Finally, the price makes it one of the best camping shelters for those on a budget. One feature this screen house has that I haven’t seen elsewhere is an entry mat placed over the thresholds to prevent tripping over the edge of the tent. A magnetic screen house uses magnets to keep the doors closed, which is nice because they’re super easy to open when you have your hands full. One of the aspects that helps this screen house stand up so well is the six-sided shape.
The screen tent boasts a double-thick and water-resistant nylon fabric with UVGuard treatment for protecting users from afternoon showers and the sun’s rays. The two large zippered doors fully roll back for completely free passage from either side. When not in use, you can store this screen tent in the wheeled coleman ice chest carrying bag that fits inside most car trunks. At only 45 pounds, it’s easy to wheel right to the campsite or a backyard party. However, for light rains, the Alvantor waterproof screen tent is a great choice. It offers some mild protection from rainy conditions which can be good for passing showers.
Even with the built-in panels, this screen tent weighs only 41 pounds, though the carrying bag might be a bit long for some smaller vehicles. It includes stakes to secure the tent when the wind starts picking up. And the tent is water-resistant enough to hold up to light rain.
Before choosing the best screen tent for your needs, there are a few key considerations that are helpful to know. Below are several of the most important factors to keep in mind while shopping for a screen tent. For a luxurious campsite setup, the Coleman BackHome Screen Canopy Sun Shelter is hard to beat. This large screen tent features a 12-by-10-foot surface area and plenty of headroom for taller adults. Additionally, the screening is detachable, so users can easily convert the screen tent to an open-air canopy.
It’s a simple feature and makes a huge difference when you’re constantly popping in and out of the tent, but many cheaper screen houses lack this. The remainder of the shelter body is made of 150D polyesters (also reasonably heavy duty) with a PU 2000 mm waterproof rating. The CAMPROS coleman instant tent screen house weighs 22 pounds, which is middle of the road compared to other shelters for camping. The one thing I’ll note is that this tent doesn’t hold up as well for continuous use, but frankly, none of these screen tents are designed to be permanent fixtures in your yard.
With all that in mind, we found more than a dozen tents that met our criteria. Our favorite of the eight canopy tents we tested, the REI Co-op Screen House Shelter ticks all those boxes. However, it isn’t meant as a place to sleep; for that you should choose a regular car-camping tent. You can book campgrounds for tents, RVs, cabins, and glamping, or find free camping. And in case you didn’t know, The Dyrt is the #1 camping app and website in the US, with over 8 million campsites, reviews, and tips — submitted by campers, for campers.
The screen tent features a durable polyester fabric that’s both water- and UV-resistant, giving users a place to hide from an evening shower or the beating sun. It also boasts dual-zippered flap doors for keeping bugs and critters at bay, but they fully roll back for open passage. The entire tent packs down into a large duffel bag, and at only 31 pounds, it’s very easy to transport to wherever shelter is needed. The Gazelle G6 6-Sided Screen Gazebo has an easy pop-up hub-panel design that creates space for 8 people and a table. The biggest benefit of the Gazelle G6 6-Sided Gazebo is its rugged materials and design originally created for overland camping in rough, undeveloped places. You get a 210-denier oxford weave polyester shell with a roof that is waterproof up to a 2,000 mm HH rating.