Mosquitos Nearly Ruined My Eastern Sierra Backpacking Trip—But This $11 Lotion Saved the Weekend

A few weeks ago, I ventured up to the Eastern Sierra for a quick backpacking trip. I’m no backpacking expert — I’ve only been on a couple trips in my life — but I am a gear nerd, so my packing list was comprehensive. I packed spare trash bags to keep things dry in case of rain and I had a few extra plastic sandwich bags for trash and toiletries. I had a tent, a sleeping bag, an ultralight sleeping pad, and a merino wool t-shirt I could wear each day, plus all of the other things you need for two nights in the backcountry.

The most important thing I packed, though, was actually an afterthought. Right before I locked my front door and drove north, I grabbed the Sawyer Picaridin Bug Repellent lotion that had been sitting unopened in my gear closet for the last few months. This last-minute addition to my pack turned out to be the savior of my trip when our group was met by a relentless wave of mosquitoes.

Continue reading to learn more, written by Will Porter.