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✛TickWise Updated June 2026
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Independent field testing since 2022

We get bitten, so you don't have to.

Every spring we take the year's tick repellents into the woods of Connecticut — the literal birthplace of Lyme disease — and wear them through tall grass, leaf litter, and 90° humidity. These are the ones that worked.

See the 2026 Winners Check Your State's Risk
24Products scored
4 yrsOf field data
1,400+Trail hours logged
Ranger Ready Picaridin 20% Scent Zero — our 2026 best overall tick repellent
2026 Best Overall
Ranger Ready Picaridin 20%9.6 / 10

What are you here for?

Four ways in. Each one is a section of the site with its own pages.

Repellents Just tell me what to buy Four picks from 24 products scored on one published rubric. Best of 2026 · Database · How We Score Ingredients Picaridin or DEET? Five actives: how long each lasts, who it's safe for, what it ruins. Picaridin · DEET · Permethrin · OLE · IR3535 Tools Answer my question How long your bottle lasts, and how bad your state's season will be. Duration Calculator · 2026 Risk Map Guides I found one attached Remove it correctly, then what to watch for over the next 30 days. Tick Removal · Permethrin Field Guide
Tested & Ranked

The 2026 winners, in brief

Scores combine repellency in our tall-grass walk tests, protection duration, feel on skin, gear safety, and value. We bought every product at retail.

All four picks in full →
Ranger Ready Picaridin 20% Scent Zero
★ Best overall
Ranger Ready Picaridin 20% — Scent Zero 9.6 Permethrin 0.5% fabric spray
Clothing & gear
Permethrin 0.5% Fabric Spray 9.3 Ranger Ready P2 Pak
Complete system
Ranger Ready P2 Pak™ 9.2
Budget pick
Ben's 30% DEET Wilderness 8.1
Tools · 2026 Tick Index

How bad will your season be?

CDC Lyme surveillance, last winter's temperatures and reader reports, scored state by state.

Open the risk map →
Tools · Duration Calculator

When should you re-apply?

Enter the active ingredient and % on your bottle; get a protection window and a re-apply schedule for your day outside.

DEET Picaridin OLE IR3535 Permethrin
20% picaridin → 8–12 hrs against ticks
Open the calculator →
Found one attached?

Remove a tick the right way

Fine-tipped tweezers, gripped at the skin, pulled straight up. Never heat, vaseline or nail polish. Four steps, then thirty days of watching.

Read the removal guide
1Grab fine-tipped tweezers
2Pull straight up, slowly
3Clean & photograph
4Watch for 30 days