I recently did my first overnite pack trip in years. Mosquitos were thick and bloodthirsty. I kept from being eaten alive with a headnet and bug spray, but the whining bothered me for most of the night.
I don't own a packable tent yet. Used a sil/nylon tarp for shelter on this trip.
Looking for bug netting options, and also wonder if anyone has used the thermacell device?
Hello,
I live in deep South Texas and with all the recent rain we've had down here and have plenty of mosquitos. MY BIL went hog hunting the other day with his buddy from work and he had a Thermacell with him and said it worked like a charm.
Thinking that a screened tent is the best option, for sleeping in buggy conditions.
I slept pretty dry under the tarp, even with a couple of good t-storms moving through. There really isn't much in the way of weather, here and now, that calls for a tent.
Guessing that I'll deal with the same size issues in a compact tent that I had finding a backpack.
Guessing that most backpackers refuse the thermacell for it's size and weight.
On a short trip like I just took, I'd carry a lot to avoid the bugs...
After camping at backcountry lakes, where the mosquitoes are absolutely terrible, thermacell sold me. Having those things going was the only way you could be outside the tent and eat in the evenings.
Everything is tradeoffs. I think the weight / bulk of a Thermacell is WELL worthwhile. It is not 100% effective though, it thins them out a lot but some are stubborn so I would not recommend counting on it, alone, for complete protection.
If there are no fire restrictions, the slow burning mosquito coils help some as do citronella candles.
If I'm going as light as reasonably possible, a Bearpaw Wilderness Designs bug bivy works well. For more space, check into REI's "Bug Hut II". It's kind of like their Half Dome in size only it's just screen.
For the trail, log house designs bug jackets and mittens seem to work pretty well. I don't hike in shorts but if I did I think their bug pants would probably do well, too.
My last trip I just wore jeans ... skeeters didn't get through. I wore a light flannel shirt coated with bug barrier spray I got at Sportsman's Warehouse and an Outdoor Research bug bucket when they got around my face too much.
For situations where the bug mittens get in the way .. like turning the crank on a reel ... nothin' works like DEET on the hands and wrists. Lemon grass oil isn't as effective but some people are twitchy about chemicals and while not as effective as DEET it's certainly better than nothing.
Tom
Sleeping in the swamps where the mosquitos are thick dang near year round I always carry a US mil mosquito net and hang it under a poncho. Cheap, light weight and durable.
Use US mil DEET during the day.
johnw,
You may want to consider this:
http://www.americangrouch.com/2015/04/bear-paw-net-tent-15-bcusa-10x12-ul.html?m=1The guy that writes that blog is fairly good sized (though not quite your size), since I know that makes a very understandable difference to you.
I'm a fan of mosquito nets, though didn't discover them till late in life. The rectangular one to go over a full size bed, from REI, is the one I use, and usually set it up under a minimal tarp. Mosquito nets don't merely keep the bugs off they keep them away from my ears far enough that the whining buzz doesn't keep me awake. Very light and versatile to pack, and when rigged sideways it covered three of us sleeping side by side with plenty of room.
I hang one end of the net above my head and let the rest drape down over my sleeping bag with my bod in it. If it were a hot night I'd have to tie up the foot end so I could sleep on top of my bag, but haven't needed that so far. Tied up only above the head end it makes a triangular space plenty big enough for head and shoulders. I tie the top center to a ridge line cord and the corners on that end of the net to the edges of the tarp on each side with enough tension and height to keep it well above my head.
We started irrigating 4-5 days ago and while the mosquitoes aren't terrible yet this Summer they are bad enough.
I need to try one of those Thermacell deals.
They are only at their best when you are sitting without a breeze...but boy they work good then!
No good for work/movement?
Not really.....sorry.
Ive often thought about attaching a fly tag to my belt in the summer time....
+1 on the thermacell not being good with movement or any wind. Just did the experiment last weekend with a friend - set the thermacell between our two lawn chairs - less than 1 ft apart. The northern MN mosquitoes, which are not particularly thick now - ignored it and still hung around, even landing on the leg closest to the thermacell.
As a forester who worked in swamps for almost 40 yrs, deet on the skin, permanone on the clothes, and a headnet if black flies are on the prowl.
I can not use deet, even in the lower concentrated forms (7%) without raising huge welts on my hide. And the fact that deet melts so many finishes and coverings on equipment makes it less than ideal.
A buddy using deet on his hands pretty well destroyed his brand new custom spinning rod.
I've found that picaridin based sprays work very well for me. Picaridin works for mosquitoes, all kinds of flies, and even keeps the buffalo gnats from landing and biting. And it won't damage any surfaces or finishes. Cameras, guns, clothing, and etc. are safe even under direct spray.
I use the "Bug Shirt":
http://www.bugshirt.comIt works great. At night, it becomes my pillow in the hammock.
Thermacell is my vote also. I don't think the weight is so much an issue as the bulk, unless you're going on an extended trip. I live in NE Wisconsin and the mosquitoes can be unreal. Even with sprayed heavy with DEET, the buzzing and fluttering can take the joy out of a relaxing evening. I consider Thermacell as much a part of a relaxing evening grill out as my Weber grill.
I have used a thremacell, and where there is an element of bulk, the weight was not much for me to be concerned with. I think it must be under a pound.
Will a Thermacell work at altitude?
5300' at home, 8500' camping this past weekend, a bit higher for hunting.
Thanks Phasmid, I'll just dose with deet as per usual.
Thermacell is my vote also.
September gets mine.
For summer backpacking shelters I would look at one of the tarp tents or a Hammock that has an integrated netting. both run lighter than a most classic tents.
If you plan to use your Thermacell only at high elevations, you may be interested in the Mini Mosquito Repellent Lantern – 2006 Model. It functions well at higher altitudes, and must be lit with a match.
Kind of awkward to put in a pack though.
Permethrin works amazingly well for me here in MN! Used it last year in the BWCA in mid-June when the mosquitoes were THICK, and they wouldn't touch anything that was treated with it yet it's odorless and lasts weeks per treatment. I mix my own up - buy this and mix it at 2 ounces per gallon to match the Sawyer stuff:
http://www.amazon.com/Permethrin-36-8%25-permethrin-Quart-6666105/dp/B0048EY6KY/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1436471514&sr=8-2&keywords=permethrin
I use a Thermacell while squirrel hunting here in the swamps of Southeast MO. It works very well while still-hunting but I have a friend that says nothing works for him when it comes to repelling mosquitoes. Must be his body chemistry.
Thermacell and Permethrin on the clothes for me. Just make sure if using the thermacell in a tent/blind to have some ventilation. Fumes aren't good for you and also will smoke up the tent worse than Cheech and Chong.
Mix yourself a batch of bug dope from Nessmuk's recipe in Woodcraft and Camping.
It works surprisingly well here in Alaska. A little goes a long ways.
Spend your money on a good lightweight BP tent and a good bug shirt, you will preserve your sanity from the vampires.
Pants and long sleeve shirts dosed liberally with any Permethrin based clothing spray, followed up with a good deet spray. Headnet hugely helpful. Themocells work great, as a third tier defense.
I bought an REI Passage 2 tent. Did another overnighter last weekend and it was great for the bugs. Slept like a baby on top of my bag, wearing boxers and a t-shirt. No buzzing, no whining in my ears.
My acquisition of a BA inflatable bed maybe helped, too.
I did get up at one point to peel off the rain fly for more ventilation. Got up an hour or so later to put it back on as the rain started.
I did have a thermacell along and lit it, placed it outside the flap about 10 minutes before I exited the tent.
Gotta say that I don't understand the fascination with deet. So destructive to many materials that we use in the field.
suprised no one mentioned it by try skin so soft from avon. trick we use in the military, and its less toxic than deet. i think there is a bug version they started marketing, ive never used it. always the original in the clear bottle. only product I've ever used that keeps them off.
We stock Skin So Soft in our warehouse as a mosquito repellant.