BIAS Hammock Gear Buginator
Reviewed by
Howard Koontz
+150
June 7, 2014
A portable and hugely versatile bugnet for traditional hammock camping. It's lightweight, and can be used with multiple hammocks. Once set up, it seals the user in a bug-free hammock, yet allows a breeze for a great night's sleep.
Pros
- Lightweight
- Adjustable
- Works for all sizes of hammocks
Cons
- Stand alone bugnets are expensive
- Poor setup will result in poor results
- There is a break-in period before the net will "soften up"
Butt In A Sling (BIAS) offers a cottage-made bugnet they call the "Buginator". The Buginator is a portable bugnet that encapsulates the user and the hammock, completely sealed off from outside fauna.
It's small (packs down to the size of a grapefruit), lightweight (8.8 oz.), and seals via elastic stretch cord with spring-loaded friction stops (no zippers to rust or jam) that keep openings sealed once installed and set up. It's large enough to work with hammocks up to 11' long, accommodates double wide hammocks, and won't interfere with the use of your preferred rain fly/tarp.
Setup is very easy. Feed each end of your hammock suspension through the large bottom opening, then place one end into each of the small suspension loops sewn into both upper corners of the bug net. Cinch the suspension loops down via elastic cord once the hammock has been strung between your two structures. You enter the hammock through that same large bottom opening, and cinch the bottom opening closed with elastic cord sewn around the opening once inside.
That's it. The bottom of the hammock, now filled with your body, will keep the bottom shape of the bugnet, and a structural ridgeline (you are using an SRL, aren't you?) provides the support to keep the net off of you while you're in the hammock.
The microfiber keeps bugs out, yet still lets a faint breeze through to keep you cool. The bugnet can be used and re-used with any of your hammocks. So if you use a single layer during the summer months, a double wide with your significant other, or a double layer for those late season cool autumn nights, the bugnet can be swapped between all of them with no drawbacks.
I've been using this net for a little over a year now, for maybe 3-4 trips, and have been very happy with it. I love the small size, the silnylon pack it packs into, and the light weight — for the benefit of no mosquito bites!
If it were an add-on to an integrated hammock setup then it would seem a little pricey at $65 + S/H, but because of its versatility to go between multiple hammocks and its construction, features and convenience, it's money well spent.
Source: received it as a personal gift
