View Full Version : Bug net thingy
bears12th
05-23-2015, 10:03
So, walking for for days here in CT/MA section starting on Thursday. Looks to be hot, humid, and wet. No doubt super buggy. I've never considered the bug net on head thingy in the past, but have read multiple reports back from this trail section saying people might want them right now.
Thoughts?
Got but spray, and propper clothes, but am considering it. Do they work well? Some experiences from trail stories out there? Thanks in advance. Oh, are there brands that are better, EMS close by so that's where is have to get one I guess.
Thanks,
Bears12th
jcreamer
05-23-2015, 10:31
When in Minnesota a few years ago the mosquitoes and black flys were terrible. Luckily I had a bug net that I had treated with permethrin. Lightweight zip off pants and a long sleeve shirt (mine was a Columbia - also treated with permethrin) and a net over my wide brimmed hat and I was set.
Its not like the weight is really an issue - just throw it in your pack.
If you don't need it you carried one extra ounce - if you do need it you made your trip a LOT more fun and less painful.
Have fun,
JC
When in Minnesota a few years ago the mosquitoes and black flys were terrible. Luckily I had a bug net that I had treated with permethrin. Lightweight zip off pants and a long sleeve shirt (mine was a Columbia - also treated with permethrin) and a net over my wide brimmed hat and I was set.
Its not like the weight is really an issue - just throw it in your pack.
If you don't need it you carried one extra ounce - if you do need it you made your trip a LOT more fun and less painful.
Have fun,
JC
+1. You'll look like an incredible geek but it will preserve your sanity . . . and will be the envy of all of those crazed people around you.
Sarcasm the elf
05-23-2015, 10:59
I always carry a head net in that area this time of year and I recommend you do the same, especially if you are venturing north of Jug-End in that swampy low lying area between Mt. Everett and Kellogg Road. I don't use it 100% of the time, but when I hit a buggy area it really helps to keep my sanity. I wear it long with a wide brimmed booney hat that keeps the netting away from my face. The net also keeps the mosquitos from constantly buzzing in my ears, which I think is even more important than stopping the actual bug bites. My headnet is a Sea-to-Summit brand which was the one that the guy at EMS recommended to me; it works well but I don't have anything to compare it to, so I can't say if it is better or worse than any other ones on the market.
Also, deer ticks, be careful, yada-yada...You live in CT so you're probably already well aware of the dangers of Lyme disease.
bears12th
05-23-2015, 15:03
Yeah, the bugs are really the only thing that I would change about walking on the trail. Ticks and mosquitoes, blah. Went and bought a head net from ems. Now I got to find a nice cheap, funny looking hat. Lol. Can't wait to get back out. Had a kid last year so overnight trips didn't happen and my better half is letting me go this year. Stoked!
Thanks all.
Trillium
05-23-2015, 16:40
I always carry a head net in that area this time of year and I recommend you do the same, especially if you are venturing north of Jug-End in that swampy low lying area between Mt. Everett and Kellogg Road. .
This man is telling the absolute honest truth. I had to run through that area when I hiked it; absolutely miserable!
LoneStranger
05-24-2015, 07:33
Yeah, the bugs are really the only thing that I would change about walking on the trail. Ticks and mosquitoes, blah. Went and bought a head net from ems. Now I got to find a nice cheap, funny looking hat. Lol. Can't wait to get back out. Had a kid last year so overnight trips didn't happen and my better half is letting me go this year. Stoked!
Thanks all.
Permethrin on your clothes and DEET on your skin will keep them from biting, but the head net keeps you from inhaling them. Definitely worth carrying. If you can, take your net with you when you hat shop to make sure you get a hat that will keep the net away from your face. Feels cooler and less claustrophobic if the net isn't right in close on you.
Traveler
05-24-2015, 07:37
Biting insects are, or seem to be, a lot more aggressive this year in CT/MA. I have had to use my head net a lot more frequently than in years past and very glad I have it.
Traveler
05-24-2015, 08:00
Biting insects are, or seem to be, a lot more aggressive this year in CT/MA. I have had to use my head net a lot more frequently than in years past and very glad I have it.
I use a similar "Booney" hat as Elf suggested, having a wide brim and made of soft cloth. EMS no longer has this private labeled for them and I can't find a replacement that is like it (inexpensive, can be wadded up, light weight). If anyone runs across one of these old standby favorite hats, let me know, mine is showing its age and I would like to replace it with an identical one if possible.
If needed, head nets are extremely valuable. I've used them in northern Michigan and northern Minnesota on several occasions. As other have said, they can save your sanity from an onslaught of black flies or mosquitoes, even gnats. The biggest drawback is heat. Even though they are mesh, they hold in the heat/moisture, especially when cinched around you neck/shoulders. As with most things, they are a trade-off, but under the right conditions, they are well worth the price you pay in comfort.
Sarcasm the elf
05-24-2015, 09:29
I use a similar "Booney" hat as Elf suggested, having a wide brim and made of soft cloth. EMS no longer has this private labeled for them and I can't find a replacement that is like it (inexpensive, can be wadded up, light weight). If anyone runs across one of these old standby favorite hats, let me know, mine is showing its age and I would like to replace it with an identical one if possible.
Well that's terrible news, I use the exact same EMS hat and love it. I would recommend searching ebay soon, there is a good chance you will find a new or lightly used one, I might do the same myself to buy a spare.
LoneStranger
05-24-2015, 10:00
Not familiar with the EMS hat but the Columbia Bora Bora Booney II seems to be heavily discounted right now at a lot of places. Seems similar in design so might do as a replacement.
rocketsocks
05-24-2015, 10:44
That's what I have too, an EMS booney hat. works great with a bug net...learned that one from Colin Fletchers book.
rocketsocks
05-24-2015, 10:47
That's what I have too, an EMS booney hat. works great with a bug net...learned that one from Colin Fletchers book.
EMS sells a "bucket hat" with full brim that may also keep the netting away from your face, and it's water proof.
2000miler
05-24-2015, 11:57
Someone should make a bug net sewn into some ski goggles. It's annoying to look through a mesh screen while hiking. You already look like a dope in a bug net, so the addition of the goggles is no fashion loss.
sketcher709
05-24-2015, 20:03
Someone should make a bug net sewn into some ski goggles. It's annoying to look through a mesh screen while hiking. You already look like a dope in a bug net, so the addition of the goggles is no fashion loss.
You must not sweat! I'd need little windshield wipers on the insides.
As for the bugs. Definitely get netting. And be prepared to not be able to sit and enjoy your lunch. It can be absurd. Damn things.
Traveler
05-25-2015, 07:12
Well that's terrible news, I use the exact same EMS hat and love it. I would recommend searching ebay soon, there is a good chance you will find a new or lightly used one, I might do the same myself to buy a spare.
Good idea, thanks!
Traveler
05-25-2015, 07:20
EMS sells a "bucket hat" with full brim that may also keep the netting away from your face, and it's water proof.
Good thought. I have tried using that Bucket Hat but found it doesn't want to work well for me to keep the bug net from my head/neck 360 degrees unfortunately. I use repeated waterproofing spray on the cloth booney hat, which seems to work well to keep nuisance rain at bay and allows venting of heat coming off my head.
Traveler
05-25-2015, 08:54
Well that's terrible news, I use the exact same EMS hat and love it. I would recommend searching ebay soon, there is a good chance you will find a new or lightly used one, I might do the same myself to buy a spare.
Bah! I had hat confusion... The hat EMS is no longer making is the Chelan hat which I confused with the EMS Boonie hat (have both but prefer the Chelan in warm weather). EMS discontinued the old Chelan hat and have a new Chelan II hat which is not the same. It also looks like the selection that EMS sells under private label seems to be disappearing, I cannot find the Boonie hat on their website, but theres a Memorial Day sale that may be in the way of looking through their full line stock.
Sorry for the confusion. I hate it when a standby product like this suddenly disappears.