View Full Version : bug net question.
Roughin' It
09-11-2010, 19:01
So looking toward the future, I am somewhat planning a PCT thru-hike.
If I were to buy a Zpacks hexamid tarp/tent found here: http://zpacks.com/shelter/hexamid.shtml , would I even "need" the screen on the front, or are the bugs not really an issue? I ask because it is a price difference of $120, and a weight difference of 5 oz. Just wondering if the tarp itself would be enough, instead of splurging for the tent.
neighbor dave
09-11-2010, 19:56
you'll need a bug net if you want some piece of mind, they can get down right rough in places
I used a regular tarp on my NOBO PCT thru-hike. You'll need some sort of bug protection in the Sierra Neveda and you may need some in parts of NorCal and Oregon depending on when the snow melted and how far you are in the front of the herd (earlier you are, the more bugs there are). I hiked towards the back of the herd and didn't have too bad of a time with the bugs. Other then 2 nights in North. Yosemite when I hid in my bivy sack, I normally just slept with my headnet over a baseball cap and found that was enough (if you sleep on your side turn you cap sideways). Usually after it got dark and the temps droppped some, the bugs would go away so I could take it off. However, they return at dawn so getting up early is recommended in buggy areas.
On my summer hike this year the bugs weren't particularly bad but there were 2 nights MA when the mosquitoes literally chased me into my tent. They were so bad I could hardly get my tent up they were swarming over me so much.
I would have went completely insane if I hadn't been able to get away from them.
And I just saw this is in the PCT forum so nevermind. :)
garlic08
09-11-2010, 22:57
You'd have to be extraordinarily immune to mosquitoes to enjoy a PCT thru hike without bug netting. I'm not saying it can't be done, but I sure couldn't.
Nice looking tarp. How does the netting attach to the tarp?
I presume it just drapes on the ground if there is n.o floor.
The bugs were bad on the PCT, off and on from the central Sierras to central Oregon. On nights with mild to bad bugs, I just zipped up my bivy. But when they were really bad (like northern Yosemite), I used an extra bug net. Sill, some people just slept with a mosquito net over their heads, so it's just an issue of what your capable of tolerating.
Feral Bill
09-12-2010, 12:53
This (http://www.rei.comT/product/798574) works for me.
Roughin' It
09-12-2010, 14:26
Alright, so basically I could use the extra bug netting. Thanks for the input everyone.
Bug netting would be a plus where there are poisonous spiders and, of course, scorpions, which love to burrow under dark things before the sun comes up (tents included). I'm pretty sure I'd opt for it in one form or another. I'd feel better about the Zpacks shelter if it had a solid floor, though I understand that it's intended to be used with a light "liner" floor.
Yeah, and don't forget about Giant Ant World.
I managed to hike through Oregon in July, about a month before most thrus but I did see the front end of the pack. I would have gone absolutely suicidal without a mosquito net, and when the zipper broke on my tent, I ran 30 miles (actually did 30 miles before 4pm in the afternoon) to get to a safe place where I could wait for a new tent. Those Oregon mosquitoes do NOT sleep at night.
Ticks too. In southern California. It does depend on when you leave and the weather the year of your hike. This year I watched ticks crawl around the outside of my Hexamid a few times.
If you want to accept Tinker's wish of a solid floor, you can request for that as custom work. I've heard of one person having the optional floor built into his. I believe the nanonoseeum netting is 0.8 oz/yd. The cuben floor is 1.5 oz/yd and weighs 4 ounces for the big version. Just a rough guess, but I'd guess you'd add about 2 ounces for a built in floor. I bet you can still get your Hexamid under a pound with the optional door, stakes and stuff sacks. I'd still use a polycryo ground sheet as much as possible to protect the mylar layer on the cuben from wear and tear.
The issue of crawling bugs such as ticks and ants is different then the mosquito problem. The crawling bug problem can be managed with careful campsite selection. I cowboyed camp all but 9days on the trail and bugs crawling on me as I slept wasn't an issue. I always looked at the ground for ants before stopping, never camped in meadows or areas with tall grass (rodents often live there) or near to holes burrowed in the ground (something lives there).
downes911
12-04-2010, 20:05
roughin it did you thru hike the AT last year 2010. If so hey it's Gearbomb aka Tigerlily (remember i gave you your trail name). I too am planning a PCT thru for 2012.
Good luck on your planning. You may want to check out Henry Shires tarptents.
Roughin' It...I believe one that Thrust that was one part of our group of 10 was hiking with the Zpacks hexamid tarp/tent. He had the mosquito netting, and was very thankful. Others that didn't have netting, quickly picked some up. BTW he had no complaints with his tent.
In in 2008 on the PCT I used my Tarptent (Squall) from 2004 on the AT, and used it on the CDT this year too! Tarptents are durable.
Chance09
12-07-2010, 22:23
you will want the bug netting, why not try and rig somehthing yourself tho and save the $120?
How funny! I just picked up some bug mesh today to incorporate into my tarp system for the AT.
I went the Military surplus store and bought a "skeeta" tent. U.S. army mosquito tent designed to go around a cot.
It was 10 bucks.
I am gonna cut a chunk out of it big enough to cover my head and upper body when draped over my umbrella.
It will be something like the A16 bug bivy but without the springy frame.
Anyhow it is a cheaper solution than the 120 serenity shelter. Of course it is not gonna be as slick or polished as those finely made systems.
Personally I thought I needed a lot of bug proof space but realize now that i hike all day and when I stop i just go to sleep. So all the extra room was not neccesary. Kinda like Miner suggested, for some people just a head net and a baseball cap works. YMMV.
Gossemer Gear use to sell a bug net (3.5oz) that just covered the upper body. It had 2 corners with netting folded over and sewn to insert rocks/gear to weigh it down and the lower part either just drapped over your sleeping bag or you could use the attached loops to attached/stake it to something. The head area had a loop for attaching to a tarp or a branch to keep it off you; so it looked like a pyramid drapped over you. It was simple, light and worked for flying bugs. I'm not sure why they seemed to have dropped it as I don't see it on their website anymore? I stopped using mine when I started carrying a bivy sack since I now rarely put the tarp up unless its raining/snowing.
I really could not have hiked the trail without a full-length shelter refuge from the mosquitoes. Part of the time it's really hot. There were some nights I could not put my sleeping bag over me until about 1 in the morning. There were some nights when the bugs were so bad I needed to be able to pee without getting bitten and needed a refuge just to read, eat and write in my journal. Even though I carried a fully bug-proof shelter, it did not make my pack heavy or me wimpy or shorten my daily mileage. You are out there for so long, it is your way of life after a while. I like having a safe place at the end of the day. I wanted to hike the trail and enjoy myself, not just endure.
Hayduke_AZ
01-28-2011, 16:15
So looking toward the future, I am somewhat planning a PCT thru-hike.
If I were to buy a Zpacks hexamid tarp/tent found here: http://zpacks.com/shelter/hexamid.shtml , would I even "need" the screen on the front, or are the bugs not really an issue? I ask because it is a price difference of $120, and a weight difference of 5 oz. Just wondering if the tarp itself would be enough, instead of splurging for the tent.
FYI, Joe just updated this product. Even lighter!
And I agree with everyone else. You NEED bug netting.