DEET: it rhymes with obsolete. I did field work in the Cascades in the peak of bug season when I was in college, and was getting absolutely swarmed by mosquitoes while writing reports. Then I started using lightweight, long sleeved clothes with permethrin impregnated, a headnet, and picaridin on the backs of my hands. I don't think I got a single bite after that for the rest of the season.
As someone who is violently allergic mosquitoes (legit medical anaphylaxis, have to carry Epi Pens, I'm not just being overdramatic here) and is also a ginger who was born and raised in middle of nowhere West Texas with a dad who LOVED the outdoors and was quite fond of "camping trips" that in hingsight were really more like simulated survival situations, I can confirm that often times, the bugs are NOT as much of an issue as you think they'd be. I've been dragged thru some really swampy, really damp areas that you'd assume would be HEAVEN for mosquitoes and other nasties that just... aren't. Also gonna say this, if bugs are really becoming an issue for you thru one certain area and you have no other good options, use mud. There's a reason that many groups of people throughout history who have lived off the land, particularly in island environments, used "body paint" or "war paint" or whatever other silly name we've assigned to it. It was simple and effective protection from both the sun and bug nasties. I promise mud washes off. If you're out on a thru hike or even a section hike, face it, you're gonna be stinky and dirty anyway by our general societal standards, so just embrace it and use it to your advantage. As a ginger, I sunburn SO easily and SO badly, and I have been spared many many times from what I know would have been terribly painful burns that would have forced me to cut trips short, especially on the back of my neck/shoulders, just by caking on the mud.
Here in AZ I get absolutely eaten alive in the summer. I'm allergic too but not as bad as you, my mosquito bites just swell extremely large and get all inflamed (it's called Skeeter Syndrome). During the rainy season I get easily a dozen bites anytime I go out, and they were ALWAYS an issue, even with bug spray. Everytime I went outside I ended up with bites, and I don't even live near water
I’m in Houston, the mosquitos get thick! But caking yourself in mud? Are you the Schwarzenegger in Predator? Get an umbrella and long sleeves and pants 😂
I know an Alaskan guide who has done a lot of practical testing with mosquitos. He says that light, neutral clothing colours win every time. So not dark, and not brightly coloured.
@@michaelgrimes5588 I love it, every bit as effective as DEET in the marshland here, lasts just as long/longer, doesn't melt/discolor any fabrics or equipment, and smells a lot nicer than DEET does. I have no plans of buying deet-containing bugspray over picaridin/icaridin ones in the future.
Sleeping I beat the bugs with a bug proof hammock. Hiking is another story especially with the Ticks. If there is a tick in 100 yards of me it will find me. My remedy for them is Sawyers Permethrin. I treat my clothing with a light spray application before leaving and let it dry overnight. The one application is good for 42 days or 6 washings. Any bug ( Mosquito , Chigger , Tick , Mites ) getting on the treated clothing will be repelled or die. The Permethrin will not damage any of your equipment like Deet can. I spray all of my gear including my hat and backpack. Since I've been using it I have not had a tick problem. The silver reflective umbrellas are great. Got them years ago from GoLite when they had the close out sale. ( one to use , one for a spare)
Most bugs are primarily attracted to body heat... especially mosquitos, ticks, & flies because they can see infrared light. Mosquitos also detect CO2 which is also how they find prey. Bright colors only attract pollinators, like butterflies, bees, & wasps. Wearing dark clothing won't help you avoid the bugs that bug you.
Most scientists disagree. Plenty of studies out there saying mosquitos are attracted to colors such as black, red and orange. I've had excellent luck wearing white long sleeve shirts on week long float trips in Alaska. I've experimented and found this to be true. I'm not sure why, perhaps I am cooler with white but I know it works.
@@CampfireKodiak Infrared is just outside of our visual range of the red spectrum, next to orange. Red, Orange, Black, or black/browns & black/blues pigments, are infrared opaque... so it's not the colors that are attracting blood sucking insects. It's the increase of emmitted infrared light.
South Eastern USA T.A.G. area here. In June and July our bugs are the size of light aircraft. And those are the bugs colliding with your head to eat the bugs that are eating you. It's a unique experience. I think I would want at the very least the umbrella solution with lots of DEET. I know people here that do the tarp thing, and have camped with them, but it takes a special breed of deep sleeper.
Tent = tarp + ground sheet + mosquito net which isolates you and your stuff from the bugs, snakes, rain and surface water by almost 100%. If you use each of them separately (not as a single tent) you get just 90% protection. Once in Cuba smaller mosquitoes still got through the eyes of the bug net. Single wall A-shape tent, supported by sticks or trekking poles weighs almost the same. Besides in hot weather you don't want a sleeping bag or a bivvy bag.
I definitely agree that a tent gives you more protection, but a lot of people choose tarps for reasons other then weight savings. I like the open feeling of a tarp and the increased air circulation. I cowboy camp whenever possible, but if I think it might rain I'll just throw up the tarp without a net. Also cost me half of what a tent of similar weight would. Either way there's gonna be trade offs I guess.
That’s definitely true too many people in tropical areas. Some smaller and more aggressive mosquitoes can still bite through the net if your skin are right next to it.
Thank you for emphasizing research. I feel like people always give tips about how to cut weight when the best way to cut weight is to know how to research your conditions so you can leave things at home.
There is no doubt the tarp is super light and your never getting lighter. The umbrella and bug net makes sense if your doing the PCT since I can see carrying a umbrella but certainly not on the AT. The Zpack solo comes in at a little over 13 ounces and it takes care of so many of us less hardcore hikers concerns. I do like the umbrella idea though. You are spot on about bug seasons. I live in New England and I avoid parts of May and June. Black fly season can be brutal. I usually mountain bike then mostly and keep moving. You can’t beat the weight of the tarp though. It’s all give and take. So light and so packable.
I used an umbrella on the AT and loved it for the rain and ventilation. You are very right about seasons tho, for those just visiting it's best to avoid buggy times like I try to do, but for those who live in such an area a tent is often better all around
Absolutely loved this video and your channel in general. Interesting side note is that Buddhist Forest monks in SE Asia having been using umbrella condoms during their solitary meditations for at least a hundred years or so. It really works!
Mosquito heading STRAIGHT FOR YOU 1:37 ;) Lol. just saying. Thanks for the vid. Im worried about other critters as well. Snakes rodents etc. cant do the tarp camping just yet. But Kudos
Plus if you keep the Noseeum net in tact and it's large enough, you can just lay it down first then lay your tarp over it, clip them together and then set up the tarp normally with the bug net draping. When I lived in the Caribbean, Avon's "Skin so soft" also kept them away.
I wear bright colours, so THANK YOU.....I will wear my earth tones instead of bright pink. I have been resisting deet and bug spray, but no more.....going with your advice. Just a little on a bandana.
cheap bugnet from the friendly swede(225 holes per square inch, $17, 5.46oz) or seatosummit (500 holes per inch, $34, 4oz) ... just remember to spray with permethrin and let dry.PS love my tarp.
I remember seeing Lint using this umbrella bugnetting in a video a few years ago. Thought it was so cool! Very neat that you made one! This makes me want my own though I dont use an umbrella here in NJ and NY
@@norbertivanyi3156 Well I made my rectangular, but with a little measuring or simply eye ballin' you could make yours the exact shape of the umbrella. I would start longer than you think you need, then after some testing in the field feel free to cut from it. You can also use some elastic cord around the waste end to make sure it stays secure on your body.
Great and informative video! Thanks for sharing. I think tarps are beautiful and awesome. Unfortunately, I live in the tick infested Eastern Woodlands. I like to zip up my gear and myself in my Z-Packs Duplex.
I was out today and it was just mildly warm, but breezy. I kind of struggled with it as I did a lot of walking, but there was shade and respite. Otherwise I prefer to be inside until it cools off to 70 degrees or cooler and so I would never camp or hike out when summer comes. Interesting to me that most hikers only go out during Florida's winter. I guess I'm not the only one who hates the humid, muggy climate. It can really wear you down. Good information and nicely done.
Awesome advice, I love the bug condom thing. Totally gonna try that. I started backpacking with a tarp this past year and so far love it. Going tomorrow back into the Smokies tarp is my go to now. I have 2 bivies I use but definitely going to try the umbrella condom. Thanks, great tips!
I don't really see how the condom is more useful than a bivy. Your netting weighed 4.8oz and your bivy was 7.2. So for an extra 2.4oz you can add about 5 degrees of warmth to your sleeping bag, add some water protection, you can sleep in just your bivy on warm nights and no sleeping bag/quilt, and you can ditch your ground cloth. Just something for people to consider. To each their own, thanks for the videos.
Very good video subject. Ozark Trail has a mesh suit that comes in pants and jacket sold at Walmart. The jacket covers entire head and has a zipper for an opening when you need to access your face that you can keep closed at all times when needed. You can even wear a cap that fits in it perfectly since it has lots of room it’s inches in the arms and the pants inches and the ankles. The jacket is so roomy that you can take your hands off the sleeves and bring your MRA inside and it comfortably. This entire suit is on really light and I have you said and highly recommended. I am not saying is the best system against bugs but is surely one very good solution. It is on really cheap and available everywhere since Walmart is everywhere. Would you like to get yourself one at Walmart and make a video about it? I would love to see a video where are you speak about your impressions about it. It is kind of fragile so be careful when you use it out there. I do not recommend this to be used if you are bushwhacking. Thank you so much for all your videos. They are very instructional and your experiences are exceptional. I almost forgot to mention, eating garlic a lot will make you smell like garlic and keep the bugs away in the natural way. God bless you.
I’ve heard that dryer sheets repel bugs. (They sure are repelling to me). A few around my tent seem to help, but that’s not from any scientific observations. Personally, before I leave for a camping trip, I spray permethrin on the inside surfaces of tent, gear, and clothing. The most dangerous animal to mankind is the mosquito - followed closely by the tick. “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Courtesy of Half Vast Flying
I have the Breeze mesh tent now, but I started out with the Friendly Swede's little bug bivie. Works great as long as you spray your feet with deet before going to sleep.
Oh, brother. Years ago, I hiked Mt. Katahdin in Maine in the summer and we were literally devoured by insects. The ONLY respite came from slathering Deet over all our exposed skin. A Deet infused bandana would not have worked at all. And yes, as you note, Citronella is useless.
I believe that different colors do attract bugs. I went on a hike with a friend. Both of us were wearing pants and we switched up the order(I’m in front then him and so on). I’m wearing light tan pants and he is wearing darker greenish color. I didn’t have a single tick on my body or pants. He had around 7-8 ticks that we found on his pants. Both of us had no treatments or bug spray on so I believe that my super light tan pants didn’t attract ticks while his darker pants did
I am in the Southwest. we have all sorts of stinging/biting critters. Scorpions, poisonous centipedes, Velvet ants, (which are actually crawling wasps. Mojave Green snakes which are more poisonous than most rattlers as they have a neuro toxin). And then there are fire ants, killer bees, yellow jackets. Sweet dreams.
I just recently started using a tarp as a shelter. I’ve definitely considered using Lint’s system for bugs, but I am still concerned about snakes at night, while I sleep. Are there any articles/personal experience that you can give to help educate and give me some peace of mind?
I use a tarp and bivybag and have no problem with snakes. We are not their food so don't worry about it. I just use earplugs to keep something from getting in my ear. I am more afraid of that than a snake
Another thing is to have a fire going. Insects and wild animals are terrified by the smell of warm smoke. It doesn't have to smoke a lot, just a small fire that smolders for a few hours and it really clears them out. Where I live my tropical bugs are so bad that often deet + citronella don't keep away. Only really effective things are covering all your skin or smoking them out. A couple incense sticks can be effective too too. But a fire has the advantage of keeping away wild animals such as boars and presumably snakes too
Sometimes I carry a boy scout candle for walks in the jungle. Because when I take a break I just get swarmed by mosquitoes instantly; the candle instantly gives a nice cloud of smoke when you put it out
Wow...very simple to treat all your clothing with Permetherin, which comes from Chrysanthemums. One treatment lasts through several washings or about a month. Even simpler, use permanent Insect Shield Clothing and Hats. Lasts through seventy (70) washings at least. Both treatments will kill ticks, nosiums, mosquitoes, black flies, that might light on, or crawl on your clothing. Picaridin insect repellent also works very well, and it is derived from pepper.
Alright I've had my team review the tapes! Confirmed we do see a mosquito at that time, but never it bite me. It must be repelled by how shitty I smell and my bland clothing.
Great video, advice, and excellent over view. I remember Clint’s video mentioning the umbrella net... I’m on board ( thx for the reminder). Jean Ward from Alaska
Nice Solutions! I like your Videos. Give essential tea tree oil a shot. You only need a few drops. That works very good against Bugs and is the lithest option too. Haven't tried to heal blisters with it but lots of people say that works also good.
@@rowanfernsler9725 , last hike, I hammock camped in pine woods, there were hundreds of seed ticks. I had sprayed everything with permethrin, so was Ok.
I'm late to the party, but what about picaridin? Have you tried it? I have yet to use it on trail but my preliminary tests (backyard, day at the park, couple soccer games) seemed to yield good results. I am attempting my first 150+ mile through hike in just over 2 weeks and was planning on leaving the deet at home and just bringing the picaradin.
I've done a bit of hammock trekking in Panama and Guyana......Florida in the summer is worse for bugs than south or central america during the dry season........ 30% deet is all you need.......100% deet will melt nylon which is not good....... permethrin has worked well for me in the dry seasons and will murder ticks... ...if you are in a tick infested area I really like treated clothes. I have seen Embera Indians in Panama cut a few palm fronds and make a mat then just sleep on the ground.....that's hard core. Your recommendation for head net is really good......with long sleeves pants and socks the only exposed skin is your hands........that is the way the military instructors for several countries teach jungle survival...... sleep dry at night.....cover up with clothes and headnet......change back into wet clothes during the day.......keeps down insect bites and jungle rot.....your feet dry out at night in the dry socks
Enjoyed this video. Do you have dimensions for your umbrella bugnet? I would guess instead of putting two squares together if you rounded the top to match the umbrella this may save some weight? Also what did you do with the bottom did you do elastic or sew a channel for a synch cord? I want to make one and maybe make some instructions for others(distributed for free of course) who want to make one to shave some weight from their setup.
I like the bug bivy. You forgot to mention putting your clothes into a trash bag and spraying Permethrin before you go hiking in them. They use Permethrin to kill bed bugs, fleas, ticks, etc. . Permethrin is acceptable for human contact but NOT IF YOU HAVE CATS. Permethrin is like nerve gas to cats.
Here’s a very effective but old school way to keep bugs and people away while on the trail. Sulfur Tablets and sulfur powder. You’ll chase every living thing about 200 yards away with a single sulfur fart.
Great video! Just one comment, for around 4oz for the umbrella condom, you can get cuben fiber bug bivy for the same weight from Borah Gear. This allows you to be outside of your sleeping bag/quilt if the weather is warm.
Yes but the bug bivy is roughly 200$ while some noseeum mesh is around 10 ;) And what I like about the umbrella bivy is that the umbrella holds it up, giving more room at the head end than other bivies sold on the market. That said, you are completely right, and ultimately that is the exact reason I eventually did get the MLD superlight, so I could camp in warm weather, outside my quilt. All together, more options is a nice thing!
You're right, the price is a bit more than going the DIY route. For me the bivy is worth the price as it offers more flexibility on warmer nights when the mosquitoes can be more of an issue. I also find the Borah bivy in size wide offers decent headroom for even someone as claustrophobic as I :)
I wonder if you have tested your bug net in a heavy mosquito area. I haven't been to Florida, but in Cuba (which should be similar) mosquitoes found every smallest gap, smaller mosquitoes even got through the mesh eyes, making sleeping or even survival impossible. Only tent with very small mesh-covered ventilation areas saved me. So bug net must be perfect and without any gaps.
Why not just bring the sides of the tarp close to the ground with a bit of mosquito netting protection. Then netting on the open side with a zipper for access. Or just have some mosquito netting all the way around. Seems like such a simple solution plus you have so much more room inside this way.
Could you perhaps make a video on your favourite tarp setups and setups for stormy weather? I would also like to see a closeup of the Borah tarp stitching and tie outs. Your videos are just getting better!
I’m in Alaska and I can tell you deet doesn’t work for nothing for mosquitoes. That bottle weighs as much as a sea to summit bug net. Hell I’d carry a thermacell and recharge pads and fuel if I had to. Lol thermacell works good for mosquitos all other bugs I’m not to worried about. But it’s not really good for backpacking light. Deet also will melt laminated clothing. Rain jackets inner laminate had melted on a few of my rain coats from deet. And it makes your tongue tingle if you get it on your hands and touch food etc.
I wash my backpacking clothes in tea tree soap because I figure it lice don’t like the smell other things might not too 😂 also when possible I will set my shirt hat and or pants in the smoke trail of a night time fire because they hate smoke smell for sure
Good info to consider. I'm thru hiking the US starting in March and I'm dreading the prospect of mosquitos in the Midwest in the summer. Maybe I'll do a video in the summer on my channel showing the results.
@@JupiterHikes That's what I'm still in the process of figuring out. Maybe you can give me some pointers. I'll be starting in the deserts of SoCal and northern Arizona, to the Grand Canyon and Navajo Reservation - so there's likely to be lots of wind. Next I'll be in the Rockies and Front Range in May - thus potential cold overnight temps. June to September will be the Plains and Midwest - so, likely thunderstorms and bugs. In the fall and to Thanksgiving or so I'll be through the Appalachians and Eastern Seaboard - therefore some rain and cool temps. There will be a good bit of stealth camping along the way. My quandary is to figure out if a tent and ground cloth is the way to go for the whole trip (and then figuring out how to adapt it to all the different conditions) or to use a tent for a portion. Your suggestions?
@@iLikeMike I think given the true distance and un certainly of your trip a tent may be best. Things like the pct or AT and shorter trails are more or less figured out. What you're doing is more so your own. Making the tent a best option it does it all. Now if you knew when you'd deal with bugs then a tarp and a shipped in bivy for that section would be great, and that's likely what I'd do.
I'm contemplating going to a tarp. I have a few questions. What size tarp do you recommend for 1 adult & a medium size dog. What about snakes. I live and backpack in Tn. where we have no shortage of copperheads & rattlesnakes. Have you ever woke up to one curl up next to you?
anywhere in the 8x10, 9x10, or 10x10 range. that will give you tons of room underneath! More than a tent of any sort of reasonable weight could offer. And here's the trick with reptiles... They're cold blooded, so they just don't move around at night and it's not at all a concern. You're cold and sleeping, they've been cold and sleeping. And no I've never ever had a problem like that.
Your condom idea was invented 170 years ago by the British army. You don't need to sow sheets of mesh together, just get a mosquito net for a bed (single bed one weighs hardly anything), then it can be suspended under your tarp with or without a umbrella. Also if you go abroad and watch the locals they rarely seem bothered by mosquitos,they say eating a lot of garlic is supposed to work wonders. I don't know how true this is but I eat a lot of garlic and it has been 15 to 20 years since I have had a mosquito bite.
Nice video,. But you didn't mention animals and other non-bug creatures. I find it difficult you enough hearing creatures rustling near me in my tent, but with an open tarp I would be edgy all night and barely sleep. How do deal with this?
I guess over a long time I realized most of those sounds are just small things like lizards and their sound is amplified by fear. I have come across some other animals but through those encounters (armadillo, groundhog, more lizards, wild pigs, raccoon, mice) have also concluded that most animals are pretty friendly and just trying to do their thing. Some stuff that helps me, wearing a beanie over my ears to muffle sound, same can work with spare clothing, or just a very big sleeping bag over the head. Sometimes I'll play a podcast outloud on my phones speakers and that helps immensely to have a couple other people speaking even if they aren't there! I still sometimes worry but still nothing has happened
@@JupiterHikes One other question. Your video did not mention ticks. In wooded areas how do mange. Finally, if using a mesh bivy under a tarp (maybe against ticks?), How do you get in and out easily?
@@JupiterHikes I had a fox sneaking past once, it scared him silly when he noticed me looking at him! I figure smaller animals wouldn't mess with one as large as me or they'd be removed from the gene pool by now!
Mosquitoes are attracted to co2 emission, so stop breathing when you sleep. Ultralight
Hahaha good one🍺
Then you save oxygen because you’re not converting it to co2. Thusly decreasing your carbon footprint.
😂🤣
Hah, I came to the comments to say just that. Also, horse/deer flies eat me up and I'm not out there wearing perfume.
As someone who suffers with sleep apnoea, it's good to know I'll survive well in the wild!
DEET: it rhymes with obsolete. I did field work in the Cascades in the peak of bug season when I was in college, and was getting absolutely swarmed by mosquitoes while writing reports. Then I started using lightweight, long sleeved clothes with permethrin impregnated, a headnet, and picaridin on the backs of my hands. I don't think I got a single bite after that for the rest of the season.
In Maine the blackflies horseflies moosflies and sketers do not care what color you have on they will eat you alive
So what's the strategy to avoid the bugs in Maine?
As someone who is violently allergic mosquitoes (legit medical anaphylaxis, have to carry Epi Pens, I'm not just being overdramatic here) and is also a ginger who was born and raised in middle of nowhere West Texas with a dad who LOVED the outdoors and was quite fond of "camping trips" that in hingsight were really more like simulated survival situations, I can confirm that often times, the bugs are NOT as much of an issue as you think they'd be. I've been dragged thru some really swampy, really damp areas that you'd assume would be HEAVEN for mosquitoes and other nasties that just... aren't. Also gonna say this, if bugs are really becoming an issue for you thru one certain area and you have no other good options, use mud. There's a reason that many groups of people throughout history who have lived off the land, particularly in island environments, used "body paint" or "war paint" or whatever other silly name we've assigned to it. It was simple and effective protection from both the sun and bug nasties.
I promise mud washes off. If you're out on a thru hike or even a section hike, face it, you're gonna be stinky and dirty anyway by our general societal standards, so just embrace it and use it to your advantage. As a ginger, I sunburn SO easily and SO badly, and I have been spared many many times from what I know would have been terribly painful burns that would have forced me to cut trips short, especially on the back of my neck/shoulders, just by caking on the mud.
Here in AZ I get absolutely eaten alive in the summer. I'm allergic too but not as bad as you, my mosquito bites just swell extremely large and get all inflamed (it's called Skeeter Syndrome). During the rainy season I get easily a dozen bites anytime I go out, and they were ALWAYS an issue, even with bug spray. Everytime I went outside I ended up with bites, and I don't even live near water
I’m in Houston, the mosquitos get thick! But caking yourself in mud? Are you the Schwarzenegger in Predator? Get an umbrella and long sleeves and pants 😂
I know an Alaskan guide who has done a lot of practical testing with mosquitos. He says that light, neutral clothing colours win every time. So not dark, and not brightly coloured.
Consider picaridin as an alternative to deet, and permethrin to treat your clothing and gear. Deet isn’t the only option anymore.
Ive always wantes to give it a try, ive just never had an issue with Deet...maybe ill get a bottle next time
@@michaelgrimes5588 I love it, every bit as effective as DEET in the marshland here, lasts just as long/longer, doesn't melt/discolor any fabrics or equipment, and smells a lot nicer than DEET does. I have no plans of buying deet-containing bugspray over picaridin/icaridin ones in the future.
Permethrin works a treat for me! Been in hot muggy Michigan with bugs all around, but they all stayed far away.
Avon Skin so Soft
You constantly look like you’re trying to restrain laughter and it makes me laugh. Good times!
Sleeping I beat the bugs with a bug proof hammock. Hiking is another story especially with the Ticks. If there is a tick in 100 yards of me it will find me. My remedy for them is Sawyers Permethrin. I treat my clothing with a light spray application before leaving and let it dry overnight. The one application is good for 42 days or 6 washings. Any bug ( Mosquito , Chigger , Tick , Mites ) getting on the treated clothing will be repelled or die. The Permethrin will not damage any of your equipment like Deet can. I spray all of my gear including my hat and backpack. Since I've been using it I have not had a tick problem.
The silver reflective umbrellas are great. Got them years ago from GoLite when they had the close out sale. ( one to use , one for a spare)
Most bugs are primarily attracted to body heat... especially mosquitos, ticks, & flies because they can see infrared light. Mosquitos also detect CO2 which is also how they find prey.
Bright colors only attract pollinators, like butterflies, bees, & wasps. Wearing dark clothing won't help you avoid the bugs that bug you.
Most scientists disagree. Plenty of studies out there saying mosquitos are attracted to colors such as black, red and orange. I've had excellent luck wearing white long sleeve shirts on week long float trips in Alaska. I've experimented and found this to be true. I'm not sure why, perhaps I am cooler with white but I know it works.
@@CampfireKodiak
Infrared is just outside of our visual range of the red spectrum, next to orange.
Red, Orange, Black, or black/browns & black/blues pigments, are infrared opaque... so it's not the colors that are attracting blood sucking insects.
It's the increase of emmitted infrared light.
South Eastern USA T.A.G. area here. In June and July our bugs are the size of light aircraft. And those are the bugs colliding with your head to eat the bugs that are eating you. It's a unique experience. I think I would want at the very least the umbrella solution with lots of DEET. I know people here that do the tarp thing, and have camped with them, but it takes a special breed of deep sleeper.
You may have experienced de-lamination on your rain gear. I sure have.
Tent = tarp + ground sheet + mosquito net which isolates you and your stuff from the bugs, snakes, rain and surface water by almost 100%. If you use each of them separately (not as a single tent) you get just 90% protection. Once in Cuba smaller mosquitoes still got through the eyes of the bug net. Single wall A-shape tent, supported by sticks or trekking poles weighs almost the same. Besides in hot weather you don't want a sleeping bag or a bivvy bag.
I definitely agree that a tent gives you more protection, but a lot of people choose tarps for reasons other then weight savings. I like the open feeling of a tarp and the increased air circulation. I cowboy camp whenever possible, but if I think it might rain I'll just throw up the tarp without a net. Also cost me half of what a tent of similar weight would. Either way there's gonna be trade offs I guess.
That’s definitely true too many people in tropical areas. Some smaller and more aggressive mosquitoes can still bite through the net if your skin are right next to it.
Thank you for emphasizing research. I feel like people always give tips about how to cut weight when the best way to cut weight is to know how to research your conditions so you can leave things at home.
Bugs are one thing but what about snakes? I wouldn’t care to share my sleep set up with a snake in the middle of the night...😉
There is no doubt the tarp is super light and your never getting lighter. The umbrella and bug net makes sense if your doing the PCT since I can see carrying a umbrella but certainly not on the AT. The Zpack solo comes in at a little over 13 ounces and it takes care of so many of us less hardcore hikers concerns. I do like the umbrella idea though. You are spot on about bug seasons. I live in New England and I avoid parts of May and June. Black fly season can be brutal. I usually mountain bike then mostly and keep moving. You can’t beat the weight of the tarp though. It’s all give and take. So light and so packable.
I used an umbrella on the AT and loved it for the rain and ventilation. You are very right about seasons tho, for those just visiting it's best to avoid buggy times like I try to do, but for those who live in such an area a tent is often better all around
Absolutely loved this video and your channel in general. Interesting side note is that Buddhist Forest monks in SE Asia having been using umbrella condoms during their solitary meditations for at least a hundred years or so. It really works!
I just used a GG tarp in the PCT for a few days and I kinda like it. I need to work on my set up a little bit. Thanks for the bug tips.
Mosquito heading STRAIGHT FOR YOU 1:37 ;) Lol. just saying. Thanks for the vid. Im worried about other critters as well. Snakes rodents etc. cant do the tarp camping just yet. But Kudos
Plus if you keep the Noseeum net in tact and it's large enough, you can just lay it down first then lay your tarp over it, clip them together and then set up the tarp normally with the bug net draping. When I lived in the Caribbean, Avon's "Skin so soft" also kept them away.
I tuck my pants into my socks, I put socks on my hands and tuck my sleeves into them and I pull my buff over my face and wear my beanie, BUG SUIT!!!
You should make a video on tarp camping in rain/snow. Appreciate the knowledge you pass on to us!
I wear bright colours, so THANK YOU.....I will wear my earth tones instead of bright pink. I have been resisting deet and bug spray, but no more.....going with your advice. Just a little on a bandana.
cheap bugnet from the friendly swede(225 holes per square inch, $17, 5.46oz) or seatosummit (500 holes per inch, $34, 4oz) ... just remember to spray with permethrin and let dry.PS love my tarp.
Powered through the boogie. What a PRO.
Good info! I really enjoy your format...concise and to the point with no BS. Keep the vids coming.
I remember seeing Lint using this umbrella bugnetting in a video a few years ago. Thought it was so cool! Very neat that you made one! This makes me want my own though I dont use an umbrella here in NJ and NY
Go for it! It's super easy to make a basic one, and would be very easy given some basic sewing skills to improve upon it drastically.
@@JupiterHikes I think I will. My grandmother is now currently living with me and has decades of sewing experience, so I wonder what can be done.
@@norbertivanyi3156 Well I made my rectangular, but with a little measuring or simply eye ballin' you could make yours the exact shape of the umbrella. I would start longer than you think you need, then after some testing in the field feel free to cut from it. You can also use some elastic cord around the waste end to make sure it stays secure on your body.
How long did youmake it?
Absolutely love the bug condom idea. Thank you for sharing it!!
Great and informative video! Thanks for sharing. I think tarps are beautiful and awesome. Unfortunately, I live in the tick infested Eastern Woodlands. I like to zip up my gear and myself in my Z-Packs Duplex.
The space to live in with just enough to breath in 😂😂
I was out today and it was just mildly warm, but breezy. I kind of struggled with it as I did a lot of walking, but there was shade and respite. Otherwise I prefer to be inside until it cools off to 70 degrees or cooler and so I would never camp or hike out when summer comes. Interesting to me that most hikers only go out during Florida's winter. I guess I'm not the only one who hates the humid, muggy climate. It can really wear you down. Good information and nicely done.
How about ticks?
Awesome advice, I love the bug condom thing. Totally gonna try that. I started backpacking with a tarp this past year and so far love it. Going tomorrow back into the Smokies tarp is my go to now. I have 2 bivies I use but definitely going to try the umbrella condom. Thanks, great tips!
Lemon eucalyptus works the best for natural bug protection I feel. Saved my butt in the sierra.
What about the crawling bugs??
OREGON. During the 2017 PCT some hikers found Coghlan's bug jackets, pants and head nets in hiker boxes.
1:38 As mosquito ironically draws blood from his jugular...
I don't really see how the condom is more useful than a bivy. Your netting weighed 4.8oz and your bivy was 7.2. So for an extra 2.4oz you can add about 5 degrees of warmth to your sleeping bag, add some water protection, you can sleep in just your bivy on warm nights and no sleeping bag/quilt, and you can ditch your ground cloth. Just something for people to consider. To each their own, thanks for the videos.
Very good video subject. Ozark Trail has a mesh suit that comes in pants and jacket sold at Walmart. The jacket covers entire head and has a zipper for an opening when you need to access your face that you can keep closed at all times when needed. You can even wear a cap that fits in it perfectly since it has lots of room it’s inches in the arms and the pants inches and the ankles. The jacket is so roomy that you can take your hands off the sleeves and bring your MRA inside and it comfortably. This entire suit is on really light and I have you said and highly recommended. I am not saying is the best system against bugs but is surely one very good solution. It is on really cheap and available everywhere since Walmart is everywhere. Would you like to get yourself one at Walmart and make a video about it? I would love to see a video where are you speak about your impressions about it. It is kind of fragile so be careful when you use it out there. I do not recommend this to be used if you are bushwhacking. Thank you so much for all your videos. They are very instructional and your experiences are exceptional. I almost forgot to mention, eating garlic a lot will make you smell like garlic and keep the bugs away in the natural way. God bless you.
Permethrin and Picarin work pretty well instead of DEET in the PNW.
How do you deal snakes and spiders with the tarp tent.
GREAT GREAT INFO!!! Thank you thank you! Ive gotta get one of those gossamer umbrellas!! Peace.
I'd get a hotel room with a nice view of the woods.
I like that Omni Shade shirt. I have the one with the pocket flaps like yours, and a newer one without the flaps. I like the old one better.
I’ve heard that dryer sheets repel bugs. (They sure are repelling to me). A few around my tent seem to help, but that’s not from any scientific observations. Personally, before I leave for a camping trip, I spray permethrin on the inside surfaces of tent, gear, and clothing. The most dangerous animal to mankind is the mosquito - followed closely by the tick. “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
Courtesy of Half Vast Flying
I have the Breeze mesh tent now, but I started out with the Friendly Swede's little bug bivie. Works great as long as you spray your feet with deet before going to sleep.
Oh, brother. Years ago, I hiked Mt. Katahdin in Maine in the summer and we were literally devoured by insects. The ONLY respite came from slathering Deet over all our exposed skin. A Deet infused bandana would not have worked at all. And yes, as you note, Citronella is useless.
Deet works but dang its evil. I used it on a bikepacking trip and it melted my helmet.
Same here
I believe that different colors do attract bugs. I went on a hike with a friend. Both of us were wearing pants and we switched up the order(I’m in front then him and so on). I’m wearing light tan pants and he is wearing darker greenish color. I didn’t have a single tick on my body or pants. He had around 7-8 ticks that we found on his pants. Both of us had no treatments or bug spray on so I believe that my super light tan pants didn’t attract ticks while his darker pants did
I am in the Southwest. we have all sorts of stinging/biting critters. Scorpions, poisonous centipedes, Velvet ants, (which are actually crawling wasps. Mojave Green snakes which are more poisonous than most rattlers as they have a neuro toxin). And then there are fire ants, killer bees, yellow jackets. Sweet dreams.
I’m going to stick to cool weather hiking and packing and spend my summers by the pool. Couple laps, lots of sun. Get that tan built up.
umbrella hack is pure genius
think just saving up and buying a zpack pleximid or sixmoon deschutes plus would be wiser
Lots of mosquitos in Washington, too...
I just recently started using a tarp as a shelter. I’ve definitely considered using Lint’s system for bugs, but I am still concerned about snakes at night, while I sleep. Are there any articles/personal experience that you can give to help educate and give me some peace of mind?
I use a tarp and bivybag and have no problem with snakes. We are not their food so don't worry about it. I just use earplugs to keep something from getting in my ear. I am more afraid of that than a snake
Yeah shout out to Lint, living legend beast mode
Do you have any concerns about snakes
Another thing is to have a fire going. Insects and wild animals are terrified by the smell of warm smoke.
It doesn't have to smoke a lot, just a small fire that smolders for a few hours and it really clears them out.
Where I live my tropical bugs are so bad that often deet + citronella don't keep away. Only really effective things are covering all your skin or smoking them out.
A couple incense sticks can be effective too too.
But a fire has the advantage of keeping away wild animals such as boars and presumably snakes too
Sometimes I carry a boy scout candle for walks in the jungle. Because when I take a break I just get swarmed by mosquitoes instantly; the candle instantly gives a nice cloud of smoke when you put it out
Permethrin, picaridin, and lemon eucalyptus oil work as well on bugs as deet without the potential for damage to gear.
Wow...very simple to treat all your clothing with Permetherin, which comes from Chrysanthemums.
One treatment lasts through several washings or about a month.
Even simpler, use permanent Insect Shield Clothing and Hats. Lasts through seventy (70) washings at least.
Both treatments will kill ticks, nosiums, mosquitoes, black flies, that might light on, or crawl on your clothing.
Picaridin insect repellent also works very well, and it is derived from pepper.
I live in S.C. Giant Palmetto bugs and spiders are a year round thing.
Ironic at 2:18 when the mosquito bites you haha
Haha I don't think I see it but hey welcome to florida. Etter than some of the videos you see of people getting totally swarmed!!
Alright I've had my team review the tapes! Confirmed we do see a mosquito at that time, but never it bite me. It must be repelled by how shitty I smell and my bland clothing.
JupiterHikes haha it will never be known! I think the camera cuts as soon as it gets close 😂
@@JupiterHikes just so you know deet only works when applied to the area you are trying to protect. ua-cam.com/video/fRWR_4-HZZU/v-deo.html
I don't know about Florida, but I find the night time bugs go away when the temps get below 55 deg F in the mid-Atlantic US.
Great video, advice, and excellent over view. I remember Clint’s video mentioning the umbrella net... I’m on board ( thx for the reminder).
Jean Ward from Alaska
thoughts on treating your clothes with permethrin before you hike? it isn't harmful to wildlife or yourself unlike DEET.
Nice Solutions! I like your Videos. Give essential tea tree oil a shot. You only need a few drops. That works very good against Bugs and is the lithest option too. Haven't tried to heal blisters with it but lots of people say that works also good.
What is your strategy for dealing with ticks and chiggers? Looks like when sleeping on the ground in a tarp setup, you would be covered in ticks.
Poppy321 don’t sleep in tall grass
@@rowanfernsler9725 , last hike, I hammock camped in pine woods, there were hundreds of seed ticks. I had sprayed everything with permethrin, so was Ok.
Clip a bug net from an internal tarp ridgeline and dispense with the umbrella.
Please someone could tell me the name of the outro song? just beautiful
Guys so chill
I'm late to the party, but what about picaridin? Have you tried it? I have yet to use it on trail but my preliminary tests (backyard, day at the park, couple soccer games) seemed to yield good results. I am attempting my first 150+ mile through hike in just over 2 weeks and was planning on leaving the deet at home and just bringing the picaradin.
I've done a bit of hammock trekking in Panama and Guyana......Florida in the summer is worse for bugs than south or central america during the dry season........
30% deet is all you need.......100% deet will melt nylon which is not good....... permethrin has worked well for me in the dry seasons and will murder ticks... ...if you are in a tick infested area I really like treated clothes. I have seen Embera Indians in Panama cut a few palm fronds and make a mat then just sleep on the ground.....that's hard core.
Your recommendation for head net is really good......with long sleeves pants and socks the only exposed skin is your hands........that is the way the military instructors for several countries teach jungle survival...... sleep dry at night.....cover up with clothes and headnet......change back into wet clothes during the day.......keeps down insect bites and jungle rot.....your feet dry out at night in the dry socks
Enjoyed this video. Do you have dimensions for your umbrella bugnet? I would guess instead of putting two squares together if you rounded the top to match the umbrella this may save some weight? Also what did you do with the bottom did you do elastic or sew a channel for a synch cord? I want to make one and maybe make some instructions for others(distributed for free of course) who want to make one to shave some weight from their setup.
I like the bug bivy. You forgot to mention putting your clothes into a trash bag and spraying Permethrin before you go hiking in them. They use Permethrin to kill bed bugs, fleas, ticks, etc. . Permethrin is acceptable for human contact but NOT IF YOU HAVE CATS. Permethrin is like nerve gas to cats.
What are the dimensions of the umbrella condom and we're did you get the netting from?
Here’s a very effective but old school way to keep bugs and people away while on the trail. Sulfur Tablets and sulfur powder. You’ll chase every living thing about 200 yards away with a single sulfur fart.
Citriodiol is the useful part of citronella. It's a lot more effective if you use the concentrated stuff.
What about snakes and scorpions in southern Cal.
They do not get in your way while sleeping. You could also use a bivy bag like shown in the above video.
Not sure how old this video is, but my borah gear bivy is only about 4.5 oz
Great video! Just one comment, for around 4oz for the umbrella condom, you can get cuben fiber bug bivy for the same weight from Borah Gear. This allows you to be outside of your sleeping bag/quilt if the weather is warm.
Yes but the bug bivy is roughly 200$ while some noseeum mesh is around 10 ;) And what I like about the umbrella bivy is that the umbrella holds it up, giving more room at the head end than other bivies sold on the market. That said, you are completely right, and ultimately that is the exact reason I eventually did get the MLD superlight, so I could camp in warm weather, outside my quilt. All together, more options is a nice thing!
You're right, the price is a bit more than going the DIY route. For me the bivy is worth the price as it offers more flexibility on warmer nights when the mosquitoes can be more of an issue. I also find the Borah bivy in size wide offers decent headroom for even someone as claustrophobic as I :)
I wonder if you have tested your bug net in a heavy mosquito area. I haven't been to Florida, but in Cuba (which should be similar) mosquitoes found every smallest gap, smaller mosquitoes even got through the mesh eyes, making sleeping or even survival impossible. Only tent with very small mesh-covered ventilation areas saved me. So bug net must be perfect and without any gaps.
Condom... the essential item of tarp camping 😂
What is the umbrella and tarp that you are using? Thank you
Thank you!
Why not just bring the sides of the tarp close to the ground with a bit of mosquito netting protection. Then netting on the open side with a zipper for access. Or just have some mosquito netting all the way around. Seems like such a simple solution plus you have so much more room inside this way.
That is indeed a great and common option!
Ok the umbrella condom is brilliant.
Could you perhaps make a video on your favourite tarp setups and setups for stormy weather? I would also like to see a closeup of the Borah tarp stitching and tie outs. Your videos are just getting better!
I’m in Alaska and I can tell you deet doesn’t work for nothing for mosquitoes. That bottle weighs as much as a sea to summit bug net. Hell I’d carry a thermacell and recharge pads and fuel if I had to. Lol thermacell works good for mosquitos all other bugs I’m not to worried about. But it’s not really good for backpacking light. Deet also will melt laminated clothing. Rain jackets inner laminate had melted on a few of my rain coats from deet. And it makes your tongue tingle if you get it on your hands and touch food etc.
Bug Bivey…. 😂 💫 I have a quick question, how do use use a tarp in winter snow? Thank you.
Thanks for the idea of the bug condo,,lol
I wash my backpacking clothes in tea tree soap because I figure it lice don’t like the smell other things might not too 😂 also when possible I will set my shirt hat and or pants in the smoke trail of a night time fire because they hate smoke smell for sure
Good info to consider. I'm thru hiking the US starting in March and I'm dreading the prospect of mosquitos in the Midwest in the summer. Maybe I'll do a video in the summer on my channel showing the results.
What type of shelter will you be using?
@@JupiterHikes That's what I'm still in the process of figuring out. Maybe you can give me some pointers. I'll be starting in the deserts of SoCal and northern Arizona, to the Grand Canyon and Navajo Reservation - so there's likely to be lots of wind. Next I'll be in the Rockies and Front Range in May - thus potential cold overnight temps. June to September will be the Plains and Midwest - so, likely thunderstorms and bugs. In the fall and to Thanksgiving or so I'll be through the Appalachians and Eastern Seaboard - therefore some rain and cool temps. There will be a good bit of stealth camping along the way. My quandary is to figure out if a tent and ground cloth is the way to go for the whole trip (and then figuring out how to adapt it to all the different conditions) or to use a tent for a portion. Your suggestions?
@@iLikeMike I think given the true distance and un certainly of your trip a tent may be best. Things like the pct or AT and shorter trails are more or less figured out. What you're doing is more so your own. Making the tent a best option it does it all. Now if you knew when you'd deal with bugs then a tarp and a shipped in bivy for that section would be great, and that's likely what I'd do.
Have you ever looked at Thru Backpacking the American Discovery Trail?
BOOOOGERRRRR!!!!!
I'm contemplating going to a tarp. I have a few questions. What size tarp do you recommend for 1 adult & a medium size dog. What about snakes. I live and backpack in Tn. where we have no shortage of copperheads & rattlesnakes. Have you ever woke up to one curl up next to you?
anywhere in the 8x10, 9x10, or 10x10 range. that will give you tons of room underneath! More than a tent of any sort of reasonable weight could offer. And here's the trick with reptiles... They're cold blooded, so they just don't move around at night and it's not at all a concern. You're cold and sleeping, they've been cold and sleeping. And no I've never ever had a problem like that.
Thank -you
Your condom idea was invented 170 years ago by the British army. You don't need to sow sheets of mesh together, just get a mosquito net for a bed (single bed one weighs hardly anything), then it can be suspended under your tarp with or without a umbrella. Also if you go abroad and watch the locals they rarely seem bothered by mosquitos,they say eating a lot of garlic is supposed to work wonders. I don't know how true this is but I eat a lot of garlic and it has been 15 to 20 years since I have had a mosquito bite.
fly dope works great... so does the non-DEET Repel
Great idea! Can you sew up one for me?
As far as I know Freefall came up with the idea of the umbrella bug thing in 2006 during a gear competition at the ADZPCTKO
👍 what tarp do you use ? Umbrella condom is brilliant !
So, how does one do a tarp set up without trekking poles?
Sticks or trees
Cordage. I’ve camped several times with a tarp now and haven’t used sticks or poles yet.
Nice video,. But you didn't mention animals and other non-bug creatures. I find it difficult you enough hearing creatures rustling near me in my tent, but with an open tarp I would be edgy all night and barely sleep. How do deal with this?
I guess over a long time I realized most of those sounds are just small things like lizards and their sound is amplified by fear. I have come across some other animals but through those encounters (armadillo, groundhog, more lizards, wild pigs, raccoon, mice) have also concluded that most animals are pretty friendly and just trying to do their thing. Some stuff that helps me, wearing a beanie over my ears to muffle sound, same can work with spare clothing, or just a very big sleeping bag over the head. Sometimes I'll play a podcast outloud on my phones speakers and that helps immensely to have a couple other people speaking even if they aren't there! I still sometimes worry but still nothing has happened
@@JupiterHikes One other question. Your video did not mention ticks. In wooded areas how do mange. Finally, if using a mesh bivy under a tarp (maybe against ticks?), How do you get in and out easily?
@@JupiterHikes I had a fox sneaking past once, it scared him silly when he noticed me looking at him! I figure smaller animals wouldn't mess with one as large as me or they'd be removed from the gene pool by now!