Mosquito nets

BushyW12

I know, I read that too- but whereas I would see how it worked out and get them there it if it were just me and my husband I want to take all the precautions I can for my little darlings!!!
Did you not use yours because there was nowhere to hang it?

trustindia

Buy nets at home, it costs too much time to hunt down practical nets in India, The single hang point is important. Most nets in India are for home use, where hanging the net can be approached in a more permenant manner. Not so when you on the road.......

Rasika

I found the problem was that even if one mosquito got in it would be very very irritating with the buzzing noise, and the fact that the net would make the fan ineffective both to keep the lone mosquito away from me and also it would get too hot under the net to keep myself covered with a sheet. Most Indians seem to reply on having a fan at full blast and covering themselves with a blanket at night. (And then there is a power cut... but that's another story.)

I don't know how long you will be in India and what kind of accomodation you will be staying in - but if it involves only fancy hotels then the airconditioning and electric thingies will probably keep most mozzies away during sleep time and the main risk will be during the day/evening while walking outside the hotel.

hellogoodbye

They are hard to hang, but if you are travelling with young children it wouldn't hurt to bring them along - at least for the kids. I would imagine it to be even more frustrating if they do get bitten and having to deal with the bites and extra worries they bring along. If you find they aren't needed then maybe you could donate them to a family who needs them or save them for another trip. I personally used the coils and fans myself and didn't suffer too badly until I fell asleep outside on the rooftop at night by accident

trustindia

I was thinking for the kids, a combination of Goodnight vaporisor and a net would be ideal(put the vaporisor on a hour and a half before they go to bed, with the nets in place covering the bed)this would kill any mosquitos still hiding inside the net and avoid having to use the vapourisor all night.

BushyW12

This forum is so breathtakingly useful...it takes my breath away!!!!
Thanks chaps. I'll get them and as you point out hellogoodye, they're sure to be useful to someone, even if it isn't us!

indiaprof

Where there are kids involved, certainly. Mosquito nets from home, though, would be better than what you're likely to find on the Indian market. I had one, couldn't find a place to hang it, or else couldn't breathe when under it, but kids are deep-sleepers and probably wouldn't mind. Plus, being kids, and smaller, they'd have more room under there.

The ceiling fans in most Indian hotel rooms do a pretty good job of keeping off the mozzies. The problem is that there are power cuts, and that's when the critters attack.

I always carry a long piece of strong nylon cord (very long) to string across the room, tying it to anything I can find, basically. I use it mainly as a clothes line, but you might find it useful for hanging a mosquito net. You can get the cord in India or put it in checked luggage. I accidentally put it in carry-on, and they took it away at the boarding gate where they checked my luggage.

Nick-H

That's ridiculous!

Nobody knows when that emergency announcement might be made:

This is you captain speaking, please do not panic, but we have a slight technical problem. Does anybody on board have a long piece of string?

You might have saved the day!

indiaprof

Well, it was after the third check that they took the nylon cord. I said, "Why have we been searched three times?" The airport employee, who had a sense of humor at least, said, "Because Air India is special."

Still, I'm sure the nylon cord would have come in handy when we reached Frankfort and were not allowed to deplane. And sat in the heat, without A/C for over an hour. Perhaps I could have threatened suicide, a sort of act of dharna. Nah. I don't think that would have worked in Germany. They would have watched, stolidly, while I did it, then had the Russians clean me up.

We were just special the whole way around the world. I ended up buying a new nylon cord in a grain market in Mysore. But still, couldn't they figure out that a nylon cord twenty-five feet long might just have some innocuous purpose?

Keshava

In areas where skeeters are prominent - I've always gone with the net. I hate the GoodKnight units. The smell is cloying and it stands to reason the chemicals can't be good to breathe. The fan is good for most folks - but I can't sleep with a breeze blowing over my face - and they always seem to give me "fan colds". Bed bugs or army ants can be much worse and pretty much impossible to deflect. Got eaten alive by ants in Kahanagad and thought I'd lose my mind.

dillichaat

Well, when I was traveling in India as a tourist I never bothered with a net, kept it in my bacpack 90 pct of the time. The GoodKnight/Mortein/Odomos vaporizers are pretty good at keeping mosquitoes at bay, certainly in combination with a whirring ceiling fan :-) Now that I live here in Delhi where the mosquito season basically runs from feb-nov I wasn't that keen on breathing the fumes night after night. If you're trekking, get a bell-shaped one and a nylon rope and you're set. If you're staying in one place for a longer time, buy a box-shaped net, it's a lot more comfy.

You can buy it at home or here in India, I had mine custom made in Delhi (king-size bed), took them 2 days and the quality is good. In Delhi you can buy ready-made ones in e.g. Jagdish store or have it made to your specifications (most tailors carry the material). I had mine done at Bombay dyeing, Khan market.

Before forking over your money, check everything (dimensions, quality etc). Remember: a rupee handed over is never returned and if it breaks, you get to keep the pieces. Bharat se swagath ;-)

fdskjalf

I chose to buy the net before leaving. I'm not taking malaria prophylaxis so netting is quite necessary wherever there is a malaria risk. I also wanted a small-packing and lightweight net because I'm going to travel a backpacking way. The net I bought is Lifesystem MicroNet double, which at least seems to be quite handy, as there is a bar on top of the net that makes it a little bit roomier an still with only one hanging point, and it weights only 375 grams. It's also permethrin impregnated. I chose the double bed version cause I presume that in some guest houses I will be sleeping in twin beds even if I want a single room. the net costed ~25£, single version being a bit cheaper. I bought it from an UK net store, don't know if I can mention the store here as it might be considered advertising but you can find it from the Lifesystem website.

Wow, quite much babbling from me about one minor item. I normally hate shopping but as I'm excited about the forthcoming trip it is actually quite fun and thus I can spend more time to find the best option

Nick-H

You are welcome to mention the store name here --- as long as you don't own it!

Whilst one sees nets in most camping/outdoor shops in UK, if you have found a shop with a particularly good selection, it would be useful to UK members to give the information.

yourmindrewind

I picked up the same net couple days ago. I hope it works.
Got mine from http://www.ldmountaincentre.com/product.aspx?id=2495

Nick-H

Net on the Net, eh?



I'll get my coat...