Has anyone used the Thermacell unit on their trip? It appears to have good reviews just wonder if it would be effective or worth it to pack.

Yes. Several trips. Works quite well for me. Place near cooking area and bug free. Even carried on a portage and kept bugs away. (I see they make one to wear now.)

I always take one or two. They work great unless the wind is blowing. I mainly use them early in the morning making breakfast since the wind is relatively calm then.

I have found them to be ineffective. Stopped bringing one on trips unless it’s a summer trip. The slightest wind renders them worthless.

Thermacell instructions say to cover or remove all exposed food from the immediate area. I have one but won't use it while cooking or eating.

I've used it around camp a little. Like mentioned, for a calm breakfast time. If a slight breeze, set it upwind a little. Any more wind.....useless, but then that wind knocks the bugs down anyway. Best use we found is after breakfast, take and set it next to the thunder box and give it a few minutes up there and everybody can have a bug free morning duty.....works great!

It has to be almost dead still. If you are getting it just for the BWCA or basecamping, go with the Backpacker model that uses the same fuel canisters that many camp stoves use (isobutane style). Note: it will NOT fit on a 1 lb. propane canister. The threads are much different. The backpacker unit is more compact than the one that you linked to and burns hundreds of hours on a tank. They protect roughly a 5' radius away from you in every direction. I made a mistake once of igniting a unit in my shop and forgetting about it and closing the door. About an hour later my lips were numb, my tongue was numb, my sinuses were numb, and I started to feel sick. It dawned on me what the problem was. Once I got into fresh air the symptoms went away in about an hour or so. I use them in my yard, on the patio, and around the pool and they work great. If you buy one at the store, make sure you get one with a blue aluminum base, that's version 2 with the improved ignition system. Version 1 has the orange threaded base.

If there is not a lot of wind it works great. I tend to use one towards the latrine a little while before I head up there. Sometimes it will get some use around camp. For the most part, I use it in the back yard while enjoying the outdoors. Wind is really the key

We used one the last couple of trips. We didn't appreciate it until we were waiting on our pick up at the trailhead and realized we were out of fuel. We had to keep walking around followed by a fog of bugs. I didn't know about keeping it away from food though. We usually set it up near us when we eat.

great for using inside a tent vestibule - especially on days when you are tent-bound but still need to heed the call of nature several times/day.

other times - meh

but seriously - letting it run inside the vestibule for an hour each day is worth schlepping the thing for us.

I just want to know if the original Thermacell has been improved. We got one in 2012 and it was a big dud.. In the NWT and the Yukon the mosquitoes came and sat on it.

Yes it was indeed lit!

They have a new one that I think is even better than the backpacker version. It is lithium ion battery based, small, ,light and USB rechargeable. We have used it a few times, and while not perfect, I think it definitely helps.

We have the backpacker model. We took it last year on our trip to BWCA. It did seem to help. We actually use it all summer long at home on our back deck. Nice way to use up those partial fuel canisters

IndyCanoe: "We have the backpacker model. We took it last year on our trip to BWCA. It did seem to help. We actually use it all summer long at home on our back deck. Nice way to use up those partial fuel canisters"

Exactly. A perfect way to use up those near empty canisters at home or in the BWCA. I bought a micro candle lantern that uses them up as well.