Night Cat Pop-up Mosquito Tent: 1 Person Camping

After a few quick tests by me and the kids in our living room, I can’t wait to take it camping! Very cool tent in a truly compact package!

I was concerned that with the sloping walls in the head and leg areas, I’ll be touching the netting, but it turns out that I’m perfectly fine at 5”11. I do however think someone over 6′ might be pushing the limits of this tent’s size. There is enough headspace to sit and there is definitely enough floor space so that this screen shelter can be used as a small, mosquito free play area.

There are two straps on the bottom that would allow the tent to be attached to a cot, but it can be used as a ground tent as well. I would recommend using some kind of a ground sheet or even a blanket underneath to protect the floor from small sticks and sharp rocks. The tent can be staked out and there are guy lines to tie it off as well.

Of course the party trick of this mini screen tent is it’s instant setup. It really is nearly instant – I think with taking the tent out of it’s bag, the whole process takes less than 20 seconds. When folded the tent forms a small, flat, round package that will fit into even very full car trunk.

Getting the tent back into it’s package initially feels near impossible, but luckily there is an instruction booklet with pictures explaining the process, and better yet, the listing has a video with the procedure. After familiarization, folding becomes routine.

The build quality is very nice, no lose threads, the zippers are working smoothly. The fiberglass poles appear a bit thin, but if not abused should hold up just fine. The net seems to be a bit smaller than most typical mosquito nets, so it might be good for smaller insects as well.

Initial impressions exceeded my expectations, I hope I’ll get a chance to properly field test this tent very soon!

Very impressed with the features and high-quality build of this product. It folds up into a VERY compact and extremely light disk shape. The zipper feels smooth and sturdy. There are useful little touches in the interior, like side-pouches to hold items, and top clip to hold a lamp. SO easy to set up and break down (just watch the product video to learn how). Works perfectly to keep bugs away. I’m actually using this to protect myself from a bedbug while trying to eradicate it, and it works well for that purpose.

I guess the first thing that’s important to know is that it absolutely WILL fit a 6′ tall person. But you will need to take care near the head and feet not to be touching the mesh. Even when lying down, there’s room to spare on both ends, but the mesh does come in quite a bit at the tips, so if you’re in contact with it (lying on your side for instance) and have skin showing, it’s quite possible that mosquitos will bite right through the net. Otherwise, it’s absolutely sleepable, especially when you use the guy wires.

Unfortunately, when sitting down in the middle of the tent, my head does push up on the nylon roof a little, so if you were planning on using it as a sun or meditation shelter it probably wouldn’t be too comfortable. Not sure if bugs can bite through nylon, but desperate ones might. Of course you can always just drape a lightweight tarp over it to make it a bit more weather resistant, but just make sure to keep it well ventilated.

Very happy to see that the net was perfectly intact out of the box too. Not a single hole and the stitching is decent enough. The zippers are also quite smooth, although I find myself having to brace the roof with one hand when the zippers are near the top just to get some good leverage when zipping it closed. Popping it up takes seconds of course, but folding it up took some time. It’s a bit of a learning curve I won’t lie; but if you’re familiar with folding – or should I say twisting – things like sun visors for car windshields, the principal is the same.

Overall, for use in generally dry weather, I do like it. The problem is when moisture or water creeps underneath the floor of the tent, even when using a cot. It’s really no more than a thin layer of nylon so I might suggest setting up another barrier like you would with any other tent. Rain storms can pop up quite suddenly and you don’t want to be caught unprepared and with a wet interior, so vigilance is recommended. As for the build quality and materials, they’re on par with most retail tents out there, albeit a little more lightweight for portability. It’s basically exactly as expected, so it’s a thumbs up from me.

We live in Louisiana, which means it’s almost always hot and our bugs are ginormous. That said, it is October, and will soon be time to starting spending time outside again. The temp will drop even if the bugs don’t. Both of my kids – but especially my daughter – HATE bugs. I like to send them outside to read in the fresh air and sun, but more often than not they come running back in in terror.
This is my new secret weapon. We have several camping cots, so I can pop one up in the yard, lay this tent on top, and force my poor children outside to read or even play on their tablets. This is super easy to use – it just pops right up. The trickiest part is trying to get it back in the bag!

This portable mosquito tent is excellent. It is so compact and lightweight with delicate tent fabric, so must be handled with care so that it doesn’t tear or snag on anything. As soon as you take the elastic off, the figure-8 fold of the flexible fibreglass poles pops open easily. It comes with a carry bag with a cute Night Cat logo on it and two metal tent pegs so you can fasten it to the ground. Any day hiker or cyclist, even a younger child can carry this on an outing. I plan to use it in part on outings for my cat who enjoys trail walking but likes having his own cool secure space to watch the action, take a nap and listen to the birds. This would make an excellent Christmas gift in my opinion. Buy with confidence!

Tall enough. Wide enough. It perfectly fits on a cot and is good for light weight backpacking summer camping to avoid fly object and swimming scorpion in Texas.

Easy to set up and store.