Hi - does anyone have any thoughts/opinions regarding mosquito net choices? I have never purchased one but plan to bring one along on the JMT this summer. There are several options out there - some integrated into other hats, some seperate, etc. I’d appreciate any comments regarding effectiveness and ease of use from folks who have used mosquito nets in the past. Thanks!
Lisa
The headnet I like is the Outdoor Research Spring Ring Headnet. You can see it here:
http://www.orgear.com/search.php?searchFor=headnet&imageField=GO&searchType=all
The huge advantage this headnet has over others is the metal ring that goes around the head near mouth level. This keeps the headnet away from your face, which makes breathing inside the net much more comfortable.
yogi
yogi
Lisa,
I carried a cheap headnet I got at WalMart (about $1) on our AT thru hike in '02. In MA I could have sold it for ten times that amount to some other hikers. I plan on taking it this year on the JMT. Flame has one just like mine but doesn’t like it for the reasons Yogi mentioned. I guess you can just try them out and pick one.
I don’t go in the woods with out mine. I wore it in MA and CT almost every day. When it was hot and there were lots of nats, I put it on. If I didn’t, I would be picking bugs out of my eyes constantly. The net has an elastic ring at the bottom and I could just pull it up on my head and it would ride like a stocking cap. Very handy. When to bugs were out, I just pulled it down. It weighs nothing.
Good luck on your hike, Flame, Sunrise and I are starting the JMT on August the 27th or 28th depending on transportation. Happy Trails
Papa Smurfc
Lisa, I do what Papa Smurf does. I buy the one at the Walmart for $1.48 every year before I head south. I use it from Maine till when ever the blackflies stop trying to eat me and then I drop in a Hiker box or give it to an early NOBO. A cheap head net and some good bug dope should get you through just fine. Have a great hike!
Just a Hiker
Just a Hiker
There is a company located in Goffstown NH. I think it is called Bug Out that sells a full bug suit. Not really necessary but they also sell a head net with elastic straps on the sides that go under the arms and pull the taught down the chest. With a brimmed hat it keeps nicely off the face. In hot weather I use one of those sun visors under the netting so the top of my head is left open to vent heat. I find the set up comfortable but some people can’t stand the feel of the bands under their arms.
Big B
I’ve heard the buggers can be bad at times on the JMT. I walked it starting early Sept '04 and never even saw a bug.
I know that doesn’t answer your question, but it might give you something to think about as far as when you walk that trail.
I carry the same one that Yogi describes. The bugs have to be REALLY bad for me to wear it though.
Stumpknocker
You might need a bug net during prime mosquite season in June and early July, but you probably won’t see many bugs in late August. Even in late July, bugs should be few and far between except at lower elevations near water sources (i.e. mosquito breeding swamps).
kanga
kanga,
hmmm… not sure what happened to us last year; we left yo valley and summited whitney 25 days later, and we were EATEN ALIVE by mossies. swarms. clouds.
maybe it was the big snows and the late melt.
incidently, we’re thinking of hiking from tuolumne to tahoe starting around july 20. any feedback from those who have walked this stretch?
thanks in advance!
alec
I have had very good results with the O.R. Spring Net, too, which keeps it off your face…the little buggers can often get you right through it if next to your skin. You might also want to be sure to get a black or very dark color netting as the gray can sometimes be hard to see thru. The gray no-see-um netting I did try, was most unsatisfactory…IMHO. :tongue
P.S. I have an allergic reaction to Black Flies which is why I have to be so careful. :mad
Lady Di