Are Bugs a Problem With a Tarp Tent?

[Puddlefish]

I have fairly thick skin and the self control not to itch mosquito bites, so they heal up pretty quickly when I do get them. The buzzing by my ears keeps me from sleeping at times. That said, in mosquito or black fly season, I'll use DDT and/or bug netting. I like to rinse chemicals off of my skin before I sleep, thus night time is bug screen time.

Even in early spring, I have the bug net up, because it it's integrated with my ground cover. I may not zip it up, but if conditions change from one night to the next, I have the flexibility to do so. The weight and space in the pack taken up are negligible and I don't have to worry about shipping or switching equipment mid hike.

Luxury or not, I can't even imagine any reason beyond a pissing contest style of bragging rights why you wouldn't bring some form of netting.

[Cheyou]

And, there is not one case of locally transmitted Zika in the continental United States outside of Florida.
And, there are, on average 8 cases of EEE reported nation wide.

Why are we even discussing these?

Your likelihood of dying due to falling is roughly 1000x greater than death by mosquito, so my recommendation is to not get out of bed, especially if your bed has side rails on it to keep you from accidentally falling out of it.

And dont even even think about taking a shower. Death is lurking around every corner!!!! .
thom

[nsherry61]

And dont even even think about taking a shower. Death is lurking around every corner!!!!

http://www.dhmo.org/facts.html

[Lear]

Thanks! I will at least carry a bug shirt and hat and experiment with a net hung from the tarp.

[swisscross]

I want to tarp also but ticks, actually Lyme, scare the crap out of me.

[nsherry61]

I want to tarp also but ticks, actually Lyme, scare the crap out of me.

I don't know that tents and nets really help that much with ticks. Most of us accumulate ticks during the day as they drop onto us from grass, etc that we are walking through. It's unlikely that a tick will find you while you are sleeping and then crawl onto you.

A few things. Lyme disease is real and sucks and in 90% of cases, especially if caught early, is very treatable with readily available antibiotics. Some people actually carry doxycycline with them so that can start taking it at the earliest signs and symptoms without having to wait for a doctor's visit.

Permethrine works wonders against ticks!!!
Again, permethrine works wonders against ticks!!!

Keep your socks, shoes and pants treated with permethrine, and it is unlikely that you will have any problems. Keep everything else (shirts, coats, hats, tents, packs, etc) treated with permethrine and you have an even smaller likelihood of having tick problems.

Inspect yourself regularly and thoroughly, with a mirror as needed for the harder to see areas, and/or with a partner. If you check every day for ticks, you can reduce your anxiety, and reduce your likelihood of experiencing lyme disease to almost 0%.

FWIW, living in the Boston area, a lyme disease epicenter, I know very few people that are active outdoors (even if just their back yards) and have not had lyme disease. A very small number of them have had on-going issues. The vast majority of them found lyme disease a significant nuisance, but have no long-term issues from it.

[swisscross]

I don't know that tents and nets really help that much with ticks. Most of us accumulate ticks during the day as they drop onto us from grass, etc that we are walking through. It's unlikely that a tick will find you while you are sleeping and then crawl onto you.

A few things. Lyme disease is real and sucks and in 90% of cases, especially if caught early, is very treatable with readily available antibiotics. Some people actually carry doxycycline with them so that can start taking it at the earliest signs and symptoms without having to wait for a doctor's visit.

Permethrine works wonders against ticks!!!
Again, permethrine works wonders against ticks!!!

Keep your socks, shoes and pants treated with permethrine, and it is unlikely that you will have any problems. Keep everything else (shirts, coats, hats, tents, packs, etc) treated with permethrine and you have an even smaller likelihood of having tick problems.

Inspect yourself regularly and thoroughly, with a mirror as needed for the harder to see areas, and/or with a partner. If you check every day for ticks, you can reduce your anxiety, and reduce your likelihood of experiencing lyme disease to almost 0%.

FWIW, living in the Boston area, a lyme disease epicenter, I know very few people that are active outdoors (even if just their back yards) and have not had lyme disease. A very small number of them have had on-going issues. The vast majority of them found lyme disease a significant nuisance, but have no long-term issues from it.

I treat everything.
Have a few friends that were misdiagnosed for years and suffer long term affects of Lyme that I don't want.

[josh_ATL]

I used a hammock without a bug net all last summer and didn't have a huge problem with bugs at night. That said, they were more than a slight inconvenience when there way daylight. I will probably keep my same setup to save on weight, but if I had to do over I'd buy something with a built in bug net.

[Lnj]

I think the true safety concern for mosquitos would be my sanity. The sound and the itching is enough to drive me to drink ... Clorox. Also the netting keeps spiders off of you, which do and will bite your face and whatever else and are poisonous and can rot your flesh away if it happens to be the right type. I have an indention in my face right as a testament and the netting keeps all critters and insects off of your person while you try to sleep, which is a plus. Its a big enough plus without even considering any type of serious illness. Just sanity. Anything that aids in your hiking experience versus detracting from it is a worthy endeavor.

[Jim Adams]

Used a tarp for 2 thru hikes and only needed deet for 2 nights each thru. Bugs were not a problem at all.

[Nealster]

Has anyone tried picaridin? Allegedly it is plastic safe. Doesn't stink and not as toxic too. Sounds to me as though it could replace netting except for the spider thing.

[Dogwood]

Considering all the colorful and exciting mosquito-borne diseases around, I'd suggest it's not really a luxury.

No organism has caused more human deaths than the mosquito.

That's ignoring the human deaths directly caused by another human's homicidal actions. Start adding in indirect and consequential human deaths from non direct homicidal human activities and it's clear more human deaths occur through the actions of other humans than any other source rather than some outside source or other species. Humans don't like being emotionally and intellectually honest about what they are capable of in a negative sense. Mosquitos are right up there second on the list though.

[ScareBear]

Has anyone tried picaridin? Allegedly it is plastic safe. Doesn't stink and not as toxic too. Sounds to me as though it could replace netting except for the spider thing.

I used picaridin this August in Jamaica. No sand flea bites, no no-see-um bites....no bites at all. And, Jamaica in August in the jungle is the stuff nightmares are made of....

The stuff does work.

A big bonus is that picaridin is far less toxic than DEET and does not adversely react with plastics/enamels/fabric.

Sawyer is the big marketer of picaridin right now...

[jeffmeh]

Has anyone tried picaridin? Allegedly it is plastic safe. Doesn't stink and not as toxic too. Sounds to me as though it could replace netting except for the spider thing.

I'm a big fan of Picaridin, as it does work well. That said, I would never go without bug netting during peak bug season in New England.