Can it be easily stored and transported? The roof of the screen house is water resistant. After sleeping in 27 tents, we think the Mountain Hardwear Mineral King 3 is the best tent for two people and the Eureka Copper Canyon LX 6 is best for most families. Many RVers like to use them in the winter to hang out outside because they can even help block the cold wind! This should block 99 percent of harmful UV rays. This product provides an excellent place for you to enjoy bug free dining while you are at the campsite. During the winter and early spring of 2017, we added four more canopy tents to our testing lineup. Screen houses are not like regular tents, they are meant to be quite large. Thats why the Coleman Screened Canopy Tent and the Alvantor Screen House Room Outdoor Camping Tent were selected for their wide surface area, full-height openings for airflow, and protection from UV rays. Like the REI model, the L.L.Bean tent has ample interior pockets, a lantern hook, and a roomy carrying bag, though the bag is of the typical drawstring-sack variety.
Each of the shelters we considered is portable enough for you to carry it a couple hundred yards to a campsite; no model in this category is intended to provide overnight accommodations, to be a permanent backyard fixture, or to be pitched on a windy ocean beach. This 10-by-10-foot screen tent features 7 feet of headspace, offering enough room for several adults. When you are looking for screen houses for camping picnic tables there are several factors you need to consider? Though the previous version came with four guylinesthe stabilizing lines that allow you to stake out the tent for added security in windy conditionsthe new version does not, which is inconvenient. It also comes with a 450mm polyester carrying bag with two straps to make transport and storage easier. There are full-height zippered doors on two sides of the tent, though unlike in the previous version of this tent the mesh walls do not completely unzip to form doorways at either sidewhich is a nice feature if youre using the tent for shade but not worried about bugs. The first trip was an early-February expedition to Indian Cove Campground in Californias Joshua Tree National Park, where our highly exposed group campsite made daytime temperatures in the high 70s feel like the 90s. Thats not the case, as this shelterlike all the others we tested and like most shelters of this typeis floorless. Some are large enough to cover a picnic table and several chairs, while others offer just enough space for a small table and chair set. First, theyre often placed over the top of items like a patio set or a picnic table. Some screen tents can also successfully handle the elements better than others, thanks to their wind- and water-resistant panels. Finally, these shelters feel noticeably smaller than any of our picks. The screen house has dimensions of 13 x 9 x 6.9 feet. After viewing product detail pages, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in. With all that in mind, we found more than a dozen tents that met our criteria. No matter your environment, this product will provide you with the protection you need. Mike. On days like those, you will want to relax at your campsite.
The whole thing, bag and all, weighs 14 pounds. The mesh doesnt seem particularly durable, and given the cap-like roof, the shade provided is much more limited than with our top-pick tents. The ceiling has a loop for hanging a lantern. However, you will quickly realize that this is not possible as hiking, fishing, and exploring every day will get exhausting. This tent is ideal for campers as it has a roomy interior that can protect you from the sun, rain, wind, snow, and insects.
If you love camping but hate eating your morning pancakes in the rain, a canopy tent can protect you from the trifecta of bugs, sun, and sudden showers. One of the best screen houses available comes from Quest. In between trips, we turned a neighbors large, flat yard into an ad hoc camping-gazebo testing ground. The legs include holes for staking it to the ground, allowing users to leave the tent set up for a weekend or two of nice weather. While the previous version of this tent used beachy-feeling aqua and orange, the newer version is a drab olive green more typical of other tents. We eliminated canopies that were not big enough to comfortably shelter a picnic table, concluding that a table is probably the number-one spot where campers would place such a structure. Firstly, you need a screen house that is big enough to hold all the people that are traveling with you. They are not waterproof. How much money are you willing to spend? But with a ceiling thats 6 inches lower, it feels smaller and darker. In your search for screen houses, you should consider this option from Ozark Trail. 
Some screen houses for camping come with optional wall panels that you can install on the sides where cold wind is blowing. Setting up this screen tent is simple: Just drape the netting over a standard patio umbrella and adjust the height so the bottom sits on the patio surface. Though some REI customer reviews report that the tent lasts a decade with occasional use, strong and sustained UV exposure could threaten its longevity. It has mesh sides with a solid roof that should keep you protected from bugs and the rain. If you have a screen house that is not compact, you will have trouble packing everything you need. The cap-like roofs on these Coleman and Ozark Trail models provided far less shade than we wanted, especially in the beating desert sun. 
There is a hands free entrance and exit thanks to the automatic closure feature. (The stakes are heavier, too, but when your tent already weighs 34 pounds, who cares?). The screening is detachable, so users can easily convert the screen tent to an open-air canopy. Some durability complaints and stock issues keep this model out of the top spot, however.
The entire screen tent folds down into an oversize carrying bag and weighs just 37 pounds. Zippered entries can be difficult to manipulate one-handed, but they do help to ensure unwanted pests arent able to pass through to steal food or leave a mess. Keep in mind that since this tent is lightweight enough to bring almost anywhere, its not ideal for windy days. Then you can start your trip and start having some fun! To avoid mildew, never pack away a wet or damp tent. As a result, you need to make sure that the tent can be compacted a great deal when it is folded up. And since it doesnt have a floor, theres no concern about leaving campsite dirt and sand inside. If you make a purchase using our links in this article, we may make a commission. It has dimensions of 12 x 10 x 8 feet, providing 90 square feet of shade for you and your family. We used the shelters for sun protection, setting up camp chairs inside oneand a play mat and toddler toys inside another, and placing the large Clam shelter over a picnic table piled with markers and coloring books. Weve read through this guide, and we stand by our current recommendations. This product has dimensions of 12 x 12 x 7.5 feet, providing 100 square feet of shade and protection from the sun. There is a vented top that will help you stay cool as air flows through your tent. I also wrote Wirecutters guide to the best car and family camping tent, for which I interviewed a prolific tent designer and the author of a book on family camping, as well as salespeople and tent-company employees knowledgeable about tent materials and performance. Keep the tent clean, dry the tent before storage, and dont leave it under sap-dripping trees like pines. Thats why we focused on collapsible camping shelters with mesh walls to keep bugs at bay. But it also suffers more durability complaints and frequently goes out of stock. Though both were mangled and filthy with mud, only the Ozark Trail shelter suffered lasting damage, with bowed poles, a small puncture in the polyester, and a foot-long tear in the mesh. Coleman Screened Canopy Tent4. At a peak height of 7 feet 6 inches, the Mountain View is 6 inches taller at its peak than the REI Co-op Screen House Shelter and a foot taller than the L.L.Bean Woodlands Screen House. We cover our top pick in-depth towards the end of the article! Subscribe now for unlimited access. Measuring 10 by 10 feet (12 by 12 feet with the eaves), with a center height of 9.5 feet, the tent offers plenty of room. Both are manufactured in Bangladesh; we wondered if these tents had the same patent, but Coleman told us that it doesnt share its patents with, or sell any of them to, Walmart. But when youre camping or eating outdoors, youll likely want protection from insects, as well. Others seem to be annoyed that the fly is not included. Takedown is similarly simple, though Clam provides an instructional video if you need help. (And to find out why thousands of RVers are raving about this particular screen tent). If its just a backyard getaway, a large tent that might be a bit heavy or difficult to carry is fine. However, it isnt meant as a place to sleep; for that you should choose a regular car-camping tent. It also provides 50 UV guard protection. Second, while the other three shelters we recommend have a many-year history of good reviews, the Mountain View was new in 2016, and some owners have complained about weak poles and poor customer service. In your search for screen houses, you should look for labels that show that the screen house is easy to set up. Finally, the tent comes with six deluxe tent stakes, tie down ropes, and an oversized carry bag. ABCCANOPY Pop Up Canopy with Mesh Mosquito Netting10. If you want a camping screen tent that you can set up in literally seconds by yourself, the CLAM is perfect for you. Measuring 4 by 10 by 6 inches when folded and weighing just under 3 pounds, this tent is lightweight and convenient to store anywhere. If you have a big family or like to entertain, a larger screen tent is the way to go, and many of these measure 12 feet by 12 feet. Both the tent and poles collapse to fit in a carrying bag similar to a medium-size duffel bag. Finally, this product comes with a one year limited warranty. Where are you planning on going on your next trip?
CROWN SHADES Pop up Canopy11. Though we appreciated the respite from Californias beating sun offered by the Clams dark interior, the heavy structure might seem gloomy in already-dark weather. The Coleman Mountain View is a spacious, adjustable canopy that offers more sun protection than either of our top picks. This screen tent provides accordion-type supports and telescoping legs for an easy setup. The mesh walls do have a ribbon of polyester at the foot, but even carefully staked they can leave gaps at the ground; though we didnt encounter many bugs on our Southern California weekend trips, if bug protection is your main concern, these tents would likely fall short. No matter what you call them, though, a good one should protect you from the trifecta of outdoor discomfortssun, rain, and bugswhile youre picnicking or camping, and it should be intuitively designed and pleasant to sit in. The Mountain Views 150-denier polyester fabric is treated with UVGuard, which claims to provide 50-plus UPF sun protection for the people inside and is standard on Colemans camping shelters. We also eliminated bulky, heavy shelters that are intended to be used as semipermanent backyard fixtures. Additionally, the poly mesh walls let the breeze in, while the taffeta roof shields you from the sun and rain. A crucial caveat: Though we managed to slide the Clam under the back two rows of seats in a minivan, this thing is impractical for anyone who is tight on vehicle space. The final step is popping up the roof, which has a generous center height of 7 feet 6 inches (the same as the Coleman Mountain View and a full foot taller than the L.L.Bean Woodlands Screen House). When you start your search for screen houses you can go to the Coleman Store for great options. As far as weight, look for a screen tent that weighs enough to remain safely grounded in a breeze but not so heavy that one person cant carry it. After studying customer reviews and the few available editorial reviews on the subject, we picked eight models to test with the goal of determining which type of tent offers the best features and value for most campers (we tested four in 2016 and four more in 2017). What is the size of the tent and how much does it weigh? Our favorite of the eight canopy tents we tested, the REI Co-op Screen House Shelter ticks all those boxes. Clam also sells a model called the Quick-Set Pavilion, which is the same as the Escape but supersized. In our tests one camper took less than 10 minutes to put it up on the first try. While the size of the screen house is important, the packed size is just as, if not more important. You can pop it open and fold it up in a matter of minutes. We independently review everything we recommend. Some are not much larger than a traditional picnic table but still offer enough headspace to stand up and move around with ease. Fellow campers consistently gravitated toward the REI shelter over the L.L.Bean. This screen tent measures 12 by 12 feet, with a center height of 7.8 feet, offering space for even the tallest adults while protecting from insects. Screen tents with the most convenience and durability are usually constructed with collapsing panels that users can just pull from the center to set up. Thanks for your support! In your search for the best screen houses available, you should consider this one from the Quictent Store. This also helps keep rain out, too. Each side of the tent has one of these handles; you pull on them to set up the tent. However, they should all carry some weight. Whether you choose two flaps with magnetic closures or one zippered panel, how a screen tent opens and closes should be a consideration. Since 2015, Ive tested camping shelters and large car-camping tents on weekend trips involving more than a dozen families, and I have talked to dozens more about their tent travails. Regardless of the entryway style, many screen tents feature convenient tiebacks to hold the screen open when you want to pass through freely. Coleman Instant Screenhouse2. This umbrella attachment creates a compact screen tent when its placed over a standard patio umbrella to keep out insects. For a luxurious campsite setup, the Coleman canopy tent is hard to beat. Investing in some high-quality basics can get kids excited about camping outand help you avoid a mid-trip detour to the nearest big-box store. However, taking the festivities off-grid requires a screen tent with some serious portability chops. But while the REI model is made of nylon, the L.L.Bean tent uses ripstop polyester, which is more resistant to UV damage and absorbs less moisture than nylon by weight. Though the Clam Quick-Set Escape lacks the versatility of the Coleman Mountain Viewthe mesh walls are not removable, and it has only a single doorwayits heavy-duty materials and construction make it more durable and likely more appropriate for people who regularly camp in windy or rainy weather. The stakes that come with the Clam Quick-Set Escape are burlier than those provided with any of the other shelters we looked at for this guide; theyre also stronger than any of the stakes included with the car-camping tents we tested at the same time.
Each of the shelters we considered is portable enough for you to carry it a couple hundred yards to a campsite; no model in this category is intended to provide overnight accommodations, to be a permanent backyard fixture, or to be pitched on a windy ocean beach. This 10-by-10-foot screen tent features 7 feet of headspace, offering enough room for several adults. When you are looking for screen houses for camping picnic tables there are several factors you need to consider? Though the previous version came with four guylinesthe stabilizing lines that allow you to stake out the tent for added security in windy conditionsthe new version does not, which is inconvenient. It also comes with a 450mm polyester carrying bag with two straps to make transport and storage easier. There are full-height zippered doors on two sides of the tent, though unlike in the previous version of this tent the mesh walls do not completely unzip to form doorways at either sidewhich is a nice feature if youre using the tent for shade but not worried about bugs. The first trip was an early-February expedition to Indian Cove Campground in Californias Joshua Tree National Park, where our highly exposed group campsite made daytime temperatures in the high 70s feel like the 90s. Thats not the case, as this shelterlike all the others we tested and like most shelters of this typeis floorless. Some are large enough to cover a picnic table and several chairs, while others offer just enough space for a small table and chair set. First, theyre often placed over the top of items like a patio set or a picnic table. Some screen tents can also successfully handle the elements better than others, thanks to their wind- and water-resistant panels. Finally, these shelters feel noticeably smaller than any of our picks. The screen house has dimensions of 13 x 9 x 6.9 feet. After viewing product detail pages, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in. With all that in mind, we found more than a dozen tents that met our criteria. No matter your environment, this product will provide you with the protection you need. Mike. On days like those, you will want to relax at your campsite.
The whole thing, bag and all, weighs 14 pounds. The mesh doesnt seem particularly durable, and given the cap-like roof, the shade provided is much more limited than with our top-pick tents. The ceiling has a loop for hanging a lantern. However, you will quickly realize that this is not possible as hiking, fishing, and exploring every day will get exhausting. This tent is ideal for campers as it has a roomy interior that can protect you from the sun, rain, wind, snow, and insects.
If you love camping but hate eating your morning pancakes in the rain, a canopy tent can protect you from the trifecta of bugs, sun, and sudden showers. One of the best screen houses available comes from Quest. In between trips, we turned a neighbors large, flat yard into an ad hoc camping-gazebo testing ground. The legs include holes for staking it to the ground, allowing users to leave the tent set up for a weekend or two of nice weather. While the previous version of this tent used beachy-feeling aqua and orange, the newer version is a drab olive green more typical of other tents. We eliminated canopies that were not big enough to comfortably shelter a picnic table, concluding that a table is probably the number-one spot where campers would place such a structure. Firstly, you need a screen house that is big enough to hold all the people that are traveling with you. They are not waterproof. How much money are you willing to spend? But with a ceiling thats 6 inches lower, it feels smaller and darker. In your search for screen houses, you should consider this option from Ozark Trail. Some screen houses for camping come with optional wall panels that you can install on the sides where cold wind is blowing. Setting up this screen tent is simple: Just drape the netting over a standard patio umbrella and adjust the height so the bottom sits on the patio surface. Though some REI customer reviews report that the tent lasts a decade with occasional use, strong and sustained UV exposure could threaten its longevity. It has mesh sides with a solid roof that should keep you protected from bugs and the rain. If you have a screen house that is not compact, you will have trouble packing everything you need. The cap-like roofs on these Coleman and Ozark Trail models provided far less shade than we wanted, especially in the beating desert sun. There is a hands free entrance and exit thanks to the automatic closure feature. (The stakes are heavier, too, but when your tent already weighs 34 pounds, who cares?). The screening is detachable, so users can easily convert the screen tent to an open-air canopy. Some durability complaints and stock issues keep this model out of the top spot, however. The entire screen tent folds down into an oversize carrying bag and weighs just 37 pounds. Zippered entries can be difficult to manipulate one-handed, but they do help to ensure unwanted pests arent able to pass through to steal food or leave a mess. Keep in mind that since this tent is lightweight enough to bring almost anywhere, its not ideal for windy days. Then you can start your trip and start having some fun! To avoid mildew, never pack away a wet or damp tent. As a result, you need to make sure that the tent can be compacted a great deal when it is folded up. And since it doesnt have a floor, theres no concern about leaving campsite dirt and sand inside. If you make a purchase using our links in this article, we may make a commission. It has dimensions of 12 x 10 x 8 feet, providing 90 square feet of shade for you and your family. We used the shelters for sun protection, setting up camp chairs inside oneand a play mat and toddler toys inside another, and placing the large Clam shelter over a picnic table piled with markers and coloring books. Weve read through this guide, and we stand by our current recommendations. This product has dimensions of 12 x 12 x 7.5 feet, providing 100 square feet of shade and protection from the sun. There is a vented top that will help you stay cool as air flows through your tent. I also wrote Wirecutters guide to the best car and family camping tent, for which I interviewed a prolific tent designer and the author of a book on family camping, as well as salespeople and tent-company employees knowledgeable about tent materials and performance. Keep the tent clean, dry the tent before storage, and dont leave it under sap-dripping trees like pines. Thats why we focused on collapsible camping shelters with mesh walls to keep bugs at bay. But it also suffers more durability complaints and frequently goes out of stock. Though both were mangled and filthy with mud, only the Ozark Trail shelter suffered lasting damage, with bowed poles, a small puncture in the polyester, and a foot-long tear in the mesh. Coleman Screened Canopy Tent4. At a peak height of 7 feet 6 inches, the Mountain View is 6 inches taller at its peak than the REI Co-op Screen House Shelter and a foot taller than the L.L.Bean Woodlands Screen House. We cover our top pick in-depth towards the end of the article! Subscribe now for unlimited access. Measuring 10 by 10 feet (12 by 12 feet with the eaves), with a center height of 9.5 feet, the tent offers plenty of room. Both are manufactured in Bangladesh; we wondered if these tents had the same patent, but Coleman told us that it doesnt share its patents with, or sell any of them to, Walmart. But when youre camping or eating outdoors, youll likely want protection from insects, as well. Others seem to be annoyed that the fly is not included. Takedown is similarly simple, though Clam provides an instructional video if you need help. (And to find out why thousands of RVers are raving about this particular screen tent). If its just a backyard getaway, a large tent that might be a bit heavy or difficult to carry is fine. However, it isnt meant as a place to sleep; for that you should choose a regular car-camping tent. It also provides 50 UV guard protection. Second, while the other three shelters we recommend have a many-year history of good reviews, the Mountain View was new in 2016, and some owners have complained about weak poles and poor customer service. In your search for screen houses, you should look for labels that show that the screen house is easy to set up. Finally, the tent comes with six deluxe tent stakes, tie down ropes, and an oversized carry bag. ABCCANOPY Pop Up Canopy with Mesh Mosquito Netting10. If you want a camping screen tent that you can set up in literally seconds by yourself, the CLAM is perfect for you. Measuring 4 by 10 by 6 inches when folded and weighing just under 3 pounds, this tent is lightweight and convenient to store anywhere. If you have a big family or like to entertain, a larger screen tent is the way to go, and many of these measure 12 feet by 12 feet. Both the tent and poles collapse to fit in a carrying bag similar to a medium-size duffel bag. Finally, this product comes with a one year limited warranty. Where are you planning on going on your next trip?
CROWN SHADES Pop up Canopy11. Though we appreciated the respite from Californias beating sun offered by the Clams dark interior, the heavy structure might seem gloomy in already-dark weather. The Coleman Mountain View is a spacious, adjustable canopy that offers more sun protection than either of our top picks. This screen tent provides accordion-type supports and telescoping legs for an easy setup. The mesh walls do have a ribbon of polyester at the foot, but even carefully staked they can leave gaps at the ground; though we didnt encounter many bugs on our Southern California weekend trips, if bug protection is your main concern, these tents would likely fall short. No matter what you call them, though, a good one should protect you from the trifecta of outdoor discomfortssun, rain, and bugswhile youre picnicking or camping, and it should be intuitively designed and pleasant to sit in. The Mountain Views 150-denier polyester fabric is treated with UVGuard, which claims to provide 50-plus UPF sun protection for the people inside and is standard on Colemans camping shelters. We also eliminated bulky, heavy shelters that are intended to be used as semipermanent backyard fixtures. Additionally, the poly mesh walls let the breeze in, while the taffeta roof shields you from the sun and rain. A crucial caveat: Though we managed to slide the Clam under the back two rows of seats in a minivan, this thing is impractical for anyone who is tight on vehicle space. The final step is popping up the roof, which has a generous center height of 7 feet 6 inches (the same as the Coleman Mountain View and a full foot taller than the L.L.Bean Woodlands Screen House). When you start your search for screen houses you can go to the Coleman Store for great options. As far as weight, look for a screen tent that weighs enough to remain safely grounded in a breeze but not so heavy that one person cant carry it. After studying customer reviews and the few available editorial reviews on the subject, we picked eight models to test with the goal of determining which type of tent offers the best features and value for most campers (we tested four in 2016 and four more in 2017). What is the size of the tent and how much does it weigh? Our favorite of the eight canopy tents we tested, the REI Co-op Screen House Shelter ticks all those boxes. Clam also sells a model called the Quick-Set Pavilion, which is the same as the Escape but supersized. In our tests one camper took less than 10 minutes to put it up on the first try. While the size of the screen house is important, the packed size is just as, if not more important. You can pop it open and fold it up in a matter of minutes. We independently review everything we recommend. Some are not much larger than a traditional picnic table but still offer enough headspace to stand up and move around with ease. Fellow campers consistently gravitated toward the REI shelter over the L.L.Bean. This screen tent measures 12 by 12 feet, with a center height of 7.8 feet, offering space for even the tallest adults while protecting from insects. Screen tents with the most convenience and durability are usually constructed with collapsing panels that users can just pull from the center to set up. Thanks for your support! In your search for the best screen houses available, you should consider this one from the Quictent Store. This also helps keep rain out, too. Each side of the tent has one of these handles; you pull on them to set up the tent. However, they should all carry some weight. Whether you choose two flaps with magnetic closures or one zippered panel, how a screen tent opens and closes should be a consideration. Since 2015, Ive tested camping shelters and large car-camping tents on weekend trips involving more than a dozen families, and I have talked to dozens more about their tent travails. Regardless of the entryway style, many screen tents feature convenient tiebacks to hold the screen open when you want to pass through freely. Coleman Instant Screenhouse2. This umbrella attachment creates a compact screen tent when its placed over a standard patio umbrella to keep out insects. For a luxurious campsite setup, the Coleman canopy tent is hard to beat. Investing in some high-quality basics can get kids excited about camping outand help you avoid a mid-trip detour to the nearest big-box store. However, taking the festivities off-grid requires a screen tent with some serious portability chops. But while the REI model is made of nylon, the L.L.Bean tent uses ripstop polyester, which is more resistant to UV damage and absorbs less moisture than nylon by weight. Though the Clam Quick-Set Escape lacks the versatility of the Coleman Mountain Viewthe mesh walls are not removable, and it has only a single doorwayits heavy-duty materials and construction make it more durable and likely more appropriate for people who regularly camp in windy or rainy weather. The stakes that come with the Clam Quick-Set Escape are burlier than those provided with any of the other shelters we looked at for this guide; theyre also stronger than any of the stakes included with the car-camping tents we tested at the same time.