is perimeter netting wort it?

[Andrew Bridenthal]

I’m looking at a tarp to use on the Colorado Trail next year and was wondering what the consensus is on perimeter netting. I used a tarp with a Borah gear bivi on my Long Trail  hike and that worked fine, bugs weren’t an issue, are they more of an issue out west? Overkill? any opinions appreciated.

 

Andy

[Lester Moore]

Andrew – Mosquitos can be an issue in the CO mountains, especially in July and early-mid August, depending on location and weather. If you’re camping high and it’s breezy, then bugs may be absent, even in July. However, a calm lake in the trees may have many mosquitos mid-summer.

Never had a shelter with perimeter netter, but I have used a Borah Gear Bug Bivy and a Sea-to-Summit Nano Mosquito Pyramid Net under a SMD Descutes CF shaped tarp. Both have pros and cons, and both provide more versatility than a fixed perimeter net shelter IMHO.

For the Nano Mosquito Net, the light weight, ability to sit upright inside, and the ease of entry/exit are pros. There’s no zipper, so you just lift up one side and pull it over your head to exit. You can pull the draw string around the bottom somewhat tight and tuck all edges under your sleeping pad and it will stay nicely tucked fairly well. The big negative is no floor, but haven’t had any issues with that yet. It does keep the bugs out, but it’s not fine enough mesh for no-see-ums – not an issue in CO.

The benefits of the BG bug bivy are a waterproof floor, splash-resistant head and foot boxes (mine has M50 panels for the foot and head), and it keeps all my gear nicely contained. But it’s heavier and more confining and slower to exit/enter than the STS Nano Mosquito Net.

[Jerry Adams]

In Oregon and Washington and Northern California there’s a couple months around July that can be bad

When it’s not raining, I just sleep without tarp.  Three foot netting circle is good.  Just goes over my head.  I have long sleeves and pants to protect the rest of me.

[Ian]

I think perimeter netting is a neat way to save weight and have some bug protection.  The down side is that in my experience, I either need protection from the elements, or bug protection, but not both at the same time.  The problem with perimeter netting in my view is that you have to keep your shelter zipped shut (Bearpaw offers a mod that is an exception to this).  This might suck on a warm humid day.

I have the afore mentioned S2S nano net.  For me, this is the way to go as I can set it up under a tarp, or by itself.  I haven’t weighed it in a while but REI says the single weighs 2.9 ounces which sounds about right.  From a weight savings perspective, I doubt the perimeter netting would weigh much less than that and I’m unaware of a bug bivy that weighs much under 5 ounces.

[Andrew Bridenthal]

thanks for the input…think I’ll skip the netting and stick with the tarp/bivy combo

[Andrew Bridenthal]

more room would be nice, but I’d have to add a some type of groundcloth correct?  ah..found polycryo on GG. Hmmm so a S2S nano with a polycryo floor would come in at around 6.55. Something to think about.

 

Thanks again

[Hoosier T]

At that weight, though, you’re quickly approaching the weight of a net tent with an actual bathtub floor and a zipper. Is it cost or weight that prohibits you from going that route?

[J R]

That’s if using an entire large-size (72×96) groundcloth. If you use only about 30×80 under your pad would weigh about 1 oz for the groundcloth. My S2S net weighs 3.2 oz without stuff sack, so could be down to about 4.2 for the two combined.

[Hoosier T]

Ahh, yea hard to touch that with a net tent. My mistake.

[Ian]

“more room would be nice, but I’d have to add a some type of groundcloth correct?  ah..found polycryo on GG. Hmmm so a S2S nano with a polycryo floor would come in at around 6.55. Something to think about.”

I don’t think you’d be far off from the weight of a perimeter net plus groundsheet though and you’d be able to leave the door open.  As mentioned above, you can trim these groundsheets more if you want, but I didn’t think it was worth it to save an ounce.

Per MLD’s website:
“This a simple 18″ skirt of bug netting sewn to the bottom edge all around. About 5oz and can can be trimmed to a 12″ skirt at about 4 oz.”

There are several ways to skin this cat and the S2S net is just one option.

[Don Burton]

If I’m going to be doing big miles, I will just bring my Deschutes tarp and groundsheet. The reason is that when I get to camp I’ll eat dinner, set up and go to sleep with a headnet and long sleeves.

If it’s a more leisurely trip where I’ll spend more time in camp, I’ll pair my Deschutes tarp with an MLD solo innernet. The reason being is I’ll be spending more time in camp when mosquitos may be at their worst and it’s nice to hangout inside.

[Anonymous]

We came back from hiking the CO trail a little while ago.  At some points, there was a lot of mozzies and especially flies.  We used an Oware 9×9 pyramid tarp and unless it was very tight to the ground (somewhat hard to do, and doesn’t allow enough ventilation anyways) we would get mozzies and especially flies in there most nights when it didn’t rain.  Generally though, they flew to the peak area and didn’t bother us much during the night.

I probably would add some mesh to the perimeter in hindsight.

[Diane “Piper” Soini]

I sewed my own floorless, doorless mosquito net tent. I found that on bumpy ground there are gaps between the edge and the ground that can let the mosquitoes in. I have to put things all around the perimeter to keep the gaps closed. I sewed this tent from Coghlan’s mosquito netting. It’s not no-see-um netting and it’s white but I think each sheet cost me about $5 and it only took three of them to make the tent. Plus a little curtain fabric from the fabric store for the edges.

[Jerry Adams]

:”Generally though, they flew to the peak area and didn’t bother us much during the night.”

I’ve noticed the same thing with a pyramid, bugs fly to the peak and leave me alone down below

[nunatak]

Our homemade mid have skirts. So versatile a shelter! From storms to bugs, nothing to worry about.

[Author]

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