Thermacell Repellent Camp Lantern: Must-Have for a Mosquito Summer

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Summer is in full swing and around here we call that “mosquito season.” With unusually heavy spring rains the pests have been worse this year than we can remember in some time. Thankfully companies like Thermacell are ready to assist repelling the pesky bugs, while also helping to avoid more serious threats like West Nile Virus carried by mosquitoes.

Thermacell Repellent Camp Lantern/Images by David Goodspeed

Thermacell Repellent Camp Lantern/Images by David Goodspeed

The threat of WNV is ever-present in our minds here in Texas and every year local health authorities continuously monitor for signs of the disease in the mosquito population and every year we hear reports of positive results in or around our area codes. That is usually followed by overnight ground spraying but with products like the new Thermacell Repellent Camp Lantern we can take extra protection with us be it the backyard or a remote campsite on vacation.

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A few years ago we tested the Thermacell lantern for the patio and we (and our dogs) loved its effectiveness. Now Thermacell is offering a lantern to take camping or while visiting the great outdoors and this new unit is perfect for picnics, going to the lake, heading to the wilderness, or just sitting around the back forty like we do so many summer evenings. No sooner did I fire up the new Thermacell Repellent Camp Lantern than Tish relegated it to her greenhouse where the pesky little biters constantly plague her as she tends to her plants.

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Hopes were high with the new product and it worked like a champ. No more spraying on the DEET just to spend a little quiet time in her little oasis (which is actually larger than the 15’x15’ coverage area this product is rated for). Being a camp lantern though there are alternate uses for this Thermacell product once you load the four “D” batteries into the base. The unit provides LED light a campsite, tent, or picnic table at night and it can be hung up from hooks on either end of the device.

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There are four light settings: Low, medium, and high and SOS, and the batteries should provide light for up to 50 hours. The unit measures 9.5” tall by 4” wide and weighs 21 oz. without batteries. For the repellent, there are sealed packs of a synthetic copy of a substance found in chrysanthemum flowers and these pads are placed on a heat plate on top of the lantern where a small butane-powered heat source releases the repellent into the air, and it does it odorlessly and silently. The camp lantern is water resistant and will work on mosquitoes, black flies, and other little pests that can ruin a camping trip.

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The Thermacell Repellent Camp Lantern sells for $59.99 MSRP and is available on their website at www.Thermacell.com. This unit works, period. It is worth every penny and should be on everyone’s list of must-have gear for your next camping trip or backyard event.

Source: Thermacell Repellent Camp Lantern (review sample provided by manufacturer).

What I Like: Flat-out works and works well; works separately as tent light; easy to set up and use

What Needs Improvement: Nothing that I can find at this point

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About the Author

David Goodspeed
David was editor of AutoworldToday at Today Newspapers in the Dallas suburbs until its closing in 2009. He was also webmaster and photographer/videographer. He got started doing photography for the newspaper while working as a firefighter/paramedic in one of his towns, and began working for the newspaper group full-time in 1992. David entered automotive journalism in 1998 and became AutoworldToday editor in 2002. On the average, he drives some 100 new vehicles each year. He enjoys the great outdoors and as an avid fly fisherman, as is his spouse Tish. He especially enjoys nature photography and is inspired by the works of Ansel Adams.