By Cameron Ownbey

Buggy bugs! Don’t let them ruin your fun on the trails! There is a magical piece of gear that you just might need!

In the late summer months it is often unbearable sitting around camp fighting off mosquitoes, no-seeums, wasps and all the other bugs.

Even with bug spray the annoyance of buzzing in your ear or extra protein flying into your mouth is just not fun.  They get like this around here this time of year, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a late summer or early fall trip. The best solution I have found is a head net.  A head net is a fine mesh fashioned to cover your entire head and form a seal around the shoulders to keep bugs out. There are about 3 styles to consider and a number of variations of all three.

1) Netting that drapes over your head and rests on your shoulders

2) Netting with a ridged wire or plastic ring interwoven at forehead and sometimes neck level to hold the mesh away from your skin

3) Netting with elastic or string sewn around the edge with enough slack line to secure the string under each armpit to keep and hold the seal around the shoulders.

My preferred style is #3.  Netting with string to slip my arms through and hold the netting secure to my shoulders.  While the ridged rings are nice I find they restrict some movement.  The best pairing for this is wearing a brimmed hat underneath the netting to hold it away from your face.

These can do wonders for such marvels as:

-Making your dinner without getting eaten alive

-Watching a sunset (when the little buggers are most active)

-Extending your stargazing

And while you won’t win any beauty contests with this accessory, they have some perks and definitely save you some itching and scratching. As an extra bonus,  head nets are also a great way to filter the noodles out of your soup while you are eating your evening meal around the campfire.

Have fun!