What Is It?

The Thermacell MR450 is a compact mosquito repellant solution that is an absolute staple of any outdoorsman or woman today. A favorite among adventurers of all types, and for very good reason!

The butane fuel system allows for a completely portable unit that you can take with you anywhere you go. It also allows for a battery-free operation, which is crucial in situations where you don’t have power such as hunting, camping, and the like.

The butane fuel ignites a tiny flame (it’s completely enclosed), heating up a metal plate that in turn heats up the repellant pads. Once the repellant pads are hot enough they begin burning and casting off a small amount of vapor. There is hardly any odor at all, which is an awesome bonus.

Once the vapor is distributed into the air you have a 15ft. by 15ft. bubble of protection that surrounds. Drink it in deep, people. Comprehensive protection. Total peace of mind. It feels good.

This offers a much needed alternative to dousing your entire body with sticky mosquito spray like we’ve all done for years. That stuff smells awful, and am I the only one that feels like it’s going to kill me one day? Regardless, it’s a less-than-ideal solution that we all went along with because we simply didn’t have a better option. A new day is upon us. We have been patient, and our patience has paid off.

5 Fav Features

• Portability
  • This is truly the differentiating feature of the MR450. It’s compact, it’s lightweight, and there are no extraneous pieces or parts that can break off or snag when throwing it quickly into a bag.
• Butane
  • Being powered by butane, it removes any need for batteries, which is key for activities such as camping where you may be without access to power for extended periods of time.
• Odorless
  • This is a game-changer. So many repellant products rely on a very strong smell to keep mosquitos at bay. But you can be in the immediate vicinity of this thing and smell no odor at all! So nice for smaller spaces like sitting around a table or on small porch.
• Indicator Light
  • On the MR450, in particular, there is option to place a battery in the back that powers a light indicating the pad is hot enough to start burs off the liquid and repelling mosquitos. This is super handy. In previous models you just kind of had to watch for the little puffs of smoke that come off the pads to know if it was working or not. The battery works for something like 50 hours so there’s no concern of it running out on long trips or with extended usage.
• Belt Clip
  • Super useful if you want to clip it to your bag, or your belt, or any other object with a strap of some kind. Increases your options tremendously when you’re taking it with you somewhere that storage space is limited.

Let’s Get Practical

All of the above describes the product itself, what it does, and how it differentiates itself from others like it.

But let’s talk about what it all comes back to. What does using this product actually look like in day-to-day use? Awesome…it has a bunch of cool features…but in practice, are they actually helpful?

I can answer that question only with my experience. With how I put this product to use in my own life to make it easier, more efficient, more consistent, more fun, whatever the case may be. Your experience will, of course, be different. But this should give you a place to start. You can at least read on with the knowledge that no products make it on this site without being a thoroughly tested, tried-and-true part of some area of my life!

————

The primary use that I have for my MR450 is for camping. We swear by it! No matter how short the trip or where we’re headed, it’s a staple in our supplies.

Usually we end up carrying it around with us wherever we go and just setting it next to us. You’ll see that one of my favorite features above is the belt clip. It really is super useful and I’m really glad I have that option…but to be honest I don’t find myself using it much. I usually just carry it around with me and placing it somewhere in my vicinity when I stay in one spot. Mainly that’s because my wife and I are always on camping trips together and I want it to be half way in between the two of us. So it’s just more practical to not clip it to myself but to place it in specific spots of my choosing.

A tip that I use to stretch my pads a bit longer is that I place them in an airtight plastic bag in between uses. If you don’t they dry up in about 2-3 days. But if you store them in a plastic bag they can last several weeks in between uses.

Another tip is to remember to turn the MR450 on 10-15 minutes before you need to use it! It takes about that long to warm up and for the pads to begin releasing the repellant into the air. So try to think ahead and get it turned on early. That way you’re protected the whole time you are outside.

Summary

• Pros
  • The MR450 provides extreme portability without compromising on comprehensive protection. That combined with its durability make it a great product I’d readily recommend to anyone.
• Cons
  • Once you open up a pad, the clock sort of begins ticking. You have to use them or you lose them. I really don’t like that. They last around 2 hours if you burn them straight through. But say you only burn one for 30 minutes. You can’t just store it away and come back to it in a week. The pad will be dried up by then. You either need to use it all up, or use it within 2-3 days.
  • The MR450 takes about 10-15 minutes to warm up. That makes sense, as it uses heat to disperse the repellant. But it’s just inconvenient and takes some planning ahead which is most always easier said than done.
  • Just like other repellants, it’s very limited in its effectiveness when it’s windy. So try to only use it when the wind is low. This isn’t a big deal though, as if it’s really window the mosquitos shouldn’t really be a problem anyway.