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Reduce your risk of tick-borne illnesses with these doctor-recommended tips.
Best Items for Tick-prevention
- For your clothes: Sawyer Products Premium Permethrin Insect Repellent for Clothing, $20
- 7-hour protection: Bug X 30 Insect Repellent Spray with Deet, $15
- With extra sun protection: Columbia Women’s PFG Bahama II Long-sleeve Shirt, $60
- For removal: Tickcheck Premium Tick Remover Kit, $13
While all tick-borne illnesses are something to watch out for during the summer hiking season, Lyme disease is becoming more prevalent as milder winters due to climate change expand the deer tick range and allow more of their population to survive into spring. I’ve been backpacking and hiking for 15 years, and I’ve learned to be much more careful about tick checks and prevention as I’ve seen more and more of them pop up where I live in Montana. “This isn’t just a Northeast or deep-woods problem anymore,” says Dr. Sunjya Schweig, MD, who serves on the Scientific Advisory Board of the Bay Area Lyme Foundation. “Ticks now turn up in most of the country, including 56 of California’s 58 counties.”
While deer tick range is expanding, “living in or visiting a high-incidence endemic area is the single strongest risk factor,” says Dr. Richard Horowitz, Medical Director of Hudson Valley Healing Arts Center and a founding member of the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society. He says that 14 states in the northeastern, Mid-Atlantic, and North Central regions “account for over 95 percent of all reported cases.”
That means that when you’re planning your hikes this summer, you should be factoring in tick-prevention. Here are six things to consider taking on your next hike to keep ticks away or get them off you as quickly as possible to stay safe on the trails.
Sawyer Products Premium Permethrin Insect Repellent for Clothing
Dr. Schweig’s biggest tip is to treat your gear, not just your skin. “Permethrin is the one most people don’t know about,” he said. “It’s derived from chrysanthemum; you spray it on your clothes, shoes, tent, and pack, and it keeps working through several washes.” I’ve been using Sawyer’s permethrin spray for years, treating my tent and clothing before heading out on a backpacking or hiking trip. It comes in a variety of size options, from 4.5-ounce travel-friendly bottles to 24-ounce spray bottles perfect for keeping at home to treat large items before taking off. The protection lasts up to six washes and doesn’t degrade or lose efficacy from sweat or UV exposure.
Bug X 30 Insect Repellent Spray with Deet
Even though you treated your clothes, you still have to treat your skin with a high-powered bug repellent. Dr. Schweig recommends a bug spray containing 20 to 30 percent Deet, or 20 percent picaridin if you want to avoid Deet. Bug X’s 30 percent Deet spray is one of the most effective I’ve used, and I usually only have to apply it once to last throughout most hikes. It’s less greasy than other sprays I’ve tried, and comes in a convenient pump bottle instead of a flip cap that risks opening in your bag and getting bug repellent all over your gear.
Fjallraven Women’s Vidda Pro Ventilated Hiking Pants
Dr. Schweig’s biggest hiking clothing advice is to “dress so you can actually see ticks.” He advises choosing light-colored clothing, and opting for long sleeves and pants, and tucking your pants into your socks. Fjallraven’s Vidda Pro Hiking Pants (which also come in men’s sizes) are among the most thoughtfully designed and protective options, featuring water-resistant materials, reinforced knees, and multiple light-colored options to help you spot ticks as soon as possible.
The pants also have snaps around the cuffs to secure around your ankles, which makes it easier to pull your socks up and over. Once you’re dressed and ready to go, Dr. Schweig also says to stay toward the center of the trail and try not to brush against tall grass.
Columbia Women’s PFG Bahama II Long-sleeve Shirt
The top half of your outfit shouldn’t skimp on protection either. While it may be tempting to choose a tank or tee for hot summer hikes, a full-coverage shirt with a high collar and long sleeves will keep you more protected. This Columbia top is made with Columbia’s Omnishade UPF 50+ material to protect you from the sun, and it works just as well as a fishing shirt as it does for hiking as an added bonus. The nylon is also abrasion-resistant, and both the men’s and women’s sizes have a long enough center-back length to tuck into hiking pants.
Smartwool Hike Light Cushion Crew Socks
Fashion comes second to tick safety, and yes, I’m telling you to tuck your pants into your socks. Ticks are looking for the easiest access to your skin, and from their vantage point in the grass, that often means exposed ankles. Any gaps in clothing offer ticks a chance to hop over and latch on, and tucking your pants into your socks eliminates that critical pants-to-socks gap. I like Smartwool’s Hike Light Cushion Crew Socks for the wicking material and reinforced heel and toe, plus the light-colored options help keep ticks visible. The crew height is also easy to pull up over the bottom of your pants.
Tickcheck Premium Tick Remover Kit
If you do get a tick on you, you’ll want to have the right tweezers to remove it as quickly as possible, so you should stick a remover kit like this one in your first-aid bag or day pack for instant use. Dr. Schweig even suggests people keep a pair at home and in the car as well as in their hiking pack. This Tickcheck kit comes with tweezers that have a fine tip for extraction, a slotted tick remover, and even a pocket-sized tick ID card, so you can be more aware of what exactly you just pulled off your body so you can treat the bite effectively.
To remove, both Dr. Schweig and Dr. Horowitz said to grab the tick as close to your skin as possible, then pull up with slow, steady pressure. Despite what you might see online, do not squeeze it, cover it in oil, or burn it as all of those strategies can cause the tick to regurgitate back into you and increase your infection risk.
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