoors, using 4.5oz Permethrin spray per “outfit,” defined as a shirt, pants and pair of socks (regardless of size), and judge the amount needed for other applications on this basis. Note that, while Permethrin is safe for humans and dogs, in liquid form it is extremely toxic to cats; this danger ceases once it has dried.

I’ve been using Sawyer brand Picaridin lotion and spray with great results since learning about the possibility DEET could damage my off-road gear, although to be fair, I never noticed any such problems. Gear concerns aside, I found the Picaridin options less noticeable to my nose and on my skin and appreciated their longer-lasting effectiveness. When some hiking/camping afficionados educated me about Permethrin and recommended Sawyer’s version, I was quick to try it. As far as I can tell, it works as advertised. However, I’ll admit I’ve never actually witnessed a tick crawl onto my treated gear and kick the bucket soon thereafter. Nor have I done side-by-side testing to see if a garment washed more than six times lost its bug-repelling mojo; I’m not willing to get bitten to prove that point. However, I do enjoy the extra peace of mind I have knowing my gear is thoroughly treated with a substance that doesn’t merely confuse insects but deals a deadly blow to any would-be attackers. I’m never sure I’ve been able to spray enough Picaridin everywhere it ought to be on my clothes, and I hate having to reapply it each and every time I go out—or even more often on a long day in the woods. With the Permethrin, it’s “set it and forget it” for six weeks or six washings, and I can use much less Picaridin on the small patches of exposed skin that remain vulnerable.

Sawyer’s Permethrin spray is available in trigger-pump or aerosol forms; I chose the former because there’s less waste and a lower cost per ounce. Prices vary widely depending on quantity and fluctuating deals at Amazon, REI and other outdoor supply retailers. My 12oz trigger-pump bottle sold for $14.49 on Amazon at time of purchase. Whether or not you choose Sawyer brand products, summer trail riding in North America is now extra hazardous not only in terms of high temps and tough terrain, but also the potential for serious illness, courtesy of increasingly prevalent—and increasingly dangerous—biting insects. Make sure to treat your skin and your gear with Picaridin and Permethrin, respectively, so you don’t become a treat for parasites, visible or invisible.