REI Bug Hut 2 Tent

Comments about REI Bug Hut 2 Tent:

I love this this thing & now my wife will camp under a tarp with me.The first thing I must mention is the reason for buying the Bug Hut 2, "The Ray-Way Tarp Book" & "Beyond Backpacking" by Ray Jardine. He is a cult ultralight backpacker with a surly attitude and brilliant ideas (he inspired many now common designs & worked with Go-Lite). He is a must read for a serious camper/hiker. I no longer use a tent! They are to good at keeping out air & moisture, so good they keep it in just as well. If you have ever camped more then 1 or 2 nights while hiking on the trail you realize that you are putting away a wet tent & sleeping bag every morning to unpack it still damp & starting to get moldy. Tents don't let your carbon dioxide exhales to disperse & fresh oxygen in. You don't get restful sleep, you don't "heal", & you wake up poorly. Over packed tents have caused deaths in low oxygen altitudes.So to my point. I use a tarp for a sleeping shelter in every situation. The one thing that bothered me was the bugs & crawlies. Now I'm protected!I set up a ridgeline about 10 inches above the bug hut and leave the tarp to 1 side with a pull rope over a branch as a pulley going into the tent. If the weather changes I just pull the rope and the tarp covers us like a retractable stadium.Since using a self made tarp & Bug Hut 2 I have never been wet or cold (4 seasons) & my sleep has improved a ton. I feel closer to nature & camping has become more spiritual, like sleeping in a sacred place.The Bug hut is constructed like a sturdy free standing tent minus the fly. It has a bathtub style bottom and is built very tough. The no see-um is high quality and the poles work as they should.I use a 3mm polysheet as a ground cover [$]) to protect it & have had no issues. Setup is so short with one person its almost forgotten as a "chore". Setting & breaking camp is so much easier now & you don't have to dry anything.The only two issues I can find wrong is that when two people are sleeping in it the person not on the door side must do a steamroller type exit over the person nearest the door. (Rule #1 Smallest bladder nearest the door!) The other issue is that it may be a wee tight for two back sleepers next to each other. I'm 6'4" & wide at the shoulders. A medium size friend slept fine with me. Anyone a little bigger may be a problem. Side sleepers have no issue. Rule #2 Sleep feet to head for wide, back laying sleepers. The bug hut was the final piece in my new sleeping system. I have cut weight by 75% for 2 people and we sleep comfortably, drier, & happier!-Self made Sil-tarp with stakes -1lb 3oz-Bug Hut 2 - 2 lbs. 10 oz.-3mm Poly ground cover - 5oz-Self Made 2 person Primaloft insulted Momentum Quilt - 2lbs 3 oz (no more 2 sleeping bags!)total weight- 6lb 5oz or 3lb 2.oz per person + sleeping pad (I chose to use a super thick air/foam sleeping pad. Being a side sleeper & a bigger guy I need thickness to get good sleep. I use Exped SynMat 7 Dlx or for extra comfort on shorter trips REI 3.5 Camp bed. The Bug Hut's light weight allows me to carry the heaviest pad and still have 50% less weight! In conclusion I have bought 2 in case they ever discontinue this model. The price is superb and the quality is impeccable. I have never been more comfortable and happy camping!Camping is about being "in" nature. Not zipping up and hiding

Comments about REI Bug Hut 2 Tent:

We bought the bug tent to protect our adult son from flies and mosquitoes in Canada. He is severely handicapped and cannot tell us if he is being bitten or brush off the insect by himself. We used the tent indoors and out. There is always that lone mosquito buzzing around the room when you go to sleep and then you wake up in the morning with welts if you don't protect yourself. It's nice for any of us to know that nothing has crawled in the bedding during the day or night. I have just purchased the smaller bug tent since this is pretty large for indoors. I recommend the bug tent for anyone that loves going on vacation - except for meeting creepy bugs!

Comments about REI Bug Hut 2 Tent:

This is hands down the best tent out there. There are so many great things about this tent...but before I explain those, let me start off with the number one obvious main drawback: lack of a rainfly. This would be a *perfect* product if it had a rainfly, but since it does not, you must work around it. I easily and cheaply *created my own* rainfly by using extra large trash bags. Take several of these, flay them open, use duct tape to bind them together, and then use duct tape to reinforce all of the edges. What you're left with is a VERY functional, extremely lightweight, and ultra-packable rainfly. I've used this tent with the trashbag rainfly on multiple adventures throughout Africa as well as here in the States. Never let me down.

This tent is also perfect for minimalist, light-weight camping and hiking. This thing virtually folds up into something that can fit into your pocket. It's so light you won't even know it's there. But BOOM - 1 minute and you have a great shelter set up. It's perfect for sleeping outdoors, fully protected without the feeling of being *separated* from nature by a standard tent. Bug protection is superior, the floor keeps all the water out. It's a great tent. NO CONS whatsoever other than the lack of a rainfly. But again, you can make your own rainfly that, in some ways, is better than factory-made rainflys.

This is the tent I use for everything. I will never buy another.

Comments about REI Bug Hut 2 Tent:

Used in the jungles of Belize. Super light, easy to setup, I was setup in 1/4 time of the other tenters. Used a tarp to protect from rainforest. Only wish they sold a rainfly for it, but I think a trap is best for the deep moisture of the rainforest. Bottom of tent is water proof, had water under tent and it never seeped in. Would totally reccomend, all friends impressed.

Comments about REI Bug Hut 2 Tent:

My wife and I used this tent for many outings, including 3 months of backpacking through 14 countries in Europe. We primarily have used a sil-nylon tarp for a fly, but recently found a European company that makes a fly for a very similar tent and have purchased that to go along with the bug hut.

All the mesh in the body keeps things cool and dry inside the tent - no condensation from breathing all night, or dew.

Nice big door for easy entry. Set up is extremely easy as well.

We will never by another tent - well, maybe a new bug hut once ours wears out. :)

Comments about REI Bug Hut 2 Tent:

This is a beautiful bug screen. As another reviewer mentioned, I'll never go back to trying to hang netting. Super quick set up and good sized for one person with gear inside. There are 4 interior hanging straps which is all that I need.

My only real complaint is that the interior dimensions are actually 48"W x 82"L. I'm every bit of 24" wide at the shoulders and my wife is probably 22". That doesn't make for any movement allowance when sleeping. I'm not asking for a queen bed width, but even a full mattress is only 54". For reference, the listed interior height of 40" is accurate.

An optional rain fly would be great, but I understand that would probably make this more of a tent and less of a free-standing bug net. I'll make my own I guess.

I'd highly recommend this for two small people or one large

Comments about REI Bug Hut 2 Tent:

I have been to Haiti for medical mission work and on my last trip a dentist and his family all had their own bug huts. While the majority of us were constantly re-hanging/repairing/repositioning our mosquito netting they had their individual “living spaces” up and organized in less than 5 minutes. As soon as I got back I ordered my Bug Hut 2 and have tested it out several times now. It is ideal for use with a single compact air mattress (I use the REI self inflating sleeping pad) and I can store all my gear in it as well (2 Lg duffel bags). I will never go back to hanging mosquito netting again.

Comments about REI Bug Hut 2 Tent:

This is a lightweight inexpensive shelter that is very well built. This is my go to shelter I love sleeping under the stars, but having grown up in Mississippi I have had bugs ruin many trips to the outdoors. With good weather it gives you a chance to sleep under the stars without the bugs. In bad weather I just string a tarp over a ridge line and stake it out and I have a well ventilated waterproof tent.

Comments about REI Bug Hut 2 Tent:

I like how small and light the whole package packs down. When covered by an "Equinox UL Tarp - 10 x 8" (I got this at REI) with a hiking pole in the front, the whole combination makes an excellent utralight shelter with reasonable rain protection. (By the way, a large cot even fits inside, providing sleeping room on top, and storage space below.) See my pictures of the combo. This is yet another excellent quality product bearing the REI brand.

Service and delivery comments:

Like most things I get from REI, I ordered this product on-line and had it delivered to my local REI store. Took about a week to ship to So Cal.

Comments about REI Bug Hut 2 Tent:

My husband and I both took these to Sudan this summer on a mission trip. The rest of our team took Bug Huts but we upgraded to the Bug Hut 2's and were happy with our decision. Both worked great but we liked the extra security of being fully enclosed instead of "tucked" in. Plan to use it many more times both on Mission trips and in Disaster relief. Could easily fit 2 people. Wish it came with a fly but overall very happy with it's performance.