On a warm summer night, it’s tempting to sleep outside and beat the heat, but how can you avoid being eaten alive by mosquitoes?

Add a Mosquito Net and Frame to your Disc-O-Bed Cam-O-Bunk—it fits the L or XL model—and you can enjoy a comfortable, flat bed while sleeping out of doors in the almost open air. You’ll even be able to see the stars through the mesh, light pollution permitting.

My little guy tells me that the full moon sprouts beautiful rays of green and gold light when viewed through the Mosquito Net’s mesh at night.

I was going to skip this accessory since we typically camp as a family in our perfectly mid-sized tent. I appreciate nature—even crave the acres of evergreen forests of my native region—but I’m far from a rugged outdoorswoman.

I prefer a bit of tarpaulin between me and the savage beasts raccoons who fight over the wrapper my kid left on the picnic table.

Fast forward to a muggy night and our currently out-of-commission air conditioning unit for the third floor bedroom. Remember, heat rises.

“I’d love to sleep out on the deck,” said DH, “but would you believe the mosquitoes make it up this high?”

“Me, too!” chimed in the little guy. “Let’s do it, Pop!”

But the plan was scrapped for want of a mosquito net.

I remembered having seen such an accessory when I was researching my Cam-O-Bunk prior to purchase. I went back to have a look. Sold as a set, there it was:

• Disc-O-Bed Mosquito Net and Frame, $59.99

Aside from availability direct from the manufacturer’s website (linked above), I’ve seen the Mosquito Net and other Cam-O-Bunk accessories offered on Amazon and at various sporting good stores online. I found the best price (about 45% off) at Overstock.com, so shop around.

The Mosquito Net and Mosquito Frame come in two separate storage bags in shipping box whose large size surprised me (about 11″ square by 30″ long.) That’s due to the long, skinny shape of the stored Mosquito Frame—which could’ve shipped in a poster tube—being coupled with the bulk of the Mosquito Net, which packs to about the size of a child’s sleeping bag.

As with every Disc-O-Bed item I’ve tried yet, these are hefty, sturdy accessories that are clearly better suited to car camping than carrying any distance. They feel like they will hold up, and their design makes for easy use/installation, but they aren’t made of ultralight materials. This is a fine compromise to keep the prices where they are.

If you are able to pack the much bulkier Cam-O-Bunk cots in your vehicle, you’ll have no trouble squeezing in all the accessories you desire. They will pack into nooks and crannies in your car much more efficiently than they did in a rectilinear shipping box.

The nylon storage bags are black, but they’re emblazoned with large white letters proclaiming their contents. I think even my husband could find them in the garage or van. Maybe not, actually, because he’s kind of awful at finding stationary objects. I’ll try to stop bringing that up since he’s so good at so many other things, but it really astounds me…

There were no instructions provided in either bag, unlike all my other Disc-O-Bed purchases. They weren’t necessary, so it’s kind of a moot point, but I may write to the manufacturer to see if that was an Overstock.com oversight, or whether the Mosquito items are simple enough for absolutely everyone to install unaided.

The two shock-corded poles that comprise the Mosquito Frame are made of four (connected) segments each. Both identical poles culminate in plugs sized to fit within the tubular frame of the Cam-O-Bunk itself.

You have to remove four black plastic plugs from the cot frame to allow insertion of the Mosquito Frame. I dropped these caps into the empty Mosquito Frame stuff sack to try to avoid losing them. Small black plugs in black storage bag equals fear of losing parts.

I wish gear makers would stick to light and bright colors for tiny, separable pieces!

It’s worth noting that these caps are easy to pop out of the frame. I have arthritis in my hands, and didn’t suffer for the removal demonstration pictured above. This might also mean one could accidentally dislodge (and lose!) one.

The only thing left to explore is: How comfortable is the experience of sleeping on the Cam-O-Bunk XL beneath the Mosquito Frame?

Short answer: On the bottom bunk, there’s no difference in comfort. For the top bunk, you have to make an effort to find anything to complain about.

Both adults in our family can sit straight upright at the center of the top bunk with a few inches of clearance between scalp and Mosquito Frame.

You can probably tell that most these photographs were taken inside our house. We’ve used the Cam-O-Bunk cots for a variety of visitors in different rooms, so they were already inside and assembled. It seemed easiest to test the Mosquito Frame in situ before carrying it upstairs to the deck, just in case we were missing a part or couldn’t manage to put it together.

The most interesting discovery made during this process was how utterly fascinating such an assembly was to every visitor who passed through our home last week. From a curious three year old who clambered right in to the adult friend contemplating camping after a long absence, people thought the Cam-O-Bunk was awesome, and it made them want to get outside.

Everyone seemed convinced on sight that the Cam-O-Bunk would make sleeping under the stars possible, and quite comfortable.

I concur.