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The Integral Designs Silshelter Bug Liner is designed to be used in
conjunction with the ID Silshelter (basically a shaped tarp) to provide a
fully enclosed sleeping space offering protection from bugs, though it can
also be used as a stand-alone bug shelter on clear nights. The Bug Liner
features a seamless, waterproof, bathtub floor made of urethane coated nylon
taffeta. Loops are attached to each corner of the shelter for staking it
down. Built in adjustable ladder lock buckles allow the loop tension to be
adjusted against the stakes. A 60" (152cm) 'D' shaped zipper allows entry
and exit. The shelter has a fabric cup at the top of the door to allow for
setup with a trekking pole and lines at the head and foot of the shelter to
provide tension on the front and back. Materials / Design:
The Bug Liner is designed using a simple 'A' frame shape, with an
elevated head to allow the user to sit up within the shelter. The floor of
the Liner consists of a seamless, bathtub shape with taped corners where the
corner loops are sewn. The floor extends about 3" (7.6cm) up the side around
the
 perimeter,
which should help provide for dry sleeping quarters in the event that rain
runs beneath the tarp during a storm. The fully enclosed no-see-um netting
body and seamless floor look like they should keep bugs at bay, assuming you
don't let any in during setup. Entry and exit of the Bug Liner is via a 'D'
shaped zipper at the head of the Liner. The zipper extends to within 4.5"
(11.4cm) of ground level creating a small lip that must be crawled over. It
will have to be determined whether the placement of the trekking pole (right
in front of the zipper) creates an obstacle during entry.
Setup:
Though there are no setup instructions provided with the Bug Liner,
pitching it appears to be a fairly simple affair. The first order of
business is to gather those items not included with the Liner that are
required to set it up, namely; an adjustable hiking pole and 6 stakes (while
the fact that the hiking pole is not included with the Bug Liner comes as no
surprise, I did find the lack of stakes somewhat odd, however). First the
corners of the shelter are staked out. Then an adjustable trekking pole is
needed as the main support pole for the head of the Liner. The pole
is simply placed on the ground (point down) and the handle inserted into a
cloth cup located at the apex of the shelter. Lastly the foot of the Bug
Liner is staked, though this process is somewhat less clear to me. There are
three loops at the foot of the Liner and a single long cord connected to the
outermost loops .
The shape of the foot indicates to me that it should be staked in an
elevated position, though I lacked any means to do this in my initial quick
setup, so I just staked the foot to the ground. This technique appears to
work, but causes the fabric on the sides of the foot to droop. I will have
to experiment further as part of this test to determine the best means of
securing the foot of the Bug Liner.
Those owning the Integral Designs Silshelter, can now position it over
the top of the Bug Liner and secure it into place using the same stakes. For
this operation, the adjustable loops on the corners of the Bug Liner come in
handy since they allow the stakes to be placed in an optimal location for
the Silshelter, then tensioned so that the Bug Liner is pitched tautly
underneath.
Construction:
My experience with other Integral Designs products I've owned is that
the quality of workmanship is high, and the Silshelter Bug Liner is no
exception. The design is professional, with all raw fabric edges folded
under or finished so that they lie flat. All stitching appears to be
flawless with double rows of stitching at the stress or high wear points.
Initial Impression:
The Bug Liner appears to be a well-made and lightweight bug shelter. My
expectations, based upon its description on the Integral Designs web site,
closely matches the actual product. I am a bit disappointed that the
Liner did not come with setup instructions and stakes though.
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There are several features of the ID Bug Liner that I would like to evaluate
as part of my test plan. All of my hiking is done with my wife, so I would
like to examine the roominess of the liner for two people. My current
shelter is difficult to get in and out of (the Nest has a ground level gap
in the mosquito netting door that requires me to slither in and out on my
stomach), and does not offer much in the way of extra living space, so I
will examine: head room, sleeping room, ease of entry/exit and ability to
change clothes within the liner.
Summer thunderstorms in Arizona often develop very quickly and without
warning. In pitching a tarp type shelter, the inclusion of a bug liner adds
to the setup time, and can sometimes be a bit tricky for a single person to
pitch. I would like to evaluate the ability for a single person to quickly
setup the Bug Liner by itself and in conjunction with the ID Silshelter.
Once the Bug Liner is pitched, it will be checked for stability, waterproofing of the bathtub floor as well as the amount of flap from the wind in
inclement weather. I would also like to evaluate the ventilation of the Bug
Liner given the high desert temperatures found in AZ.
The liner will be pitched on a variety of surfaces including: sand, rocks
and grass which will provide a good idea as to the durability of the floor
as well as well as allow for opportunities to test setup using both stakes
and guy lines.
Finally, since my wife does not like sleeping with desert crawlies, I would
like to test whether the Bug Liner actually does afford the bug protection
it claims. |
