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I'd have to say that I cant remember ever really needing the bug-net after dark in the N.Georgia mtns. Even on nights that require no underinsulation. Which would be a rare night for me. I do like to use one anyway in the summer just in case I get dive bombed.
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Ya, I think that the coastal areas probably have the worst mosquito problems. I have read so many horror stories about the mosquitos on Cumberland Island, Georgia that I didn't want to go. Just like the previous poster said, their was literally clouds of them that would surround you and then commence sucking. Yes, then I would definitely have a mosquito net with me!!
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Not just six legged
I am a reformed ground dweller, about to take the plunge. Netting is not just for insects, I was bitten by a black widow spider in Northern Lower Michigan in the middle of September last year while guiding a canoe trip with 12 men. Had to fix breakfast, pack out and paddle 15 miles. It was awful. I have never felt so bad. I am fanatic about keeping clothes, shoes, sleeping bags, etc. under seal of some kind as a result of that experience.
I did not squish the spider though, I released her. She was just protecting herself. Lots of valium, and ibuprofen, and a week later, I recovered. Black Widows are in all 48 lower states.
David Ball
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another option is to have a hammock that has a net that can be thrown over the side if you don't need it. even if you only need it every now and then it is worth the couple oz it weighs. no-net hammocks like an eno/trecklight are so simple, cheap to buy or easy to make, that there is no reason not to have one of these for non-bug season. you can either have a seperate bug net that fits this style of hammock or have a seperate hammock with integrated net for mosquito season. i think going out in summer without mosquito netting would be risky business. and i have been swarmed in the somkies, big creek actually which may not be technically be the smokies, but it's within a mile of the state line/border of the park. we were climbing the route on house rock, near midnight hole, and resorted to setting a pile of leaves on fire to try and smoke them out. i found that if i slapped every part of my body as hard as i could and as fast as i could i would have sweet relief for a minute or so before i could feel the bites again. pain never felt quite so good:eek:
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I think that at home (Western Kentucky) the mosquitos never quit, at least during the summer. Well, they take a siesta when it's the hottest out, but they seem to be active all night long. Where I camp, there's always water nearby, though.
I'm not a mosq-magnet, but my fiance is, so bug nets are a necessity. However, during the winter (we might do more camping when it's cold than not) we don't need netting. I plan to make some net socks so that we only have to carry them when we're going to be using them.
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I've been eaten up in the Ozarks as late as October by the little vampires. That, and I don't care for spiders all around me. In my tent in the morning there was always a contingent of spiders hanging out between the fly and netting. I try to be a live and let live person but ants, spiders, or wasps are not welcome in my personal space and will be removed by force. I like having some space where I can escape them for a while.
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Here in the Lowcountry, once the mosquitoes come out, they're 24 hours / 7 days a week including holidays. There are 2 times they don't come out, very mild days & cool evenings. That's because the sand gnats come out & I think they even bite mosquitoes.
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just a no net hammock should be safe from spiders and other creepy crawlies, i doubt there is much chance something is going to climb up or down the tree, and then down your suspension to you.
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i've not yet owned a hammock w/ netting but i agree w/ what's been said... depends on when & where you're at as well as your body chemistry.
there have been several times i wouldn't have minded having one, for those pesky gnats if nothing else.
and w/ some of the stuff you can end up w/ if the right critter bites you, it's probably a good idea to have one or more forms of protection.
i have plans to make a hammock w/ a net that can be put away when it's not needed.
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Gotta have netting here in Minnesota for the summer. Mosquitoes and black flies here are bigger and more aggressive than I ever experienced in the NC/TN mountains, where I grew up. Bzzzzzzzzzz
Shug