On our drive from Sydney to Adelaide, the first stop was Bungonia Campground. We arrived on a 40-degree afternoon in December, and the flies were insane. The Sea to Summit Mosquito Head Net was a lifesaver that day: a hood of fine netting over your hat, and the flies can land on it all they like. I paid $18 for it.
What’s in the box
A hood made of black netting, with an elastic drawcord around the bottom, and a small blue stuff sack to keep it in. That’s all. The netting is a soft, multi-filament polyester in a fine hexagonal mesh, with 80 holes per square centimetre.
What we like
- Weighs just 26 g in its stuff sack
- Packs down to the size of an egg
- Black netting is easy to see through
- Elastic drawcord, one size fits all
- A lifesaver in insane flies
- Stuff sack keeps it snag-free
What we don’t
- Needs a brimmed hat underneath
- Fine netting can snag on branches
- Easy to lose: it’s that small
Quick Specs
| Spec | Details |
|---|---|
| Brand | Sea to Summit |
| Model | AMOSH |
| Material | Black multi-filament polyester net |
| Weight | 26 gin its stuff sack |
| Size | One size fits all |
| Mesh | Hexagonal80 holes per cm² |
| Closure | Elastic drawcord with cord lock |
| Included | Stuff sack included |
Netting and fit
The net is black for a reason. Dark netting is easier to see through than white or green, because it doesn’t catch the light in front of your eyes. The hexagonal mesh is fine enough for mosquitoes and flies, and the fabric is soft, so it drapes instead of standing stiff.
It’s cut wide, so it goes over a broad-brimmed hat. That’s how a head net works best: the brim holds the netting away from your face, where insects can’t reach through it. Around the bottom runs an elastic drawcord with a cord lock. You pull it in around your neck or collar to close the gap.
Fine netting is light, and the trade-off is that it can snag. Take it off before you push through scrub, and keep it in its sack when you’re not wearing it.
Size and weight
This is the head net’s best trick. Stuffed into its sack it’s about the size of an egg, and it weighs 26 g on our scale. The packaging says 30 g.
The stuff sack has its own drawcord and cord lock, and it does a real job: it keeps the netting from catching on zips, velcro and everything else in a bag. The net pushes back in easily, with no folding needed.
Because it’s so small, ours sits permanently in the glovebox, so it’s there when we need it. That’s how it came to be with us at Bungonia, where we needed it from the moment we arrived until the evening set in and the flies finally gave up. The only risk with something this size is losing track of it.
Conclusion: Sea to Summit Mosquito Head NetConclusion
The Sea to Summit Mosquito Head Net is a simple hood of fine black netting with an elastic drawcord, in a stuff sack the size of an egg. At 26 g on our scale, it’s easy to carry on every trip, and it was a lifesaver for us when the flies were insane at Bungonia. It works best over a hat with a brim, fine netting needs some care around branches, and it’s small enough to lose. For $18, it’s cheap insurance for hikers, campers and travellers in fly or mosquito country.
A hood of fine black netting with an elastic drawcord, 26 g in a stuff sack the size of an egg.
It works best over a brimmed hat, and it cost us $18.
- Hikers
- Campers
- Travellers
Yes. I paid $18 for something that weighs 26 g and takes up no room. On the one afternoon when the flies are insane, as they were for us at Bungonia, it pays for itself.
