Mosquitoes are among the worst things one must deal with when camping in the mountains. Personally, I can deal with bad weather, cold nights, and maybe even wild animals. But throw swarms of mosquitoes in the mix, and I’ll spend all my time sitting in my tent. So I was happy to test out the new Thermacell Scout Lantern, which they claim provides a 15×15 foot, bug-free zone.
But does it work? First, the details:
The Thermacell Scout Lantern features:
- 180 lumens of low glare LED light
- Two light settings include: Low/High
- 4 AA-cell batteries (not included) provide 20 hours of light on highest setting
- Rubber Grip on handle
- Water resistant
- Hanging clip on under side of lantern base
- MSRP – $39.99
Mosquitoes have been very bad in Salt Lake City the past few summers, to the point that it was not comfortable to enjoy a backyard barbecue. So I intended on testing the Scout lantern on the back deck this summer. But, lo and behold, mosquitoes were non existent this year. Great for me, but bad for testing a mosquito-repellent.
So I took the Scout to the one place in Utah where mosquitoes can be unimaginably bad – the Uinta Mountains. I’ve backpacked in the Uintas some years when my poor dogs have been covered in mosquitoes. Bug spray doesn’t work well enough, and campfire smoke does little to keep the buggers at bay. So off to Smith and Morehouse Reservoir I went with the Scout lantern in tow to see if it would save us from the horror of buzzing blood-suckers.
The Scout Lantern is a nifty piece of gear that is awesome for car camping. I set in on the picnic table and turned on the light. It cast a decent radius of illumination and I didn’t want for more light while cooking and eating dinner. But as darkness falls, that’s when the mosquitoes come out. So along with the light, this lantern also has a butane cartridge that pairs with a mat of repellent. You simply slide the repellent mat into the top of the lantern, and twist the butane starter. It heats up the mat without using any open flame to disperse the repellent into the air.
Usually repellent has an odor, but the Thermacell mats have no smell at all. They use a synthetic copy of natural repellent found in chrysanthemums. Each mat lasts for 4 hours, while the butane comes in cartridge refills that lasts for 12 hours of use. The fact that this repellent is not a spray, has no odor, and is totally silent, makes the lantern very unobtrusive. It the Scout wasn’t providing the light for our camp, I would have forgotten it was even there.
But the best part? I didn’t get bit by a single mosquito the entire night. Hell, I didn’t even have one land on me. But if I left camp to use the bathroom, the swarms attacked. So it was clear that the Thermacell Scout Lantern, does what it advertises – it keeps mosquitoes away as long as you stay within the confines of the 15×15-foot zone.
The Good: Provides light and bug repellent in one package. Mosquito repellent works, even in the Uinta Mountains.
The Bad: Butane cartridge and repellent mat refills must be purchased at a cost of $21 for a pack of 4. If you camp a lot, that cost will add up quick.
Final Word: If mosquitoes drive you insane when camping, or when trying to enjoy your yard, then the Thermacell Scout Lantern is a great option for keeping bugs away.