Fast and easy setup, total protection from top to bottom, folds up compactly. Amazon Affiliate Product Link: geni.us/gTDs
The mosquito net tent comes in a non-woven fabric carrying case that has a handle on the top and a zipper along the bottom. The tent measures only 20” in diameter when folded up and is kept closed with an elastic band. On the front of the bag, in a clear plastic pocket, you’ll find folding instructions for collapsing the tent. Be careful when opening the tent because the wire frame can act like a spring and pop open unexpectedly.
The tent is made from nylon bug netting with flexible steel wire struts. To set it up, simply unfold it and expand the four walls, placing the two zippered doors at the sides of the bed. It’s pretty big so make sure you have enough space to unpack it. The fully opened size will cover an entire queen sized bed; on a full-size bed it will overhang the mattress by a few inches. The doors on the sides each have a pair of dual-sided zippers, so you’ll be able to open and close them from outside or inside the tent. Along the top edge of the doors is a fancy lace trim. Once inside you’ll find that the tent is quite roomy. At the top in the middle is a small zipper, though it’s unclear what its purpose is, as the net section behind the zipper is sealed. One thing to remember is to bring your pillows and blankets inside the net tent with you, since the netting completely ensconces you from top to bottom. The zippers glide open and closed smoothly without any skips or jams. I did check the entire net for holes and flaws where mosquitoes could sneak in, but I found none.
Closing the tent back up is a little tricky. First, locate the elastic retaining loop which is here on the right side. Then take the opposite caddy corner and fold it inward towards the strap corner. Then collapse the sides of the tent like a book. Standing at the narrower top side of the tent, with the elastic to your right, grasp both sides by the corners of the doors and cross your arms by pushing your right hand out and away from you and pulling your left hand towards your chest, before crossing the sides to form a small circle. Then fold this small circle down towards the rest of the tent, grasping tightly where they meet. Next, reach your left hand out and grab the side of the tent. Push forward, away from your body, while crossing under to the right side to create another small circle directly below the first one you made. Hold both circles together tightly in your right hand. Gather any hanging netting into the middle. Again, extend your left hand and grab the outer frame of the remainder of the large circle. Now repeat the folding pattern, pushing the frame inward and under the two circles in your right hand. It will naturally twist into a figure 8 and create two similar sized circles, which you can then collapses under the two circles in your right hand. Hold all four circles tightly together and stretch the elastic band over them. Now the tent should be small enough to place back into the carrying case for easy storage and travel. Check out my video above for a demonstration how to fold the tent up. It might take a couple tries and some practice but once you understand how to fold it, it’ll only take you a minute to perform properly each time.
Note that this 4 circle folding method is not the same as the one shown in the instructions on the bag, but is the proper way to get the tent small enough to fit in the carry case it comes with. You can also fold using the method in the illustrations, but note that the diameter will be larger, as it only utilizes 3 circles, and it won’t fit in the included bag when this method is used. Overall, this mosquito tent is really quick to setup and although the proper way to fold it to get it back into the case is a little tricky, once you get the hang of it, makes it easy to put away. It is lightweight and has a durable construction and a spacious interior with no holes where bugs can get in once the zippers are closed tightly. It also packs away compactly and can be stowed into a large suitcase for travel. Just make sure that the suitcase is least 20” in width so it can fit.
Amazon Affiliate Product Link: geni.us/gTDs