How to deal with bugs while tarp camping?
If you are camping in a tent, you don’t have to concern yourself with insects touching you. Even though a tarp protects you against rain, the insects and animals can still touch you or crawl on you while you sleep. It is very normal to ask, how to deal with bugs while tarp camping?
- Have a big sleeping bag that covers most of your body. The idea is simple. The less of your body you have free, the less surface the bugs have to crawl on you.
- Wear a head net. Given that you have a well-sealed sleeping bag, the only part of your body unprotected will be your head.
- Attach a net to the open areas on the tarp to seal it from the inside. This way you can protect against most bugs trying to crawl inside of the tent. There is always a chance that some will make it through during the night, but in most cases you should be fine. You can attach clips to put the net on the tarp. Be careful not to damage the tarp while you attach the clips.
- Use a whole mesh sack around the sleeping bag. This is probably my favourite solution. A mesh sack around my head is very uncomfortable, and bugs can still crawl through around the edge. However if you seal yourself off completely, there is no way any insects can go through.
- Use a bug bivy. These items completely seal you off from the outside, for sure no bugs can get through. They also add a few degrees to the temperature inside. However they tend to weight around 6 oz, making it an extra weight to carry if you are going ultralight backpacking.
- Instead of using a regular tarp, you might consider investing in a Tarptent. These are ultralight tents, ideal for the light backpackers. However they have a bit more structure and protection that just a regular tarp. They come with a bug netting, so you should feel fine and protected.
- Tough it out. Please…instead just use one of the solutions from above !
These are the seven best tips on how to deal with bugs while tarp camping.
