Skeeta Tent
The Skeeta Improved Insect Net Protector is a lightweight, man-portable, fully enclosed personal insect protection shelter that improves the legacy Insect Net Protector (NSN 7210-01-520-7136, PN 180-007) by adding an integrated floor membrane, fine no-see-um mesh, a large L-shaped side zipper door, compact segmented poles, and multiple hold-down options.
The enclosure protects the Soldier, sleeping system, cot, and essential gear from mosquitoes, midges, ticks, chiggers, ants, spiders, and other biting or nuisance pests during rest, recovery, and sleep periods. Six straight pole sections assemble into two vertical supports for a 48-inch-high pup-tent configuration. The protected floor area is approximately 75 inches x 161 inches (61.46 sq. ft.) with approximately 136.70 cu. ft. of enclosed volume, large enough to fit a cot and gear. Eight 12-inch PVC stake hold-downs secure the system outdoors with two nylon guy lines; eight sandbag hold-downs allow use where staking is not permitted and support indoor use in billets, hangars, aid stations, or temporary facilities. The system stores in an attached pouch approximately 20 inches x 10 inches x 3 inches (0.375 cu. ft.). Total packed weight with poles and hold-downs is approximately 3.5 lb.; the net protector alone weighs approximately 2.2 lb. and can be deployed with a ridge line and field-improvised hold-downs to reduce carried weight.
At Maneuver Trials, dismounted infantry Soldiers can carry and employ the Skeeta Improved Insect Net Protector as individual protective equipment during patrol-base operations, tactical pauses, overnight rest, observation posts, field recovery periods, and temporary indoor billeting. The system requires no power, batteries, vehicle support, radio link, or electromagnetic emission. . It can be evaluated at the individual Soldier, squad, and platoon levels for setup time, packability, cot and gear compatibility, ventilation, ease of entry/exit, and Soldier confidence during rest in pest-exposed environments. Recommended basis of issue for field validation: one system per Soldier, with alternate deployment configurations tested under realistic light/dismounted conditions.
1. Net only (2.2 lb.): carried in a backpack and deployed with a ridge line and field-improvised hold-downs for the lightest field configuration.
2. Net with six pole sections and eight stake hold-downs (approximately 3.5 lb.): backpack-carried and deployed outdoors in a self-supporting pup-tent configuration.
3. Net with six pole sections and eight empty sandbag hold-downs (approximately 3.4 lb.): deployed where staking is not permitted, including hard ground, indoor spaces, or temporary facilities.
4. Net with eight pole sections and no separate hold-downs (approximately 2.6 lb.): deployed around a standard military cot in the field or indoors for cot-based rest and recovery.
Dismounted Soldiers often rest in field environments where mosquitoes, midges, ticks, chiggers, biting flies, ants, wasps, spiders, and other pests can penetrate sleep and recovery areas. Bites and stings can degrade health, sleep quality, alertness, comfort, and mission readiness; some vectors can transmit debilitating diseases such as Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, ehrlichiosis, and West Nile virus. Repellents and uniform treatments are valuable, but they do not create a sealed physical barrier around the Soldier and essential gear during sleep or recovery. Open-floor legacy netting can leave ground gaps, permit crawling pests, and require cot poles or improvised support. The Skeeta Improved Insect Net Protector addresses this capability gap with a fully enclosed, fine-mesh protective volume, attached floor membrane, large zipper entry, compact pole system, and flexible stake, sandbag, cot-frame, or ridge-line deployment. The intended military benefit is improved personal protection, better rest, reduced preventable pest exposure, and greater Soldier confidence in austere environments.
TRL 6 – field-tested prototype based on an existing issued Insect Net Protector configuration, with integrated improvements ready for Soldier evaluation in an operationally relevant field environment
Maneuver Trials 2027 Objective: Demonstrate and collect Soldier feedback on whether the Skeeta Improved Insect Net Protector provides a lightweight, rapidly deployable, fully-enclosed personal insect-protection capability for dismounted infantry without power, batteries, vehicles, or electromagnetic-spectrum dependence. Trial objectives are:
1. Measure one-Soldier setup and pack-up time for each deployment configuration.
2. Assess packability, carried weight, and suitability for light/dismounted infantry operations.
3. Evaluate protected volume for a Soldier, sleeping system, optional cot, and essential gear.
4. Assess the floor membrane, L-shaped zipper entry, ventilation, visibility, and ease of use with field clothing and equipment.
5. Compare stake, sandbag, cot-frame, and ridge-line deployment options in field and indoor conditions.
6. Identify durability, snag, repair, cleaning, storage, and user-interface issues after Soldier handling.
7. Compare Soldier preference and perceived protection against the legacy open-floor/coarse-mesh/wooden cot-pole Insect Net Protector configuration.
8. Determine recommended basis of issue and modifications needed before production or Army fielding.
Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is dismantled, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. 2 For in this tent we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, 3 because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. 4 So while we are in this tent, we groan under our burdens, because we do not wish to be unclothed but clothed, so that our mortality may be swallowed up by life.
