Floorless Tarptent in bug country

i have a squall classic, that has a sewn in floor. in bug country (missouri) it is awesome. I would't go without it here.

just my 0.02

One two of my longer hikes (185 – Sierras – & 93 M – Mt. Ranier – respectively), I used floorless tents (MegaMid & BetaMid). A few mosquitoes got inside our tent. They spent most of their time trying to get out rather than biting us. I dabbed a little Deet on my face & wore my knit cap. No problems. That being said, however, I prefer full enclosure and haven't used those tents since.

Without a floor or bivy, I think crawling bugs in Virginia will drive you insane. :D

Here in Ohio, we left the family tent door open for about an hour or so, and around 5 daddy longlegs crept in. As soon as I would start to fall asleep, one would crawl on me and wake me up. After a few hours, we finally exterminated all of them, cleaning up the gory aftermath the next morning.

1. floorless tarptent -vs- bivy? When there are a lot of flying bugs, and it is warm, it can be very nice to be able to retreat to a mostly bug free zone where you can sit up, change clothing, feel the breeze through the netting. In my book, tarp tent wins.

2 I have seen very heavy bug pressure in Wyoming, specially when there was still a good bit of snow melt still left but the temps had warmed up. Bugs haven't been a bit issue in MT and CO… but I am guessing it was just lucky timing, and that I spend more time in other states.

One thing with floorless… bugs from below can get you. There have been a few times I missed that I was setting up in the middle of an ant colony. Once I had a floor tent. Very happy. Once I didn't, I had to move or would have been driven crazy.

–Mark

I assume that Virginia is similar in bug-ness to the Ozarks. And there is no way I would go out in a floorless shelter. The flying bugs are really only an issue in the summer (and they're tremendous) but the crawling ones just don't stop. I was stunned to find that we can't leave the tent door unzipped, even for an hour or so, we'll be guiding out bugs all night. Spiders, Daddy longlegs, flies, beetles. Even in the winter. Last February I had both ticks and mosquitoes (yes!). Not a squeamishness issue. They'll drive you nuts and get smashed on your bag when you roll on them.

As for Colorado, I grew up in Ouray and I remember that mosquitoes were a real problem, even in areas nowhere near a swamp. And I don't mean the level where a dab of deet will protect you.

I've always wondered what it would be like to hike where the ground is dirt and floorless shelters are possible. How nifty!

Personally, if I didn't have a floor, I would cut off the netting and use a bivy, or add a floor and get rid of the bivy.

I don't understand partial bug protection. If bugs aren't a problem, go with not protection. If they are a problem, I want FULL protection. So what if mosquitoes can't get you. What about Ticks, spiders, snakes? Oh my!

"1. For those of you in serious bug country would you consider a floorless shelter much better than a bivy? If not I might as well get rid of it."
Well, getting rid of it might not be so politically correct. Tarps and netting are not real expensive. You may want to keep it.

I never use a bivy, being more of a full coverage guy. I use a bug tent as needed mostly. That said about 15 years ago I put about severa ounces of bug netting around my tarp. This worked OK, but, it let in an occasional mosquito, blackfly. One bug at night is like a swarm during the day. I removed the bug net perimiter, because it was not effective enough. Your milage may vary. I tried a couple smaller bug bivies, but I would invariably find myself leaning against one side or the other. Not a problem on cooler nights, but on warmer nights, with my arms out, I was bug food where I had leaned against the screen. It seems the mosquitos can bite right through netting and a light long sleeved base layer.

"2. For the forseeable feature my camping is going to be 90% in Virginia where I have family and Colorado with the possiblity of trips to Wyoming or Montana. Anyone ever encounter really bad bugs up there (outside of a swamp)?"

Well, those states are big areas. So, I might suggest putting a floor in rather than just perimiter netting. I don't know if that is possible, without a lot of fussing. It will depend on where you head out. It seems most gear has it's place if the terrain and conditions are correct for it. I would suggest thinking about it, anyway.

Note that in removing the bug net perimiter from the old tarp, I found that the effective dry space was reduced, too. Drips/splash were generally caught by the net. In any type of wind, it needs to be weighted down or staked. In one instance near St. Regis Pond (St. Regis canoe area), the wind was blowing quite hard and the peak of the tarp was coated with bugs, inside. Most were mayflies though…non-biters.