mosquito netting

[eppie33]

Hi! I was wondering if anyone has made their own mosquito netting shelter out of noseeum netting? If so, any suggestions on how to get started, how much material you have used, and how well the finished product has worked for you?

Thanks for any advice you have!

[Youngblood]

What kind of shelter are you thinking about? I've made a no-see-um blanket with a footpocket and no-see-um top's with velcro for an open top hammock. It is pretty easy stuff to cut and sew.

Youngblood

[eppie33]

I am looking to make something that is tent-like in nature... if possible- with a floor. I originally purchased the Mombasa tracker mosquito net, but am thinking about returning it b/c it is not out of noseeum netting. The style of it, however, is similar to what I am looking to make.

[eppie33]

Youngblood- how easy did you find the material to work with? Did it tear easily?

[Youngblood]

Youngblood- how easy did you find the material to work with? Did it tear easily?

No, tearing hasn't been a problem and it was real easy to work with. A rip cut with sharp sissors makes orthogonal cuts easy, you can see through it but it is hard to mark so a 3'x6' cardboard cutting board comes in handy, and it is easy to sew with a sewing machine.

I have used mosquitto netting also, maybe the same thing you have... mine is a single point hanging type. It snags pretty easily because it has a larger openings; but it lets air though it easier, weights a lot less and probably stuffs in a much smaller package. I suspect that you can dip it in a solution of permithrin and that would keep no-see-ums away for months at a time, if that is your concern with it. (I think they may come that way from the factory.)

Youngblood

[eppie33]

Thank you for all of your advice, Youngblood!

[titanium_hiker]

I plan on making a "bug bivy" with plasic floor, and a shape like:

|-------\ hmm... yeah. Let me know about your
| \----- experience.
| \------------------\
|------------------------------------| titanium_hiker

[hungryhowie]

One thing to think about when designing a bug-shelter is what kind of critters you want to keep out. Flying insects are one thing, crawling ones, however, are something else entirely. I've made a couple of bug shelters that are simi-pyramids, sorta like your tracker. For the floor, I always use 1.1oz silnylon. It's cheap, light, and won't absorb water (so it won't get heavier when the floor gets wet. I use 0.8oz no-see-um netting for the sides/top. It's even cheaper, lighter, and much easier to work with.

I've designed all of my bug-shelters to fit under my ID silshelter with the front corners raised off of the ground about 10-18 inches. The floor is trapazoidal in shape, as wide as the sleeing pads plus 2 inches on each side in the rear gaining an additional 10 inches of buffer in the front. The rear pannel of the bug-shelter is shaped like an upside-down U, is about 8 inches tall, and I rely on the footbox of my sleeping bag to keep the material off of me. I use a center ridge seam with a catenary cut (helps to keep more tension on the shelter which in turn keeps it off of me) , which leads up to an apex at about 42 inches. THe front of the net tent is shaped like a house, a roof and walls. The walls come up about 8 inches, and a pullout is attached at that point with shock-cord that extends to the tarp's front-corner pullouts. A lip on the front panel rising from the floor about 8 inches makes the bottom part of the entrance. The front panel is not sewn to the body of the net-tent for the last 8 inches so that it drapes down behind the lip and creates a closure. Using shock-cord allows you to keep the entrance sealed shut tightly, but also get in and out easily.

An entrance like this is only good for flying critters, however. If you're trying to keep crawlers like ticks out, you'll need to use a zippered entrance.

-howie