Bugs and tarps

  • Hey Guest, Early bird pricing on the Summer Moot (29th July - 10th August) available until April 6th, we'd love you to come. PLEASE CLICK HERE to early bird price and get more information.

bailout

Member
Jul 17, 2008
38
0
devon
I am tempted to try a tarp. A couple of times last year on short cycle touring and backpacking trips in good weather I thought that a lightweight tarp would have been adequate and lighter that my tent (Tiger Paws).

However, there were two nights in particular when bugs could have made the lack of an inner tent unpleasant. One was sleeping on grass next to a farmer's barn when I found several slugs crawling over the inner in the morning. The other was a site in a wood where I had to zip up the inner in the evening as all sort of bugs from spiders to flying things were attracted to my head torch while I was reading.

How do you deal with the bug problem? Just ignore them or use some sort of bug net under the tarp? Obviously as a major appeal to me is to have a lighter load I wouldn't want to add too much too it otherwise I could just take the tent. I am not bothered about midge type bugs as I wouldn't be using it in heavy midge conditions.
 

Harvestman

Bushcrafter through and through
May 11, 2007
8,656
26
55
Pontypool, Wales, Uk
If they are not going to bite you, and most won't, then just ignore them. Flying things will be attracted to light, but spiders are not. You could try some insect repellant, or a smoky fire is a decent deterrent.
 

Squidders

Full Member
Aug 3, 2004
3,853
15
48
Harrow, Middlesex
I have woken up with a slug on my face before... it was utterly grim.

I have also woken up and a cheeky spider had started a web in my eye... again, grim.

It's not that I fear these things, not in the UK anyway but the damn things have no right being on my face! For very light weight, try a midge head net - that may be enough for you.
 

andyc54

Settler
Dec 28, 2010
601
0
44
durham
i always thought as bushcraft as being as close nature as possable and a one with nature?
ive woke up with beetles under me, slugs on me and everything inbetween never bothered me tbh.i can understand midges as a nightmare but the rest just part of been in the outdoors.
only thing i can suggest is a fire near by and what about the army bug nets you get inside might work but no experience also some repelent
 

slingback

Full Member
Jan 10, 2013
70
1
Highlands
A red head tourch for reading seems to work well, after a wash I reapply jungle formula, a nice little Smokey fire works very well too.
 

Paul_B

Bushcrafter through and through
Jul 14, 2008
6,154
1,546
Cumbria
Never had the bug/slug issue myself. I did have to share a tarp with abt 1000 midges once when it was raining hjeavily outside. I just put on some wilma's nordic summer and the midges committed suicide in the rain!!

There was one story I heard and repeated in a thread elsewhere about tarps being useless with bugs. That was a story of a group of tent dwellers waking up to the screams and loud thuds from one of their number. On looking out of their individual tents they saw their friend banging the side of his head on the ground with a lot of force. Anyway, the guyu who had originally posted the story (one of the friends) took a picture what had come out of his ear. It was a devil's coachman. Think of a particularly nasty, 1" or longer earwig and you get the idea. Apparently it had got into his tent and ear then got confused. It was trying to chew oit's way out of his ear via the eardrum!! Poor thing was lost....:)

Anyway, shows that tents can get bugs and nasties in too. In fact as a kid we used to always get bugs into our 2 skin tents on holidays. Tarps at least offer them an easy way out too unlike tents.

As I say never been an issue over the 6-7 years I have been wildcamping (probably about 5 of which was with a tarp on the ground.
 

bailout

Member
Jul 17, 2008
38
0
devon
I have woken up with a slug on my face before... it was utterly grim.

I have also woken up and a cheeky spider had started a web in my eye... again, grim.

It's not that I fear these things, not in the UK anyway but the damn things have no right being on my face! For very light weight, try a midge head net - that may be enough for you.

That is the sort of thing I was concerned about. I did bivi in some bracken once while walking a section of the South West Coast Path. There were a lot of spiders in the bracken and before I went to sleep I could feel them jumping on to me. It didn't really bother me and I ignored it but I was a lot younger then :(

Obviously a more serious aspect is the problem of ticks.

I did think whether a small tube like bug net just covering the head of the sleeping bag and tied to the tarp/pole and tucked under neath the bag would work and be very light.
 

Paul_B

Bushcrafter through and through
Jul 14, 2008
6,154
1,546
Cumbria
you can get something like that from Bearpaws I think or a few US UL cottage makers.
 

Toddy

Mod
Mod
Jan 21, 2005
38,937
4,570
S. Lanarkshire
I know I get stick for it; but a good inner tent is a blessing sometimes :)

The old way was to really, really clear the ground where you're going to sleep, but even then the buggits will wander on, over, in :yuck: you....and your hair :sigh:

A too big tarp under you helps....they generally like dark, moist places so most of them coorie in under the tarp.

I'm not fond of fluttery things, not much else bothers me, but waking up and hearing a kind of sussuration of, "scrit, scrit, scrit, scrit", noises above my head, and realising that the entire mesh
pyramid at the top of my inner tent was covered in long legged harvestman type spiders, kind of squicked me out a bit.

I think if I were sleeping out only with a tarp now, I'd pack one of those mozzie bed cover things, and rig it up to the tarp above me, just to keep a relatively bug free place to sleep. If it could be midgie netting then that would be even better :D

Sorry Squidders, but your slug comment just minds me of Blackadder, offering Captain Darling, "Liquorish ? " :D :yuck:

cheers,
Toddy
 

Toddy

Mod
Mod
Jan 21, 2005
38,937
4,570
S. Lanarkshire
Now that looks pretty good as a way to see the world without midgies, ticks, keds or slugs :D

I can't see me camping without a tent now, but sometimes they're just too stuffy.....that mesh one has a real appeal.

cheers,
Toddy
 

andybysea

Full Member
Oct 15, 2008
2,609
0
South east Scotland.
I once woke up in the lakedistrict after a rather damp humid summer night under a 58 patt poncho on a farm campsite to find the squashed bodies of rather a large amount of daddy long legs in numerous hair ridden parts of my body! id been to a nice country pub the night before and had'nt even noticed them during the night so in essence a few beer's before bed equals not worrying or noticing bugs during the night!
 

BJJJ

Native
Sep 3, 2010
1,998
162
North Shropshire
There are some things that I really shouldn't read, up until now I have had no issues with creepies but having an ear used as a a hideaway by an errant creepy has started a whole new train of thought.
 

BCUK Shop

We have a a number of knives, T-Shirts and other items for sale.

SHOP HERE