Optimal Net Tent for Flat Solo Tarps 70″ – 84″ Wide

Another great looking build!

I am curious as to your choice of .67 no-see-um vs some of the lighter .5 options?

Thanks,

Eric #dextergear

I’ve used the .50 on some of my other net tents and bug bivys but I find the lighter stuff very hard to deal with because the edges tend to roll and curl so easily. The good thing about the .50 noseeum  however is the fact that it comes 62″ wide as opposed to 54″ wide for the .67, so on a bug bivy for example a 7′ long piece of the .50 allows for a larger, roomier bivy. .Also the .50 packs down a lot smaller than .67, Here’s a bug bivy I posted a couple of weeks ago using the .50 noseeum. I’m nerded out on net tents, bug bivys and pyramid net inserts and BPL readers are kind of numb all of the creations I’ve posted on here by now…lol.

That is really nice. I like the “unorthodox” look actually because when things have a difference in a place that is important, then it is easier to set up. You don’t end up setting it all up and realizing afterward that you oriented it wrong. You can orient it right at first because of the difference.

I’m not numb, Monte!  I thoroughly enjoy reading your posts and seeing your creations.  Please keep it going!

Thanks Todd, you understand what level of geek I’m on when it comes to ultralight bug shelters.

I went back and modified the net tent by adding corner struts and flat elastic to the floor. It’s infinitely better now but I avoided doing that at first because it adds about 10 g weight. I sewed 4″ bamboo sticks vertically to each corner and sewed on 3/8″ flat elastic with a mitten hook tied in the middle. I simply copied an MLD innernet. Then I attached double 3/16 shockcord to the mitten hooks and easily wrapped them around corner tarp stakes. Works better than I thought it would in providing a super taut pitch on the sides of the net with no sagging. Has more of a professional look. Turns out the novel idea I had with the left corner tieout in my initial post just wasn’t quite right. The 10 g weight penalty of the corner struts is well worth it.

I agree with Todd. I like the innovation. I was actually looking for a setup with solid ends like that at one time.  I still may at some point. I haven’t committed, because I’ve had nothing to add. Nice set up.

And here is net tent after the corner strut mods (without tarp). The netting windows at top of end triangles were a bit of a pain to add but well worth it because I want to be able to look outside if need be. Also the net windows increase air flow.

With the net tent pitched under a 6′ X 9′ camo tarp I have the ultimate double-wall stealth camping shelter, one that’s pretty good in rain. The low profile and excellent woodland camo color make it perfect for someone who’d rather not be seen or simply wants to blend in to the background with earth tone colors that aren’t loud. Any wider tarp and your shelter becomes too tall and visible. A bigger tarp also requires a larger footprint, which in turn limits the places you can camp. Any narrower than 6′ and the shelter becomes too confining, so 6′ wide is the sweet spot for stealth IMO. Too small for probably most backpackers nowadays but its smaller size is less of a wind catcher as well. And I still have the versatility of a flat tarp like for example when a rain pops hiking while along the trail and I want to quickly set up a fly to stay dry and make tea until the rain passes.

I love that camo tarp and really diggin that net tent too!!  Simply FANTASTIC!! You know I am a huge fan!

Thanks Joe, the tarp is a discontinued Brooks Range Mini Guide Tarp that I narrowed down from 78″ to 72″ wide. Weighs 9.4 oz and material is 20D silnylon in a camo pattern that was used by the US Army in the 80’s and is much better than all the digital colors the US military employs today. Silnylon or silpoly materials with the best woodland camo patterns, ones that actually blend in well, are basically unobtainable in 20D or 30D to DIY’ers. You can find them in 70D though. I’ve looked at some of the silpoly camo colors from RSBTR but none are acceptable, at least from my perspective.