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The Integral Design Silshelter Bug Liner is a fully enclosed non-free
standing shelter with a no-see-um netting body and nylon bathtub floor. The
bug liner may be used as a bug proof shelter on dry nights or in conjunction
with the ID Silshelter if inclement weather threatens. Setting up the Bug
Liner:
The Integral Design Silshelter Bug Liner requires 6 stakes to set up,
one for each of the four corners and one for the front and back. Since no
instructions came for setting up the liner, my technique has been to stake
out each of the corners. Each corner has a loop of webbing connected to it
for this purpose. Next I place a hiking pole (point down) at the head of the
tent placing the handle of the pole in a cup shaped piece of fabric designed
for that purpose. I then stake out a guy line located at the top of the
liner to hold the hiking pole in place. My experience is that the cup shaped
pole holder is a little too small for the hiking pole I typically carry (a
Black Diamond FlickLock). The top of the handle of this pole has a broad flat
area to distribute the pressure across the hikers hand. This works nicely
when hiking with the pole, but does not fit very well into the holder
provided on the liner.
Setting up the foot of the liner is a bit of a mystery to me. The foot has
three loops sewn at evenly spaced intervals around the foot box with a
single cord routed through the two outer loops. My technique to date has
been to wrap the cord around a stick at the level of the foot box, about 24
inches (61 centimeters) above the ground, then stake the cord into the ground
to secure it. While this set up technique is functional, it doesn’t seem
correct. Because only the outer two loops are used at the foot box, the
tension of the cord pulls the loops together, creating a crease in the liner's
bug netting. I would think that, if properly set up, all fabric of the liner
would be taut. I have not figured out a successful means of setting up the
liner to achieve this result.
The entire process for setting up the Bug Liner takes me less than 2
minutes. Since just the head and foot of the liner require guy lines, there
are only two trip hazards associated with the shelter.
Once the liner is set up, if you have the Integral Designs Silshelter, you
simply throw this over the top of the Bugliner and use the same stakes to
secure it in place. An additional stake or two is required to secure the
door of the Silshelter in case of rain.
Description of Product Performance:
The first thing to mention with the bug liner is that it is completely
enclosed. With the door zipped up the occupant has a barrier of mosquito
netting or nylon between themselves and any biting bugs. As a shelter that
advertises protection from bugs, the product does what it is intended. With
that settled, let’s take a look at some of the other features.
After setting up the liner it’s time to crawl inside. One thing I found is
that the pole that supports the head of the liner is propped up right in
front of the ‘C’ shaped zipper door. This reduces the amount of room you
have available to get inside the liner and makes it impossible to enter from
the left side facing the shelter (since the ‘C’ shaped door doesn’t open as
far on this side). I did not find this to be a problem when using the liner
as a solo shelter, but with another person inside the shelter (particularly
if they are occupying the right hand spot) I had to carefully crawl over
them to get inside. This is complicated further by the fact that the door
has a 3.5 inch (8.9 centimeter) lip above the ground that must be stepped over
when entering or exiting.
Once inside, I found that there is enough headroom to sit up if the liner is
used as a solo shelter so that I can sit right in the middle with my head at
the tallest part of the shelter. Because the liner is shaped like a
triangle, the slope of the netting drops quickly from the center of the
liner. It is therefore not possible to sit up when there are two people in
the liner since there isn’t room to sit in the middle and the roof is not
tall enough on the sides where the two people would be sitting. There is
enough room for two people inside the shelter to sleep comfortably though
it’s a snug fit. There is little extra room available for any gear or
personal items though. For a solo camper, all equipment could be brought
inside the shelter at night if desired. For a couple, most of the gear would
have to be left outside.
One thing that did bother me slightly was the fact that the sides of the
liner sagged in towards the center. This is due to the ‘A’ frame design of
the shelter and the fact that it is secured at the corners, head and foot
only (there are no guy lines for the sides of the liner to pull them out.
Because the sides bow inwards, it reduces the amount of space available in
an already confined space.
As a standalone shelter (in pleasant weather), the bug liner is very
breathable due to the fact that the entire body is made from no-see-um
netting. Breathability is hampered somewhat when used in conjunction with
the Silshelter since it simply drapes over the top of the bug liner with no
tie out points to provide an airspace between the two shelters. I found that
by keeping the door of the Silshelter wide open at night, the movement of
air was sufficient to keep condensation from building up within the shelter
(keep in mind that this test was conducted in Arizona where humidity is
fairly low). I have not had the opportunity to test the shelter during a
rain storm with the Silshelter battened down against the elements.
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