If you’re a “regular” person, you might not be thinking about camping right now or why you might ever need a mosquito next as we are well into fall. But, if you’re a traveler at heart, you likely have a trip to_______ planned soon. And that fill-in-the-blank destination might require that you carry a mosquito net with you as my trip to Papua New Guinea in August did.
During that trip, our group stayed in the home of some villagers in the Sepik River area (photo below). Though I seemed to be the only one who noticed, the region was infested with mosquitoes. Despite healthy doses of repellent, I still came home with about 100 bites on my arms and legs. Those were acquired during our walks through the jungle as we searched for Birds of Paradise or in wide open fields as we watched singsings (festivals).
Fortunately, I did sleep well, not bothered by mossies at night because I was under my Cocoon Travel Mosquito Net (unfortunately, that is NOT the interior of our homestay up top).
Mosquito nets are pretty straightforward. This style 
has 4 corners at the top that need to be hung and are held in place by a couple of lightweight, thin fiberglass poles.
While it’s easier to hang if your net only has one peak at the top, that style tends to hang closer to your bedding with the potential of touching your skin, therefore increasing the potential of mosquitoes biting you through the net.
This style comes with or without Insect Shield impregnated in the fabric (you can’t be too careful, you know?).
I tested out the double net just to make sure I had enough room, but the single, I’m sure, would have been fine for my little thin padding on the floor.
What I Love
- It worked 🙂
- While it’s slightly more of a hassle to find 4 places to hang the corners, I really like that this pulls the net away from me at night. Especially in the heat, it was nice to feel like I had some breathing space.
Not So Much
- This is just a tad larger when packed down than another one that I’ve tested. But I’m fairly confident that if I had the single version of this same style, I might have saved a bit of space in my luggage.
Cocoon’s got a variety of mosquito nets available (including those goofy but, I’m sure, totally useful hats!). Though you can’t order through their website, you can find some of them on Amazon starting at under $40.
Travel Well (and mosquito-free),
Beth
Related links:
Mosquito Repellent for Travelers
Bolle and Serengeti Sunglasses
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