I think I hate ticks more than anything. The wash/soak chemicals for your outter stuff, with a light non scented spray with deet designed for hunting is supposed to work great. The wash/soak I have seen so far is supposed to last up to a week. The therma cells I have seen don't have tick listed as a repellent. Good luck.
I'm giving it a try this year after a bunch of people recommended it to me. The ticks seem to be even worse than usual here.
Here is a real good paper about the effects of Permethrin or lack there of. http://www.cdphe.state.co.us/dc/zoonosis/wnv/pesticides/permethrin.pdf
