DIY bug nets

[c0rpocamper]

Not sure if this has been asked before but I’m new to hammock camping and trying to keep costs low. I see fancy zip‑on bug nets, but I’m wondering if DIY options like mesh and clips actually work in the woods. Anyone here found a cheap but reliable fix?

 

[cougarmeat]

c0rpocamper, your first post - welcome to the forum.

Take a look at the HUG design sold by ArrowHead. It has one attachment to the hammock ridgeline and drapes over your head and down to about mid-torso. It idea is, all the rest of you is protected - inside your insulation. It assumes a bite-proof hammock bottom. Either you have a pad or an underquilt (UQ), or a double layer (DL) hammock - though some (probably from Alaska, where mosquitoes are so big they have to file a flight plan) claim mosquitoes can bite through two layers of nylon.

If I'm not using a hammock with a built-in net, or convinced myself to bring a 3rd party full coverage, zipper entry, net, I have the HUG with me.

 

[Alan]

c0rpocamper, your first post - welcome to the forum.

Take a look at the HUG design sold by ArrowHead. It has one attachment to the hammock ridgeline and drapes over your head and down to about mid-torso. It idea is, all the rest of you is protected - inside your insulation. It assumes a bite-proof hammock bottom. Either you have a pad or an underquilt (UQ), or a double layer (DL) hammock - though some (probably from Alaska, where mosquitoes are so big they have to file a flight plan) claim mosquitoes can bite through two layers of nylon.

If I'm not using a hammock with a built-in net, or convinced myself to bring a 3rd party full coverage, zipper entry, net, I have the HUG with me.

View attachment 50

That’s a clever setup! Do you find the HUG more comfortable than a full coverage net on longer trips, or is it more of a lightweight backup option?

 

[cougarmeat]

The HUG is a more lightweight option. It packs down to about the size between a hardball and a softball and weighs about as much as two feathers.
I always carry it in my day pack because it only takes one mosquito to ruin a nap. But remember, it only covers the head to upper torso, expecting an TQ and UQ (or double layer hammock), to protect your lower half. It also expects the hammock to have a ridgeline - easy enough to accommodate.

Though most of my overnight hammocks have built-in netting, I do have some 3rd party full coverage, zip-opening, bug nets. If pulled out a bit on the sides, (for example, using small bulldog clips and guyline/bungee) you can sit with your legs outside the hammock and still be covered. If you treat the netting with Permethrin, mosquitoes,ticks, chiggers, mites, black flies, sand flies/midges, spiders, and ants approach at their peril; some repelled, some dead on contact.

 

[cougarmeat]

The HUG is a more lightweight option. It packs down to about the size between a hardball and a softball and weighs about as much as two feathers.
I always carry it in my day pack because it only takes one mosquito to ruin a nap. But remember, it only covers the head to upper torso, expecting an TQ and UQ (or double layer hammock), to protect your lower half.

Though most my overnight hammocks have built-in netting, I do have some 3rd party full coverage, zip-opening, bug nets. If pulled out a bit (for example, using small bulldog clips and guyline/bungee) you can sit with your legs outside the hammock and still be covered. If you treat the netting with Permethrin, mosquitoes,ticks, chiggers, mites, black flies, sand flies/midges, spiders, and ants approach at their peril; some repelled, some dead on contact.