Bug-free camping and other helpful tips

BY ALLEN MACARTNEY

Spring and early summer bring bugs, lots of them. Try these ideas to reduce the bites, and check out some other tricks to try in the woods, on the water and on the trail.

TORN MOSQUITO NETTING

A night with a torn mosquito net has shortened many a camping trip, but the solution is easier than you might think. If it’s a cut less than five centimetres (a couple of old-fashioned inches), sew the edges together with a needle and thread (or even dental floss).

Larger rips require more attention. If your tent has a repair kit, stick a piece of extra netting over the rip. If all else fails, dig out the inevitable duct tape from your pack, draw together the two sides of the cut, and press the tape in position close the gap. Repeat on the other side so the tape doesn’t pull free.

BUG BLOTTER

Some nights you crawl into your tent only to find it occupied by a swarm of mosquitoes on the tent walls waiting for your blood. Duct tape to the rescue again. Rip off a strip, wrap it sticky-side-out around your hand as a mosquito death-blotter against the tent sides.

DUCT TAPE CANOE SEAT

It’s an old canoe with aging seat webbing, and it splits as you paddle. There’s never a good time for this to happen. But as long as the wooden seat frame is firmly holding its rectangle shape, you can make a replacement seat. Loop the duct tape across the narrow sides of the seat four times with one strip directly over top of the last one for strength. Then form another four-ply parallel loop about two centimetres from the first one. Then repeat this process across the wide sides of the seat rectangle. In the end the seat almost looks as if it has a duct tape weave pattern, and it will support your butt all day.

ENSOLITE

If you think that Ensolite pad is meant exclusively as a layer between cold ground and warm sleeping bag, think again. Cut a pad in half, making two pieces 60x120 centimetres (two feet by four feet). Fold one piece in half and slip it into your backpack as a cushion between your back and the pack, then give the other one to another camper friend to do likewise. On the trail when you want to take a break on hard rock, stretch out in comfort.

Or … cut small shaped pieces as sole liners for rubber boots or hiking boots.

Or … wrap a water bottle in a small piece as summer or winter insulation.

Or … roll out a full length to protect the canoe floor and provide a comfortable, insulated base for your feet. Children love sitting on it in a canoe.

Or … cut a 60x90 centimetre piece as a kneeling cushion for whitewater paddling.

TRAIL TAPE DISPENSER

Orange surveyor’s tape is great for marking trails or ensuring you find your way back to camp, but it comes in large rolls that unravel easily. The solution is an old 35mm film canister (still available in some photography stores). Cut a large X in the lid, stuff maybe five metres of tape inside and pull a little out through the X. Tear off what you need and leave the rest inside for next time.