I use a multi-faceted approach to repel ticks.

I use permethrin to treat clothes and gear. To save some money I purchased permethrin in bulk at amazon.com as the local Tractor Supply Store was out of stock. I mix my own at double strength from the pre-diluted brands (1% vs 0.5%) and still its less expensive. I guess this investment is only worth it if you use permethrin regularly and for a fair amount of stuff.

In addition to DEET I use ChiggAway, a sulfur based bug repellent. Sulfur based repellents are supposed to be better at repelling ticks, chiggers, and arachanids in general. DEET is supposed to better for repelling mosquitoes and other flying insects. I take MSM as a joint supplement (has sulfur in it) so maybe an internal ingestion of sulfur adds to the mix.

I use Dr. Bronners Tea Tree Oil infused soap for showering. Tea Tree Oil is supposed to be a general bug repellent.

The final thing is to avoid areas with heavy infestations. If there are enough of them, a few will break through the barriers.

I guess all this is working or I'm very lucky as I don't usually have a big problem with ticks.