Summer means one thing: time to head out RVing with the family, enjoying hiking, biking, barbequing, and making s’mores around the campfire. However, nothing can take the fun and adventure out of your RV campout quicker than the buzz and bite of mosquitoes in and around your site.
While no precautionary measures can guarantee a bite-free experience, there are things you can do to keep your encounters with these pesky bloodsuckers to a minimum.

Don’t let mosquitoes keep you from enjoying a campsite like this.
Choose your campsite wisely
- Avoid any campsites near standing water, which is where mosquitoes breed.
- Mosquitoes love to rest in tall grass and on the undersides of leaves. Therefore, that shady campsite that looks so inviting is probably a sanctuary for the bloodthirsty critters. Try to find a campsite that minimizes places for them to hide.
- According to insect experts, mosquitoes aren’t active when wind gusts exceed 10 miles per hour, so set up your camp in an open area that gets a good breeze.
Clothes
- The clothing you wear is your first line of defense against mosquitoes. The insects are drawn to body heat and the carbon dioxide (CO2) you exhale.
- Covering your skin with long pants and long sleeve shirts, along with a hood or hat, in light colors that reflect heat makes it harder for them to find you. Clothes produced from polyester or woven nylon are thicker and therefore are better protection than cotton or other thinner fabrics.
Time of day
- The hours around dawn and dusk seem to be the time mosquitoes are most active. Plan inside activities or ones that keep you away from your campsite during these times.
- A sunset walk is always a great alternative to sitting in camp at dusk. It is also worth noting that mosquitoes are not active below 50° F.
Natural repellents
- Try the age-old recipe of two household baking ingredients to keep mosquitoes away. To ward off mosquitoes, mix two teaspoons of pure vanilla extract and one cup of water in a trigger-spray bottle and mist yourself with the fragrant solution.
- In the United States, citronella oil is classified as a biopesticide with a non-toxic action which repels mosquitoes. Several lit citronella candles around camp typically are sufficient to deter them and create a mosquito barrier around your campsite.
Chemical repellents / insecticides
- We have all covered ourselves and children with “bug spray,” and it is still one of the most effective methods for fending off all types of biting insects. DEET is one of the most effective chemicals known and is found in many RVer’s cupboards. Depending on the level of DEET in the bug repellent you purchase, it’s typically effective for a couple of hours or more. The higher the concentration, the more effective it is, so if you are in a high-density mosquito area buy repellent with a higher concentration of DEET. Be sure to follow the manufactures directions and heed their warnings.
- Permethrin is another remedy. It’s an insecticide that can only be used on clothing and camping gear and is long-lasting. You can buy it as a spray which you can apply to your clothing and gear to repel and kill mosquitoes, ticks, chiggers, and other pests. Permethrin-infused clothing is also an option with some manufacturers promising effectiveness for the life of the garment.
By utilizing the tips above, you can get out there and enjoy summer camping while minimizing the annoyance of pesky mosquitoes. Dealing with mosquitoes, just another adventure in RVing!
See also: How To Keep Bees & Wasps Out Of Your RV

Dave Helgeson’s many roles in the RV industry started before he even had a driver’s license. His grandparents and father owned an RV dealership before the term “RV” had been coined, and Dave played a pivotal role in nearly every position of an RV dealership. He and his wife Cheri launched their own RV dealership in the Pacific Northwest. The duo also spent 29 years overseeing regional RV shows. Dave has also served as President of a local chapter of the Recreational Vehicle Dealers Association (RVDA), worked on the board of advisors for the RV Technician Program of a local technical college, and served as a board member of the Manufactured Home and RV Association. Dave’s reputation earned him the title of “The foremost expert on boondocking,” bestowed by RV industry icon, the late Gary Bunzer (The RV Doctor). When he’s not out boondocking, you’ll find Dave in the spotlight at RV shows across the country, giving seminars about all things RVing. He and Cheri currently roam in their fifth travel trailer, with Dave doing all the service, repair and modifications to his own unit.
good but already known of course i am from the old school. what can you use fore nats around your eyes and ears?
Thanks
Bill
Use dryer sheets in your shirt pocket. These also work for mosquitoes. Also, using the Avon product, “Skin So Soft” will also ward off gnats and mosquitoes.
Does Skin So Soft contain any pararbens? I’m allergic and Avon’s catalog doesn’t list the ingredients.
Have you or anyone you know tried the Therma cell products? These products heat small pads infused with insecticide or citronella, I’m not sure which one, with butane or battery power. I am sure there are other companies making similar products Therma cell is just the one I remember.
We used a Thermacell for one season and were NOT impressed with it at all. Save your money.
We use thermacell and love it! We always know when the sheet needs replacing because the skeeters return!
We use Thermacell and it’s the best repellant without having to use a spray.
The Thermacell product line does work and very well. It is not an insecticide that is burned but a mixture that is made from violets (yes, the flower) and mosquitoes will stay away from its odor. I have used this product many times with great success in a 15′ radius from the main unit.
I came here specifically to recommend the thermacell. In fact, we reuse our pads with ~9 drops of Permethrin. Note – It is NOT good for hiking. You will outpace the barrier that it is creating, but for clearing out a ~8×8 area it can’t be beat.
We bought a thermacell and returned it. It is butane based, and we found that at high altitude (7000 feet), it would not stay lit.
Find an Avon Rep and bathe with SOS (Skin So Soft) Soap and the squitos won’t like you-at least in hot humid south Texas.
I’ve heard this is a good repellent. Does it contain any parabens? I’m allergic and their catalog doesn’t specify.
I’m originally from Minnesota. It states above that mosquitoes are not active at 50°. I have been Deer hunting with snow on the ground and it was around freezing and I saw them land on the snow and sit for a time ,then fly away. I observed this several times in different years. Yes it surprised me each time I saw it. I’m sure other Minnesotan’s can verify this.
We like wondercide products. Biter fighter for people they have stuff for pets and we spray outdoor product around rv. It’s all made from cedar oil, non toxic, great smelling and works.
I was camping on a lake in NH 2 weeks ago. The ‘skeeters were quite thick in the evening. I had run out of my Cutter’s repellent & I tried my wife’s Skin So Soft. It didn’t work that well with me. We use the KPest ultrasonic rodent/insect repellent device in our camper. It uses ultrasonic sound waves to repel pests. My wife had the idea to take one of the devices and plug it into the exterior electrical outlet under our awning. I can’t vouch about rodents, but it DOES WORK on ‘skeeters! When we sat under the awning near the device we were not bugged. If I walked 12 ft to the BBQ they were on me like white on rice. When I walked back under the awning, the ‘skeeters didn’t follow me. There was one that did buzz me (it was probably a deaf mosquito) and I swatted it. On the whole, the device worked very well.
Therma Cell works great. So does Sawyer’s Fisherman’s Formula with picardin. 100% DEET works but it is a nasty chemical. Citronella candles have never worked for me.
No one has mentioned using box fans at top speed. It really helps as they can’t land on you. In combination with the other things mentioned above ^ really helps.
The fans do work well, but the noise they create for my hearing aids…I prefer the mosquitos. 🙂
Thermocell, and we use a small dynatrap. Both are great .
We have camped in a few spots where mosquitoes were a problem here in North Central & Eastern Washington areas:
DEET was nearly useless as they just kept on landing even with a fresh application; also causes skin irritation when I use it more than twice in a day and/or two or more days in a row…
Citronella candles actually attracted them, they were swarming near and even landing in the candles as well as us and the dog…
Tried the vanilla in water then misted it on, it helped (did better than DEET for me) but you had to reapply every ~30 minutes to be effective…
Permethrin is another synthetic that causes skin irritation with me, also not overly potent against the skeeters where we go boondocking either; skin irritation when I use it more than twice in a day and/or two or more days in a row…
Pyrethrum works fairly well but needs a reapplication every 2-4 hours, can cause some skin irritation if used for more them a few days (3-4) at a time…
Picaridin/Icaridin was the most successful of the lot in keeping the skeeters away, lasting about 8ish hours before a reapplication was necessary; no skin irritation even after 5 days of applying it twice a day…
We go boondocking so have a limited supply of power, fans or anything that uses 120v mains power is out. 12v dc or 5v dc are my only options with no solar or other way to recharge besides driving to our next destination or idling the engine for an hour or two each day…
Dryer sheets give me migraines so those were NOT tried…
we use the Therma cell. Different set ups for different situations. We travel all over the country and mosquitoes know when I have arrived! I’m going to try the vanilla and water spray. Won’t run out of that. A breeze is a good thing too. We use a small fan outside. Sometimes that even keeps flies away if we put the fan on the table. Don’t let a few of God’s critters keep you from enjoying the Great Outdoors.