Using my homemade mosquito net with a tarp

My homemade mosquito net tent works well with my 8x10 tarp. It does not work with my poncho. The poncho has velcro on it so I don't even want to get near my gossamer cocoon with it. But even without the velcro, it's just not the right size or shape to work with the poncho.

Because of the way I made the edges around the bottom, I can use stones instead of stakes, which is nice. That means I don't have to carry extra stakes if I need to use the tarp to form a roof. Since the tarp can only be set up one way using the net, there is no room for creativity and I can leave extra guy lines home, too.

The weight for the tarp plus mosquito net compared to my tent is heavier. But I can sleep without a roof now without worrying about mosquitoes. So for a few extra ounces I think it might be worth it to sleep peacefully under the stars. Since it is summer, I can leave home other things when using the mosquito net so it will all even out.

Now I need to make an esbit stove.

Homemade mosquito net tent

I sewed my own mosquito net tent.

It was not easy to sew. The netting would get stuck in the sewing machine foot. It's mosquito netting, not no-see-um netting, so it had holes big enough for a sewing machine foot to find its way in. I figure it should be sufficient for the kinds of bugs I usually experience in my area, which is mostly mosquitoes and flies.

There's no door. I could not figure out how to make a door. The netting is not strong enough to sew a zipper directly into it. If I ever figure out a way to add a door, I may add one later. For now, it's easy enough to just crawl under one of the long sides.

It's quite light, but without a sensitive scale, I'm not sure how much it weighs. With the two lines attached, tt feels to weigh about the same as my Equinox bivy, which is listed at 6.5 ounces. I don't mind that it is white. I used to sleep under a mosquito net tent that I bought in a travel store that was made to go on top of your bed in a tropical hotel room. That sucker weighed a pound. It was white, too, and I could see the stars through it at night just fine.

When I first met The Man we did a little backpacking together and one thing I used to like to do was get inside my mosquito net tent and just lay out naked and enjoy the air free from the flies that plague our backcountry. One time I did that while he was out cutting brush on the trail. When he returned to camp, he was surprised to see me. He told me I looked like a beautiful maiden in a gossamer cocoon.

In warm summer months I sometimes feel sad that I am stuck inside my tent without the ability to see the stars. I've tried just using a headnet but if the night is warm, it is too hot to be confined to my sleeping bag. I about died of heat in Seiad Valley when I tried to sleep without a tent and just a head net. I needed to stick arms or legs out but mosquitoes were biting. Having a full-sized mosquito net tent like this means that I can sleep outside of my sleeping bag on warm nights without worrying about mosquitoes.

I may give this a try on my up-coming hike in the Sierras. I'll bring either my poncho or my big 8x10 tarp in case of rain. I have to try the poncho and the tarp to see which one I can actually set up with my mosquito net tent.

Single-use doesn't have to be

I have a plastic shower cap that I got in a hotel once. These are supposed to be single-use, disposable. I've been using it for more than a year.