If you want a fully mesh ceiling, you can leave the rainfly off. And if you want to use it as a sun shade without the mesh, you can pitch it with just the rainfly for shade coverage. The size is 10′ x 10′, which makes it large enough to set over a picnic table.
This tent is very reasonably priced, but for that reason, you might not receive as high-quality a product as other screen houses on this list. The Alvantor Screen House features a foldable tent frame that springs up. Screen houses are large, mesh-walled tent-like structures that are designed to be set up over a picnic table. I thought so too until I discovered the magic of screen houses and how much they can up-level your average camping trip. Regarding the weight, this Coleman Screened Canopy Tent with Instant Setup weighs 45.2 lb (20.5 kg), so it is heavy but obviously portable. Note that the packed size is 48 x 13.8 x 10.2 inches (122 x 35 x 26 cm) so it is quite long when packed.
The SansBug 1-Person Pop Up screened shelter offers the most protection from insects. As it’s the only one with a floor, you’re safe from crawling and burrowing critters. However, it’s a little on the small side for most peoples’ needs. For example, both tents have 50+ UV protection from the sun and have a full-length roof for weather protection. They’re also both rain resistant, even if not fully waterproof.
It has no floor, so if you’re not using a portable grill, you could easily assemble this around a pre-installed grill on the campsite. It’s even large enough to assemble around a built-in picnic table, and its shape allows for it, too. The canopy tent fits six to eight people, plus coleman screen tent there’s ample interior space to place a fold-out table and a few chairs. Put a portable gas grill on the table, and you’re ready to cook. Similar to the other Coleman screen house, it comes with two large doors, and it also comes with plenty of headroom for walking about in.
An open vestibule with an attached floor means while you may be dry inside your tent, all your gear will be taking a bath. The tent does have great ventilation, with most of the back and about half of the top being full mesh. When the rainfly is on and the side windows unzipped, you can still see outside, a nice feature and added reason to keep the fly on at all times. It comes with one wind panel is about the same size as the clam and almost have the price. It’s not a great option for withstanding rain, but is solid in windy conditions and would probably be fine in light rain.
You don’t need a screen house for camping, but they can dramatically increase your comfort level if you intend to camp in a buggy area. Straight wall screen houses are best for those who want to maximize the usable space inside the house. Finally, you’ll have a little under 100 square feet of usable space due to the sloped wall design. Additionally, the setup will likely go smoother if you watch a video first or read some reviews. This screen house also has vertical mesh walls (yay for lots of space) and mesh pockets for organization (another yay). However, if you’re planning to camp a little further from your vehicle, the Core Instant Screen House Canopy Tent is one of the lightest options for a portable screen house out there.
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