Adequate bug protection? Sea to Summit NANO Mosquito Pyramid Shelter?

[Anonymous]

Well, i'm starting a new, higher paying job somewhat soon, and i'm waiting on some money i had invested/saved from working for the state for a few years, a couple of years back, and so i'm finally seriously considering Cuben Fiber/Fabric material.

More specifically, i'm looking to get some 1 oz C.F. from Zpacks and make a tarp out of same. I want a pretty longlasting/durable and waterproof tarp. Seems like the 1 oz stuff strikes a nice balance between light weight, strong, fairly durable and puncture resistant, and quite waterproof.

Anyways, i would need something for bug protection part of the year. I was looking at the Sea to Summit NANO Mosquito Pyramid Shelter. I'm mostly concerned with ticks & other disease carrying critters. Will the elastic hem provide enough protection for such things, or does one need a fully enclosed, zippered type dealio?

[Tom Lyons]

It depends on how bad the bugs are at the location and the season.
I can tell you that around the South, they can get very bad, and the heat is sweltering.
This means you don't want to have any sleeping bag on, and you're trying to catch the slightest whiff of a breeze to try to feel cooler for a few seconds.

In those conditions, you need to have a full bug bivy or preferably a net inner tent because you simply cannot stand to have anything covering you anywhere. And even the net inner tent stifles the breezes more than you'd like.

If it's tick season, then during the day you either have to wear tight cuffs sprayed with some sort of repellent, or you will just need to pick them off periodically before they burrow in. It's not all that bad, because they take a couple hours before they find a spot they want to lock on to. You just pick them off before that, and no damage done. At night, you'll want full coverage if you can carry it, but you can get away with a partial coverage if it seals well and you can stand having your sleeping bag on.

For sleeping, one trick that works around here is to wait until a few hours after nightfall to go to bed. It's at least a little bit cooler then, and the bugs seem to be much less active. In the South in July or August, you won't be going to sleep very easily anyway in that kind of heat and humidity that we have at night here. So, just stay up for a while and let the bugs settle down first.

[Jerry Adams]

Don't spend 401K/403B money. The taxes are so high if you spend it. Better to leave it invested/

Buy some insect mesh and make a 4 foot circle, drape it over you when you sleep. Or you can put over head when you're wearing brimmed hat.

[Anonymous]

Thank you for the advice Tom & Jerry.. (wait, Tom and Jerry..talking to me?! I love your work, Bugs Bunny doesn't hold a candle IMO & you can tell him i said that, that arrogant little so and so…).

More seriously, i live in what i call the "semi-south" (mid VA) and yeah, if it's hot and muggy enough out, i rather not go backpacking. Thankfully though, the "mountains" of Blue-ridge etc tend to be a bit cooler.

Jerry, too right, 24% too high to be exact (and in another case, plus another 10%), but if there is a severe enough collapse, that money will disappear faster than disappearing ink anyways. The U.S. is one really screwed up/imbalanced country and on so, so many levels. It's beyond repair and saving at this point. I joke, laugh, and smile, so i don't cry.

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