Hello! a mosquitto question for you...

[BoundaryBound]

Hello all - great to meet you! New to the forum and have gotten some great research here - thank you!

I began hammock camping in the Minnesota Boundary Waters about 8 years ago. If you aren't familiar, it is a canoe/kayak-only wilderness of about 1 million acres on the MN/Canada border with about 2,000 lakes (and many more marshes). So, TONS of mosquito breading grounds. At dusk they are thick as a cloud of gnats, but not in small clouds but more like an all encompassing fog across the landscape.

I began hammock camping there by throwing an OR Alpine bivy into a Wise Owl hammock - no tarp, just closed the bivy lid in the rain. Not terribly comfortable, but minimally functional, and probably still better sleep than on the ground. Very interesting trying to scoot down from the top into a sleeping bag and bivy without capsizing! After a few years of this, I upgraded to REI's Flash Air hammock kit (tarp and bug-screened hammock at reasonable price). Mosquitos bit through the bottom where I wasn't covered by a thermarest or sleeping bag. Eventually I added a cheap synthetic REI underquilt that didn't quite fit the hammock, and added a hand-made underquilt cover, mainly to cover the gaps and keep the mosquitos from biting me through the hammock bottom all night.

So here I am today, waiting on an upgrade to ship. Warbonnet Blackbird original single-ply, Thunderfly, and 20 degree Wooki. Should be a fine upgrade (buy once, cry once)! One question on my mind about mosquito coverage though...

I've read in several posts about a potential gap between the Wooki and the hammock around the left shoulder. If there is any space at all for mosquito entry in this environment, they'll find it. Is there anyone out there with experience in this same situation (mosquito cloud invasions), and whether this gap (if they've had it) has allowed the blood suckers to climb to the hammock bottom and get you? My mind is already on mods to the Wooki based on this concern.

[sideshowraheem]

Hello and welcome!

I too am in Minnesota, based out of Duluth. I own a Blackbird and an XLC, and have had both a wooki and a yeti underquilt. I havent had issues with mosquitos in that area ever.

I think even without an underquilt the 40d material Warbonnet uses is enough to block most mosquitos. Add in an underquilt and you should be fine. If you want a bit more protection spray down you hammock with premithrin which has helped me a ton in the past.

[BoundaryBound]

Thank you, sideshowraheem, it gives me some comfort hearing that from northern MN!

Not everywhere has the same mosquito thickness, though certainly some places can compete. I heard recently that northern Greece is bad - who'd-a-thunk-it?

[Derch]

I use a wookie on my dream hammock sparrow and I'm from Wisconsin, so still buggy and I've never had an issue.

[BoundaryBound]

Thanks, Derch! I'm Wisconsin born - good to hear from the neighbors that mosquitos aren't getting through there either!

[Watertooner]

I've used a Blackbird XLC with a bugnet topcover (and a Wooki UQ) for 5-6 years. Mostly winter time, but plenty of summer use as well. The only time I've been bit by skeeters is when my foot would slip out from under a blanket and touch the bug net in the footbox area. Didn't need a transfusion, but my foot looked like a pin cushion. My solution was to take more care to keep my feet covered under the sheet or blanket.

[BoundaryBound]

Appreciate the insight, Watertooner! The box from Warbonnet just arrived about an hour ago, so just digging through the goodies and seeing them for the first time. My prior hammock was not a diagonal lay, so never got too close to the netting overhead. Looking forward to something flatter and no hyperextension of the knees!

[iceman857]

I haven't seen anyone say this yet, so I'm adding in that you may want to consider soaking the WBBB in Permethrin (fabric-friendly only).

“DIY” Mix your own permethrin clothing treatment - YouTube

[BoundaryBound]

Permethrin is my friend! I've used it some in the past, but only on clothing and not on my hammock, so I should give that a try. Good money saving tip in the video - thanks, iceman857! I just wish permethrin acted faster though - seems a mosquito can sometimes get a bite in before the stuff kills them.

[DocWatson]

If you don't want to take the time to treat with Permethrin, consider spraying the hammock with picaridin a few minutes before calling it a night. Picaridin doesn't eat plastics like deet does and works just as well.

- Clyde