I got a therm a cell for Christmas do any of you use them and do they work at all?

Thanks. Cedric B

Maybe you could explain in a bit more detail what it is you're talking about. I'm not sure what a Therm a cell is so I'm sure there are others. Maybe add a link?

Couldn't get link to load. Thermacell is a mosquito and black fly repellant. Its a plastic case that holds a cartridge that has repelant on it. Sold at most outdoor supply. Sorry about not having pics or link. Thanks

I have a Theracell and they actually work really well. Not so much if it is windy as I think the "stuff" gets blown away. If we're sitting around the fire or the table we'll put it near us (either on the table or near our feet) and normally you can see a considerable difference in regards to the bugs. The refills are fairly pricey, but if it works it's well worth it in my opinion.

Yes, they work very well if you're in a spot that is protected from wind. Or, if there's a very light breeze you can put the devices upwind from your desired 'hanging out' location and they can help.

No idea on refill prices as we got all ours as a gift but I'm not surprised if it would be more expensive when compared to bug spray.

I have a couple of them and they work great if there is no wind. I use them in my shop (with the big doors open), on my patio, around the pool, etc. I wear them on my belt when I am pulling weeds in the flower bed or talking to a neighbor in the front yard. I can tell you that they make a HUGE difference. I left them in the car at the last minute on my BWCA trip this past summer. I was trying to trim ounces and I figured it would have been too windy for them to be effective. I wish I would have had them! If you use a pad and don't finish it off it will dry out within a few days and lose it's effectiveness. I haven't tried to put them in a ziplock to see if that would help. Several friends have purchased them after they saw how well mine worked. I buy the refills and cartridges when they are on sale and I buy a couple of the big packs that easily last me all year. I rarely pay more than 60% of the normal price. Cabela's is a good place to find them on sale. They are very sturdy. I drove over one with my truck by accident and it worked fine afterwards. I did have another that the unit wouldn't turn off however. Mill's Fleet Farm replaced it for free.

My Texas and Florida bowhunting buddies swear by them. Haven't tried one myself though.

I have never tried one before, but an interesting story about one....

My buddy and I were portaging out of Ella Hall lake on the 4-Mile portage. The bugs were horrendous (i can only think of one or two times in literally hundreds of days in the BWCA where they might have been worse). We had on boots, long pants, long sleeve shirts, hats, and bandanna's soaked in bug repellent on, and were still being bothered by the mosquito's.

As we portage we come along a group of campers working their way in. One guy is in total "bug stress", he can't stop moving, is almost crying on the portage. He is wearing flip flops, cut off jeans and no shirt, but has a thermocell around his neck. Of course it is not working, so his buddy asks him if he replaced the batteries before the trip, he says "no". So they are looking to see if they can find more batteries for his thermocell. In the meantime, I offered him some bug repellent, which he politely refused saying he is deathly allergic to repellents. So, I encourage him to put on a shirt, find a pair of pants and shoes to minimize the bug bites. He looked at me like i was nuts..

So, before we continued on our way, told him "we are not dressed this way because we are trying to be fashionable, we are dressed this way because of the bugs. Between my buddy and I we probably have a couple thousand nights in the BWCA / Quetico and my buddy has paddled all the way to Hudson's Bay". He just had this blank look on his face.

I sure hope they got the thermocell working, or this guy was going to be in a for one miserable trip!

The "every year a new bug gadget" guy in our group brought one on a trip. Worthless. Mosquitoes swarmed around it, landing on it and on him.

I've found them to not be worth the effort to bring. The slightest bit of wind will carry the fumes away from you. Tried it twice and gave up on it.

My wife saw one of these at the outfitters before we headed out on our trip last summer and insisted that we take one. The first night we set it up around dusk and sat around it for about 20 minutes getting eaten alive. And then I thought to myself, "What am I, an idiot? I'm sitting out at dusk in the middle of the Canadian bush expecting not to get bitten by mosquitos?" I never used it again and can't imagine what got into me that I ever bothered in the first place.

In my experience they work well .... in the right environment. As others before said they don't work well in any kind wind. But on calm evenings we've found them to work very well. We use one regularly on the front porch or deck at home while we're sitting out there during summer evenings. They work best in a semi-enclosed area, for sure.

The most useful application we've found for it in the woods is to place it in the vestibule of the tent for a half hour before turning in at night. Keeps the pesky little buggers from entering the tent while you're getting in and out of it. Works like a charm. I haven't needed to perform "the hunt" in the tent since I started doing this.

First time I tried it I told my nephew to turn it off because it wasn't doing any good. There were no bugs around for it to repel. 5 minutes later we were swatting like crazy! Turned it back on and 10 minutes the bugs were gone again. I would say they work about 80% of the time which is well worth it to me. Take extra butane and pads because if you forget it on and go to bed, the pad and butane run out and need replacement. I love it.

I definitely would recommend it. I use it on my deck when it's calm and it really works well. Doesn't work when there is more than a slight breeze though.

Thanks for the information guys as usual you all give great insite on the topics I ask about. My son and I can't wait till the end of May to make our first trip to BWCA. Thanks again

God Bless.

If there's no wind, they work great. Kind of expensive though.

Agree with all the other posters. No wind works great otherwise not so much. We don't take ours anymore. Anything that finicky or limited isn't worth the weight or space on backcountry trips.IMO

In extreme bug conditions they make the situation tolerable, but they are not a miracle tool for bugs. I don't think anything is though. I am sort of indifferent to bugs. I rarely were bug repellent and just deal with it.

For just myself I don't bring it. For my kids and when I want to hang out around the fire longer I bring 2-3 thermacells. My kids think they are a miracle though. They hate bugs and tell me it makes a huge difference. If I don't bring them I think my 5 and 9 year old boys would revolt :)

So I think ya might get different answers based on conditions and personal taste.

T

If it needed batteries it wasn't a Thermacell. You also wouldn't wear it around your neck as it burns butane.

I bring our thermocell on every trip. Got one with the lantern (LED) which we use for basecamping. They are worth every cent in NE Wisconsin. Look for large refill packs for the best price. If you search the internet there are guys refilling the butane cartridges and putting stuff on the pads but I haven't gotten deep into that yet. They do make holsters than you can wear . As they said they work best in still air....If you are back in the deep woods on the throne they really really help.

dr bob

My experience is it only works well when there are no bugs.

When there are bugs, it doesn't really stop them.

Will I try it again? Yes, because I hate mosquitoes and I bought one. Will I portage one before I experience it working outside the BWCA? No.

Maybe when there are a few it makes a difference. When it is bad, forget it.

quote CrookedPaddler1: "I have never tried one before, but an interesting story about one....



I sure hope they got the thermocell working, or this guy was going to be in a for one miserable trip!"

Funny story but that wasn't a thermacell. They don't use batteries. I don't see how ya could wear it around your neck, you'd be breathing in butane the whole portage, and anyway it would never work if you tried to use it that way. That would be like putting bug repellent on your canoe and saying it didn't keep the bugs away on the water so the bug repellent must not work :)

T

Won't go without one. We take two. Have one for the deck at home.

When it comes to Thermacell, I'm in the "waste of money" club. When bugs are ravenous, Permethrin treated clothing, a headnet and gloves serve me well. I learned this here years ago.

I use and in general like the T-cell.

It's particularly useful in the vestibule. I get mine going after the evening meal and allow it to work for a an hour or so while we are eating and prepping for the night, as that is when we make most of our trips in an out of the tent. It works real well to stop the little f*ers from following you in.

I generally stop it after the first late nite latrine break, figuring I won't be opening the door after that.

doesn't work very well in the open unless there is absolutely no breeze, in which case it works OK.

quote AndySG: "
When it comes to Thermacell, I'm in the "waste of money" club. When bugs are ravenous, Permethrin treated clothing, a headnet and gloves serve me well. I learned this here years ago."

+1 on the permithrin soaked clothing

I wish mine worked. No little puff of smoke. Guess its not warm enough. Has full butane.

The sandflies in Florida are awful in the backwoods. and as we have wet clothing often( wading and soaking our shirts) during the day..permethrin doesn't stick.

I have had mine four years. Now its been somewhere ( lost ?) for three. I still have fond memories of the skeeters landing on it on the Liard River and in Jasper... when it was on.

I'm wanting something to work at Graveyard Creek in the Everglades. Seems those smoky coils work better than my Thermacell.

You who have used both what do you think?

I use one on occasion. When I'm backpacking like to set it below my hammock for a while before I get inside. Helps keep the shelters from sneaking in with me.

Ive used it in places where it worked and in places where it didn't. I believe wind to be a strong factor in its effectiveness.

Generally, I don't bother bringing it with me any more. I find the wind factor is just too often too much to make it effective enough to carry the weight on my back.

Now canoeing, I wouldn't mind having it along with me for calm nights, or when using a tarp setup as a single pole shelter to use for keeping the skeeters out before I close the net up and go to bed.