Tarp Shelters & Bugs?

WalterDavis

WalterDavis

Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
Joined
Nov 23, 2005
Messages
1,841
The thought of using a tarp for shelter is really starting to appeal to me. It seems plenty veratile, light weight, and more than adequate, at least for summers around hear. However, my GF is allergic to most bugs (bees, spiders, etc) and while we carry an epi pen with us, are there any other precautions that you all take while sleeping in an open shelter? Or just wear plenty of OFF;)

Thanks,

Walter
 
bug dope, and the fire helps to keep em away. Also clearing the spot under your tarp helps too...
 
man, if she's alergic, I wouldn't risk it, get a proper tent with bug netting. Personally, I don't think the weight savings is significant enough to justify losing the comfort of an enclosed tent, especially with some of the lightweight offerings they have out now. At the very least, get her a bivy sac to go over her sleeping bag, that will cover her completely.

Tarptent, Six Moons Designs, and Golight make some REALLY light weight tents, some are even tarps, with bug netting inserts.
 
can't bee to carefull (dumb Pun) with allergic reactions like that... an epi pen does not supply enough medication to ensure her safe passage out of the back country.. an epi pen is made to stabilize folks till they can get miore advanced medical attention.. so while they are a great thing to carry I wouldn;t rely on that as your safety net.. However if you want an open air feel a tarp coupled with some mosquito netting might work.
 
You can die in the north from blackflies, so a bug-proof shelter is essential (even then, no-see-em's can get through). The old-timers developed a certain immunity to bug bites, over time, wore long-johns year-round (cotton in summer), and applied various repellents to keep them off. If you're backpacking in high country, above timberline, the bugs aren't so bad.
 
If you want to sleep in the open air without worrying about bugs, and don't need to sleep together; get a hammock! When I'm not with my family its the only way I sleep now.
 
Alberta Ed said:
You can die in the north from blackflies, so a bug-proof shelter is essential (even then, no-see-em's can get through). The old-timers developed a certain immunity to bug bites, over time, wore long-johns year-round (cotton in summer), and applied various repellents to keep them off. If you're backpacking in high country, above timberline, the bugs aren't so bad.
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Yep-I lived in Alaska for over 6 years, and there's nothing in my area now that even compares. The worst it gets here is in swampy land by the river where the mosquitos breed, and even there I think "Man, they're so small":D
 
Why take a chance? If you like going out to the woods with your GF, you KNOW that if she has ONE bad experience, two things will happen:

- it will be all your fault
- she will never go again

My Kelty Grand Mesa weighs in at 4.5 pounds or so, and has good bug protection. I live in South Texas, and the skeeters are so large that you can hear them when they whizz by your ears.

If we have a particularly wet season and you are overnighting in the woods, you have to be in your tent shortly after nightfall as you will look like a test commercial for a bug spray.

(The only good thing about us going into our second year of drought is that there are almost no bugs around here now.)

My SO is allergic to bug bites, and if she get them she gets little infected places wherever she has been bitten. I don't know what a large group of bites would do to her.

The extra 2-3 lbs or so for the tent over a two man sized poncho or tarp is well worth it to me.

Robert
 
I know this may sound weird, but have you tried putting on some Avon "skin so soft"? My wife's family live in Vermont and we've done some hiking over the years. My mother-in-law turned me on to the stuff. Just a little goes a long way. Honestly, I don't care for the smell, but apparently the bugs don't like it either! I can deal with the odor.:D
 
As an addition to TonyM's post about the hammock. You can get them for two and sleep pretty comfy.

Also Really take Midnight Flyer's advice to heart-the extra weight is worth the hassle you will avoid by just bringing a tent when she is with you. Consider yourself lucky if a tent is the only extra stuff she makes you bring.

Last point-I forget who said this but someone made a very wise point that when you take your lady to the woods, you carry the gear and put the pillows in her backpack. If you want to take her to the woods again.


david
 
fivefold said:
I know this may sound weird, but have you tried putting on some Avon "skin so soft"? My wife's family live in Vermont and we've done some hiking over the years. My mother-in-law turned me on to the stuff. Just a little goes a long way. Honestly, I don't care for the smell, but apparently the bugs don't like it either! I can deal with the odor.:D
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I guess this can't be called an "urban" legend, but it's been tested and does not repel skeeters like deet or lemon eucalyptus products. Yes, they don't like their cute lil' feet gooey, but mineral oil or "bear grease" works just as well (some but not very). If it's possible death we're talking about, pop for some real repellant -- and a tent.

And Ed, many tents come with No See 'Em-proof netting. I've hidden in a couple from those $#%#^* little monsters. Fine inside but nibbled to death outside.
 
midnight flyer said:
Why take a chance? If you like going out to the woods with your GF, you KNOW that if she has ONE bad experience, two things will happen:

- it will be all your fault
- she will never go again

My Kelty Grand Mesa weighs in at 4.5 pounds or so, and has good bug protection. I live in South Texas, and the skeeters are so large that you can hear them when they whizz by your ears.

If we have a particularly wet season and you are overnighting in the woods, you have to be in your tent shortly after nightfall as you will look like a test commercial for a bug spray.

(The only good thing about us going into our second year of drought is that there are almost no bugs around here now.)

My SO is allergic to bug bites, and if she get them she gets little infected places wherever she has been bitten. I don't know what a large group of bites would do to her.

The extra 2-3 lbs or so for the tent over a two man sized poncho or tarp is well worth it to me.

Robert
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+1

As much as I would love the light weight of a tarp shelter, it would be quite impossible to spend a night in this part of the country without getting eaten alive by bugs.

Chiggers, ticks, fire-ants, mosquitos, tarantulas, brown recluse and black widow spiders (among others) aren't fun.
 
Thomas Linton said:
I guess this can't be called an "urban" legend, but it's been tested and does not repel skeeters like deet or lemon eucalyptus products. Yes, they don't like their cute lil' feet gooey, but mineral oil or "bear grease" works just as well (some but not very). If it's possible death we're talking about, pop for some real repellant -- and a tent.

And Ed, many tents come with No See 'Em-proof netting. I've hidden in a couple from those $#%#^* little monsters. Fine inside but nibbled to death outside.
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Love that Lemon Eucalyptus stuff:thumbup:
 
You can camp side by side in a hammock if you use the new Clark Vertex hammock shelter. It'll get you both off the ground away from bugs and has mosquito netting to boot.
 
Erect a tarp up above an all noseeum netted tent and you have what you want, and she gets what she NEEDS. Your best bet is an all mesh tent, plenty of manufacturers make them. A tarp is what you use when out with your man friends to show'em how bug tough you are!
 
The bugs have kept me from the open tarp sleeping. The yellow jackets, ants, nats, black flies, and mosquitos seem to be around the heavy use areas. If I was alergic, that would make it worse. I have been thinking about trying a hammock though.
 
+1 for a Kelty Grand Mesa. There are other tents that have more netting on top that without the rainfly would be like sleeping under the stars and still keep the bugs away.
 
Perhaps a screen tent set up under a tarp fits your needs. In fact, I'm going on a 6-day canoe trip next Friday and will be trying out this same setup. I bought a new Integral Designs Bugamid, Kelty tarp pole, and Outdoor Equipment Supplier silicon tarp. I've done an initial setup of the Bugamid and can tell you it's huge inside! Quite enough space for two people and gear. I decided that using a tarp pole is much easier than suspending it from a tarp tiedown.

bugamid1.jpg


more photos

Integral Designs bug tents
 
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