Mosquito nets
 

Hi all,

I've going to be biking round a few places in Spain, and I'm told I'll need a mosquito net. I'll be taking a small tent, so is there anything anyone knows of that can be used with/in a tent?

Thanks,
Bob

Hi,

I bought a normal bed moscitonet for 1 Dollar and put if over my tent when the sipper was broken in congo to prevent getting malaria. It worked very well...i just put some sand or stones on the bottom around the tent to hold it down so that also no snakes could come in. Are there snakes in spain?

Greetings, Tobi
Riding the rough west coast through Africa part 3

Ah, thanks ta-rider - that sounds like a good tip. Snakes in spain...there are about 5 venomous snakes over there, so I'll need to be careful for sure.
They aren't that cheap in the UK from what I can find, though I'm happy paying extra if it means it does the job and doesn't get torn.
I've found some interesting pop-up mosquito nets, such as those on this site: Mosquito Nets (World Wide Nets)
There's one for £27.99, and I guess I could put this inside my tent for privacy!
I believe these come with some kind of added repellent which would be quite reassuring.

I come from southern Spain and I wouldn't say that mosquitos are a problem at all as a general rule. Not at all. There may be some more if you are near the Doñana park, but no diseases. Nor snakes are an issue.

Sea to summit mosquito net packs quite small.

Enjoy the trip!

Esteban

In my view you are right to protect yourself from insect bites and crawlies. Even if they do not pose a significant health risk they can make days riding unpleasant and cause loss of sleep.

My own little (£10) tent has built in mosquito net behind the doors and ventilation panels. I usually give it a squirt of insect spray and hour or so before going to bed when in problem areas. This seldom happens, but I dislike sleeping with anything that bites crawls or slithers. My greatest dislike is sharing a swimming pool with snakes, don't mind them when standing on land.

http://www.our-site.me.uk/bike/larry...reenwidth=1152

OP, you're already carrying a tent. Does it have mosquito netting, in which case you're already set? I thought so.

If it doesn't, think about getting a different tent.

Separate mosquito nets are worth carrying when you're traveling where there's lots of malaria, dengue, yellow fever.... That's not Spain.

Hope that's helpful.

Mark

Yep, for mosquitos to grow you need plenty of water, which I'd say is "scarce" in Spain (especially in the south), even more if you consider this terribly dry winter. So it won't be Siberia during the summer (plenty), nor the Darien Gap (diseases).

Thanks everyone, although it sounds like there aren't many mosquitos to worry about, I'll probably sleep easier if I know I'm protected. The tent doesn't come with any netting, and the dimensions of the pop up net are just about right for the tent, so I've ordered one from the website...I'll let you know how I get on!

But....why order a separate mosquito tent when what you really want is a tent which includes mosquito netting? You're just adding a layer of complexity to your packing, camping setup and breakdown, and it's not going to work nearly as well. There's a reason why most tents include netting in doors, windows and/or roof peaks.

What's more, if you get a quality pop-up net tent it's going to cost serious money--good ones here go for over a hundred dollars US, and stuff is a lot more expensive where you live. If you get a cheap one, it's not going to survive intact for very long. Plus it'll cut down on the interior space of your tent to the point where it'll be difficult to use unless you're a tiny little person or a contortionist. Etc.

I actually did what you're doing once. It was a pain in the ass every single time I set up camp. It didn't work well. It was heavier and awkward. I had a good reason (going places which forbade tents with floors), but you don't. And to top it off, I got malaria eventually anyway.

Of course, happy to hear if your experience is different.

Mark

Mosquito nets are for areas, where there is malaria, dengue fever, etc... but those diseases are not a threat in Spain, so the flying bugs are just a nuisance. We actually get PLENTY of mosquitoes in our country, especially in the north, but people only use tents, that have nets on the doors and openings.

I've done loads of camping in spain and portugal, 2- 6 months at a time. mosquitos are not a big problem unless you decide to strip off at dusk and wash by foliage near a river after rainfall...... as my girlfriend at the time can testify :rofl:

I've found there to be far more mossies in greece and turkey for example.

As mentioned get a decent tent with insect netting and sewn in groundsheet and you'll be more than fine.

Done several trips to and through spain without problems, maybe just lucky. However have been to places with mozzy problems and take a small enclosed citronella candle burner. Also rub some mozzy cream on the exposed parts.
My partner also uses a head net as it can be difficult to protect the scalp if you have a good crop of hair, I'm not so lucky in that area so can manage with the cream. :confused1:

Mosquito Stick!
 

Another tip for you. When I go camping, specially when setting up tent late when mosquitos are coming out, I like to set up 4 of those Coghlans Mosquito Repelling Stick around the space that I will set up tent up. This makes it more comfortable , mosquitos stay away, and I don't have to worry so much about getting them inside my tent. After finishing set up, I save 2 of them for later.
It have worked for me many times and they are inexpensive.
Good luck.
David