View Full Version : Bug protection in a shelter
I have done a few section hikes and I have always stayed in my tent. All of the usual reasons apply - smelly neighbors, mice, snoring etc. I would like to continue to use my tent when possible, but I know that eventually because of weather or some other reason I will need to stay in a shelter.
What do you do to protect yourself from mosquitoes and other biting bugs in a shelter? I will be using a sleeping pad and sleeping bag, so I would only need protection for my head and face. I have read about bug bivy bags, but I don't think I need full body protection and the extra weight. I have also seen the umbrella things that hang from a string attached to the shelter roof. I have also read that you can't just lay netting on your head because the bugs will bite right through it.
What do you use?
Are there any other choices?
Sarcasm the elf
05-09-2014, 11:24
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Sarcasm the elf
05-09-2014, 11:25
I wear a bug headnet and hat while hiking and find that these can be used along with my sleeping bag to keep the bugs off of my face if I'm not sleeping in a tent. It's not perfect but it works well enough. I always prefer to tent, so I don't really want to carry an extra piece of gear jist for the off chance I end up in a shelter.
Edit: Regarding your last comment, the brim of my hat keeps the bug netting suspended a couple of inches away from my skin so that the bugs can't just bite through it.
daddytwosticks
05-09-2014, 15:21
I have an old DancingLightGear bug net that I can suspend overhead that covers most of my upper body. Mostly now I use a SMD Meteor bug bivy when I hike without my Tarptent Notch in warmer weather. :)
I slap a DEET FREE Don't Bite Me or DeBug transdermal patch on my butt cheek, light some cone/stick incense, and spray Lemon Eucalyptus Insect Repellant around the perimeter of where I'm sleeping. As always, if planning on sleeping in an AT Shelter or when on public transportation to my hiking destinations I have ear plugs. I might place a dab of something like Bert's Bees lavender smelling Res-Q-Ointment under my nose to mask the human odor of others (and maybe myself:)). The Res-Q-Ointment I use on the tips of my ears too when hiking to keep the gnats from landing. It also is used on my feet as a moisturizer. I sometimes use a lip balm w/ essential herbal oils to do the same thing. Sometimes, all it it takes is one of these to effectively repel the insects but I like having multiple ways to repel insects that double to address other issues. ie; repellent and moisturizer
http://www.dontbitemepatch.com/
http://insectpatch.com/products.php
whatta ya use to repel the mice?
whatta ya use to repel the mice?
I discreetly sprinkle some chocolate chip cookie crumbs on the person I like the least sleeping the furthest from me.:D
Naw, meeses don't appreciate the Lemon Eucalyptus Insect Repellant but you know how those little acrobats can do amazing things to get at food when they are hungry. I've seen them climb vertical walls in shelter and jump from trapeeze to trapeeze.
Sarcasm the elf
05-09-2014, 16:17
whatta ya use to repel the mice?
Snakes mostly...:eek:
Naw, meeses don't appreciate the Lemon Eucalyptus Insect Repellant but you know how those little acrobats can do amazing things to get at food when they are hungry. I've seen them climb vertical walls in shelter and jump from trapeeze to trapeeze.
yeah.......at tricorner shelter---i had one run up my arm, across my shoulders, and down the other arm (my arms were on the table out front reading or something like that)....
So far the head net idea sounds like the cheapest and lightest way to go.
What if I got a piece of netting say 4' x 5' and treated it with Permethrin. Then just lay it over the top of the bag. It would be in direct contact with my skin. Do you think that the permethrn would prevent the bugs from biting through it? Has anyone ever tried this?
Not sure if I'm odd (well, I am sure that I am, but not so much more odd than most backpackers), but I don't normally have that much problems with insects. Yeah, sure SOME days and SOME nights can be killers, but generally, I'd say (98% of the time or more) it's a non-issue.
When I head to the Boundary Waters in spring, or New Jersey Cedar Swamp in June or July, I take all the protection I can muster. But for most hiking, at normal elevations and most times of the year, I have little problem with minimal protection. Some Deet, a headnet during black fly season, And a typical tent with netting. Shelters have only occasionally been a problem, and those times the mosquitoes usually make their presence known well before bed time, so I just set up my tent.
In my experience, insects are a much bigger worry than they are a problem.
I don't think permethrin treatment on bug netting is necessary. As others have suggested, just wear a hat to bed! That keeps the netting off your face. You can buy a very light weight mosquito head net for like $5 from most camp stores. And you probably already have a ball cap or other hat with a brim. Problem solved!
I have used this method many times (hat + bug net + sleep = no bugs on face!) It is completely simple and free of nasty chemicals!
PS here is one at Walmart for $2.97!! Very similar to what I used.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/COLEMAN-MOSQUITO-HEAD-NET/13848609