[pct-l] Mosquito Netting

[CHUCK CHELIN]

Good morning,

In one regard we on the PCT are lucky to have mosquitoes – lucky, that is,
to have mosquitoes rather than other, more obnoxious, biters.  Mosquitoes,
as aggravating as they are, are relatively large, slow, and
unimaginative.  With
their wings and long legs they can’t really get through netting; they can
only probe around with their dip-stick trying to find a piece of skin in
close proximity.

By comparison, those wretched, teeny-tiny midges usually called
“no-see-ems” can wiggle their way through all but the very fine “no-see-em
netting” used on tents and headnets.

Theoretically, there are “no-see-ums” on the PCT route but I don’t believe
I’ve seen or been bitten by any -- ever.  As a result I avoid the common
“no-see-em netting” whenever I can, particularly for a headnet.

Here’s the reason:  The very fine mesh of the “no-see-em netting”
noticeably restricts my breathing.  It is particularly restrictive when I’m
hiking uphill and using lots of oxygen, but I even notice a slightly
labored breathing when I sleep with a headnet in still air, which I do in
lieu of sleeping in an enclosed tent.

The solution for me was the finding of a big piece of cheap-o,
non-“no-see-em” netting with a much more open weave.  It is easily tight
enough to keep out mosquitoes and those totally obnoxious gnats that hover
immediately in front of the face, but it allows much easier breathing.  I
sewed some of it into a short tube that fits over the brim of my hat; held
in place by draw-strings around the crown, and at my collar.  It doesn’t
have any hoops so it stuffs into any little corner or pocket.

I dislike those relatively benign, non-biting gnats because I don't like to
breathe them in, which is for me a common occurrence without a net.  Other
than objecting to having to spit out some stupid bugs, I'm reminded of a
road-running friend who apparently got one in his lung and ended up with
some kind of long-lasting funk as a result.

Steel-Eye

-Hiking the Pct since before it was the PCT – 1965

http://www.trailjournals.com/steel-eye
http://www.trailjournals.com/SteelEye09/