Date: Sat, 10 Jul 2004 15:36:43 -0400
Reply-To: Stephen Steele <steeles@HORIZONVIEW.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Stephen Steele <steeles@HORIZONVIEW.NET>
Subject: Re: Eliminating mosquitoes while camping
In-Reply-To: <000101c4662e$00cde9c0$5f67ad8e@heinlein>
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on 7/9/04 23:28, Kirk Hockin at dochockin@TELUS.NET wrote:
> Before folks spend a lot of time and effort/money on replacing screens:
> No-see-ums aren't mosquitoes and do not vector West Nile. (In fact only
> certain species of Mozzies can vector the virus). Not to say that being
> covered in No-see-um bites is fun....
> Kirk Hockin
> '83 Westy "Ariolimax"
KH:
Since my posting was included in yours... I feel the screen renewal and
upgrading was a no-brainer. The monetary outlay was minimal and I don't even
want to get into how much labor (my time) I have spent on these hobby
vehicles. I will say that most of my efforts at improving the Westy have
proven to be worthwhile and at worst welcome.
The "no-see-um" comment was only in reference to the type of netting that I
chose to use in making/repairing my screens. The West Nile virus and
appending scare were actually very little impetus to my bug-proofing of the
van. We do plan on traveling to the Great White North someday; so, while we
live and mostly camp in areas free of the littler (n-s-u) pests, we may yet
make use of the finer mesh.
BA:
I have belonged to REI for decades and e-shop them. I agree that one must
be judicious in watching their prices. Since we live well more than an hour
from the nearest outfitter type store I do often find REI's prices
acceptable. And, I enjoy using the annual rebate as mad money. I found my
netting at a local fabric store in the same colors, btw.
We chose gray over the white or black as it will show less dirt, dust and
stains. Since we attached a section of the netting at the bottom of the
sliding door curtain, it hangs a few inches below the door threshold and can
be splashed on by rain/mud or stepped on in a hasty entry into the van. We
keep two snap type clothes pins around for holding the curtain/screen unto
the door frame to minimize the opening against the pests. The netting gets
rolled up inside the curtain when stored and is held in place by the
original tie back. Also the gray matches the rest of the '87 Westy's
interior. (I assume the million dollars will be forthcoming in payment for
the answer.)
Cleaning our curtains was fairly easy: off and into the washer on slow
speeds and using a mild detergent (Woolite). We used a gentle low heat
cycle to dry but in retrospect it would probably be ok just to let them hang
dry in the Westy. I lightly scrubbed the side window screens with a soft
bristle brush; using super glue on the spots that had loosened from the
frames. The rear hatch screen was in good shape and needed no attention.
As I mentioned earlier, I sewed in the new pop top screen by doing it in
place alternately working from inside sitting on the end of the upper bunk
and outside the van while sitting in the luggage rack.
Finally, BA....get out there and CAMP!...What are you waiting for?
Stephen Steele*
Chillicothe OH
'87 Westy "Franz"
'82 Caddy VW Diesel P.U. Unknown future????
'74 MGB My first car...yep, I've kept it since '74
'93 Chevy S-10
'91 Jetta Diesel My daily driver
'02 Jetta Wagon VR6 Wife's car
Ex Vans:
'91 Caravelle "Hans"...1995-2003 Now with Son #1 awating new engine
'81 Vanagon from 1985-1990
'84 Westfalia "Fritz" 200-2004 now with Son #1
*all rights reserved/no portion of this document may be reproduced w/o prior
written permission