I have one week to figure out mosquito protection for my family

[Adan Lopez]

I have several fabric stores nearby, Michaels, Leann's, etc. My guess is that any mesh i find there probably wont be very good, but will it work well enough on mosquitos? or is there an online source that ships like right now and the price is good? I dont mind netting thats "heavy" but durable and cheap, i can use that just fine. I'm doing a perimeter on my Shangri-La3 so what's it gonna add, an extra 6 oz over the expensive stuff? no biggie. I just dont know anything about fabric so I'm not sure what I'm looking for. And then for under myself and my 8×10 tarp maybe I'll just pick up one of these beauties for $7….http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/hq-issue-tent-style-mosquito-net.aspx?a=1677984

I have one week to figure out mosquito protection for my family of 5. man we're screwed.

[todd]

Adan,

If your Walmart has a fabric section, they frequently have a durable "tulle-like" material which, for all I know is actually a tougher version of their typical, fragile tulle.

What I buy is available almost all the time and is $1.50/yd. I buy the dark blue but have seen it in a great shade of pink, which your kids may like! :) My daughters tried unsuccessfully to get me to buy it.

[Adan Lopez]

hey thats a great tip, thanks. has anyone here ever had to rely on this stuff? any war stories for me?

[Sumi Wada]

Two options I can offer.

I made headnets out of tulle purchased at JoAnn fabrics. They worked fine. It's stiffer than the nano/no-see-em mesh available from the outdoor fabric stores, which is actually good for headnets but maybe not as much for shelter applications.

I buy most of my DIY materials from Quest Outfitters and they have been GREAT about sending me stuff overnight. With UL materials, they can usually get it stuffed in one of the USPS Priority or Express mail envelopes, so the shipping costs are really reasonable (or even "free" if you don't have to pay the local sales tax…) You might want to give them a call. If I were about to do a shelter mod, I would probably go this route instead of the fabric store tulle.
http://www.questoutfitters.com/index.html

[Jerry Adams]

Make 4 foot circle of netting. Put over hat with brim and tuck in. Long sleeves and pants.

You can use circle of netting at night too, just place it over your head end and put legs in sleeping bag

[Marko Botsaris]

Black tulle is probably what you want in term of cheapness. This stuff is also the best for visibility, so for head nets.

If you have amazon prime (or are willing to pay for the faster shipping) this:

http://www.amazon.com/Nylon-Colors-Perfect-Wedding-Decoration/dp/B001ESTVXY/ref=sr_1_2?s=arts-crafts&rps=1&ie=UTF8&qid=1402692246&sr=1-2&keywords=TULLE+BLACK

Since it is prime you can get it shipped as fast as you want either way, since itis in the amazon warehouse. It is cheap, and a ton of material- 40 yards for $25. Ideal for mosquitoes. Not quite as much for other very tiny things, like chiggers. It can be sewed into more fancy things, or in a pinch just used in pieces.

An easy and fast way to sew it with a machine is to sew through a piece of scotch tape on top of the seam. Easier to cut with a razor or mat knife on cardboard as opposed to scissors.

With one or two of these you could create a whole mosquito-proof tent for your family with a bit of work. Looks nice but is of course a bit more fragile. Your dog, if you have one, will likely run through it, for example, rather than come up short. :-)

BTW this particular stuff is not stiff at all.

[David Chenault]

Coughlans sells moosquito netting: http://www.coghlans.com/products/mosquito-netting-9648

I found it at a local box store for 5-6 bucks for a 4 by 6 foot piece. Works well for a mid skirt.

[Jerry Adams]

amazon sells fabric? Oh no….

[d k]

I got my tulle here (on the advice of Peter V):

http://www.giftsintl.com/tullefabric.php

[Roger Caffin]

I have used tulle on my ultra-light summer tunnel tent. It stopped mosquitoes.

Cheers

[John Donewar]

Adan,

The link to this thread…

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=90263&skip_to_post=779741#779741

…is only relavent for the material sourcing from your local Walmart.

As I remember it the price was $4.87 per panel measuring approximatley 56" x 84".

Google Fronkey bugnet for the DIY / MYOG video on youtube. Somewhere early in the video he shows the "panels" a.k.a. material that he used.

This stuff is more durable than tulle and has smaller holes than no-see-um.

Party On,

Newton ;-)

[And E]

If you don't have cats, you can also treat your clothes with spray on permethrin. This works really well for me. I also use ultrathon deet lotion and almost never get bit… Of course, I live in Washington though, so our suckers aren't big or ferocious.

[Jeffrey Wong]

Hi Adan,

The WalMart product that withstands even cat claws is their sheer curtains 59" x 84" costing $4.87. That is 3.82 square yards. I bought black. I did see white, but not sure about other colors. Picture of product:
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/05/21/thumbnail/a3y9ugy2.jpg

maker of this video on making a bug net for a hammock claims a smaller mesh size than no-see-um:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=gQRoEpK-7SY
He also says that Tulle won't last.

Enjoy your trip.

Edit: misspelled your name.

[Adan Lopez]

Thanks everyone for your help. Okay so we have decided to push the trip back to august, mostly because it's important that our girls enjoy the swimming which should not be as cold by then. whew, a little breathing time.I picked up some joannes tulle and yes, its very fragile. good for headnets but maybe i need something else for a tent skirt.

"This stuff is more durable than tulle and has smaller holes than no-see-um"

this Walmart window panel sounds really interesting. I will definitely check this out. However, with such small holes, I wonder if breathability will be very bad. I hear noseeum mesh already doesnt breath very well. maybe I can put small velcro tabs higher up on the tent so that i can fold the mesh up to let the tent breathe.

Skirt for my Golite SL3 (walmart window panels?)
Two person bug net for under my 8×10 tarp (walmart window panesl or cheap cohlans maybe?)
5 head nets for my crew (make these out of tulle)

[Kerry Wilson]

Search military mosquito net on ebay….the good stuff cheap.

[Jeffrey Wong]

Adan

I did make a Sheer Voile bug net for my hammock per the video linked in my comment above, used it for a hang in Western Washington in a deep forest glen, where the air barely moved, rain fell overnight and temps ranged from 55-65 degrees F. I didn't feel any clamminess. Pretty cheap way to go. And a really quick build.

Happy Trails!

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