First off, please forgive me if this has been covered, I did a search on this board and came up empty!
I live in Louisiana and only average a few days per year of mosquito free weather. If you have never overnighted in this part of the country, the bugs around here can be tough, even when covered in bug juice! I have been toying with the idea of sewing one half of a plastic/nylon zipper around the peremimeter of a silnylon tarp and the other half to a bug net. I almost always set my tarp in an "A-frame" style setup and would cut the net so that it would be long enough to lay my floor tarp on top of it after setting up the roof. The netting and zipper would only add about 8 or 9 ounces to my pack!
Does this sound like an idea that would work, or am I just wizzing into the wind?
Henry Shires got there a long time ago. His whole business is designing tarps with netting sewn onto them. He gives away the pattern for his original homemade tarptent on his site.
Also, on Quest Outfitters, one of many good sources of fabric and netting: http://www.questoutfitters.com/patterns-tent,sleeping%20bag-cart.htm#Tent/Sleeping%20Bag%20Patterns
You caught me after I completed some ambitious googling to answer a similar question of mine... I ended up getting two yards of nanoseeum and making a half-net-tent with a drawcord to close around my quilt, enclosing my head/shoulders/torso adequately so I can roll/move without my head bumping the mesh. For those tarp-only overnights when I *might* need netting.
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"In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities. In the expert's mind there are few." Shunryu Suzuki
You can also look at Ray Jardine's site. You can buy his kits, or just look at his pictures and design your own. I think I like Henry's designs better, but Ray gives another perspective.
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I've taken a vow of poverty. To annoy me, send money.
Registered: 12/26/08
Posts: 382
Loc: Maine/New Jersey
I have heard a lot about Ray Jardine's website. Looks great and have only heard great things. I have plans of purchasing their quilt kit and tarp kit soon, but being a broke college student prevents me from that atm lol. Someday.
Whats great about that site is they give you all the fabric and you, or someone you know with confident sewing skills, sews it together which = huge savings for you.
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"To me, hammocking is relaxing, laying, swaying. A steady slow morphine drip without the risk of renal failure." - Dale Gribbel
Registered: 01/10/06
Posts: 679
Loc: Central Texas
I've used a shaped tarp (Jardine style) with perimeter bug net for several years - 210 to 240 total trail days. Works fine and you really don't need a pattern or kit. Just look at some pix and do it.
Henry Shires got there a long time ago. His whole business is designing tarps with netting sewn onto them. He gives away the pattern for his original homemade tarptent on his site.
Also, on Quest Outfitters, one of many good sources of fabric and netting: http://www.questoutfitters.com/patterns-tent,sleeping%20bag-cart.htm#Tent/Sleeping%20Bag%20Patterns
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