Net inserts with solid ends

[Just Tom]

Does anyone use a bug net insert with solid water-proof ends (something like this from Bear Paw Wilderness Designs) to help protect from wind-driven rain or splash back?

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I'm just getting into using a tarp and don't have experience when the weather is foul. Is this this just something for newbies, or does it have merit to a wider audience?

[Dochartaigh]

If you need something like this or not can also depend on your tarp. Some tarps can be setup so they're enclosed on nearly every side, so if you're just worried about water (and not bugs), a tarp like that wouldn't need anything to prevent rain from coming in. Site selection also plays an important role as well.

I will also note that if you have a tarp + stakes + guylines + bug net + etc. etc. etc. it's sometimes both lighter and cheaper (and easier to setup even) to just get a lightweight tent (especially when a regular lightweight tent can be as low as 26 ounces or so, and a high-end/expensive cuben tent around a pound even).

[slbirdnerd]

If you're looking, I think Mountain Laurel Designs has some inserts that have solid or near-solid ends. YOu might also see what Zpacks has. Makes perfect sense to me to keep the rain/splashback out.

[Just Tom]

Ah I hadn't seen the net inserts at MLD, just their standard bug bivy. Thanks for that. Cuben is out of my price range so Zpacks didn't have much to offer.

And yes I know a light tent might be a better overall solution, but playing with a tarp setup is my current just-for-fun-and-learning :)

[hodad]

I carry two tyvek triangles for those wind driven rainy nights. very easy to make and use. cheaper and lighter than beaks. cut to size and add a loop of 3/32 bungie (or rubber band) to each corner. One piece over the ridgeline the others to the tie outs.

[Just Tom]

I carry two tyvek triangles for those wind driven rainy nights. very easy to make and use. cheaper and lighter than beaks. cut to size and add a loop of 3/32 bungie (or rubber band) to each corner. One piece over the ridgeline the others to the tie outs.

I was wondering about that very thing, thanks for the tip!

[nsherry61]

Looks like a great idea. But, no. I pitch my tarp according to weather and love looking out the end(s) of my tarp and watching the storms blow through. A good pitch goes a long way in making a bivy unnecessary and thus reducing base pack weight.

You know what they say, knowledge may be the most expensive back-country tool, but it is also the lightest.

[Usadave]

MSR started making a mesh house 2 and 3 man model in 2016. 16 Oz with a solid end stakes included. $250 retail.
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