Bushwalk Australia

I am getting one of the catomo IBNS systems, which is basically a tactical mil approved version low profile pop out mozzie dome. http://www.catomaoutdoor.com/Catalog/Pr ... eSupport=1
The advantages for me are it will suit my purpose for lightweight hiking in buggy jungle and open country with a tarp, and I can also use it for contracting and aid work overseas where I may be sleeping in communal areas or dirty hotels. It is also low profile enough I think I will be able to Aframe a mid sized lightweight tarp over it for strong rain, unlike a lot of taller bednet/mozzie dome brands out there.

I am torn between also getting the dedicated fly for it though or keeping my 9x8 tarp. What should I do? I have not used a bed net or tent in fact with a dedicated fly and I am trying to work out of the pros will out way the cons.
Pros?- will protect from rain completely in closed down configuration, unlike tarps which do need some careful placement and configuration in the worst weather. It will also have smaller footprint for finding sleeping space in extremely thick jungle than an Aframe tarp ,which would be nice but not vital.
Cons?- being it will turn it into essentially a single walled tent, will there be a condensation issue, and how hot will it get? Tarps almost always allow airflow, also I like their versatility being configured for a tonne of different things in different country.

Not sure what to do... I could even keep both in my pack worse case, put up with the extra few hundred grams...

So it is both a mozzie dome and a tub groundsheet? Sounds OK to me as biting bugs and other creepy-crawlies are the downside of tarp camping
Seems to me that if you get the dedicated cover all you are getting is a very small tent and loosing the advantages of a tarp

Hi yes it was both, but I decided against it as found out the catomas eventually break their lightweight popup poles and they do not sell replacement as spares.

I'd stick with the A-frame tarp is this is for hot / humid conditions. You are right that a fully enclosed fly will be much hotter and stop the breeze (not that there is much within a jungle, but every little bit helps). Yeah, it will be a bit more mucking around to find a suitable site. Wind driven rain is not much of an issue in the jungle and in the tropics usually (unless you want to be out in a cyclone).

By the looks of that mozzie dome, it is designed to use with a stretcher bed, which I would recommend as getting up off the ground in really hot humid weather helps a lot with cooling.

As another option - have you considered a camping hammock at all? This would be easier to find sites for (you need the two trees / poles like the tarp, but the ground can be anything underneath). I use a hammock up here and it is the only way I can camp through the summer (though a stretcher bed would do much the same).

I use a Cotoma and use it on its own. It weighs about 800 grams, and i have a tarp that weighs 300 grams so total is 1100. Its lightweight, quick to setup and has a tough floor. Regarding the poles you can get replacements off their site