You can use the screen house with the curtains swept back or pulled right, so you have some or total protection. Place it over the picnic area on a campsite, set it over a bench or furniture you bring, you could even place it over a kiddie pool or hot tub should the campsite have these features. The pop-up portable 6 sided hub gazebo is large and round, and the bottom sits on top of things well. However, we would only recommend this instant screen house for those looking for a super portable option. Nor does it have retractable side panels to wall up the screen house when the weather starts turning.
By design most screen tents are highly water-resistant but not fully waterproof in stormy conditions. More specifically, most screen house tents have water-resistant roof fabrics that can shed light rain. However, some screen shelter roof designs let rain water pour over the roof and down the mesh tent walls, which could let water inside the shelter. The best screen shelters include fully waterproof roofs as well as roof and wall designs that keep water outside of the shelter. Even so, screen shelters with roll-down walls are susceptible to wind-driven rain. Because screen shelters that come with floor kits don’t have fully-sealed ‘bathtub’ style waterproof floors like true camping tents, some water can get underneath the walls.
Because of its durability, shape, and size, the tent is on the heavy side at 45.2 pounds. But for simple portability and storage, it comes with an easy-pull wheeled carry bag that fits inside most vehicles. The telescoping poles are easy to extend into place thanks to the pinch-free Comfort Grip™ technology and large feet that are big enough to stand on while you set up the shelter. The double-thick Polyguard 2X™ fabric stands up to the elements–season after season.
It’s constructed with heavy-duty 210-denier poly oxford walls and the heftiest bug-blocking no-see-um mesh we’ve encountered in any tent. The thicker, darker netting also makes the whole structure shadier, even without the optional side panels. Our favorite canopy tent is a simply coleman ice chest designed, comfortable shelter that offers protection from bugs, sun, and rain. A variety of smaller screen tents for tighter spaces are also available. Some are not much larger than a traditional picnic table but still offer enough headspace to easily stand up and move around.
This makes it one of the pricier options on this list, but it is missing some features serious campers will miss. We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs. Coleman has been our go-to company for different outdoor activities for years.
It helps to be able to wheel it from your car to the site, without having to carry it around manually. The instant set up means that all the interior poles are already pre-attached. This ensures that your fingers won’t get pinched in between the poles while you set them up or take them down. We appreciate that the button is large and ergonomic to comfortably fit any sized hand.
The sidewalls have wind panels that roll down — and even these panels are waterproof. Northern Breeze Screen House also comes with three awning poles that you can use on any coleman screen tent of the shelter’s four walls to create an awning for extra shade. In addition, the roof vent helps with both wind and airflow if you batten down the sidewalls on stormy days.
However, those slightly sloping walls also result in a stable design — and it’s still plenty long to fit over a standard size picnic table. The two center zip doors also make the L.L.Bean Acadia Family Screen House great for using over a picnic table or a large camping table — easy access to the table from either side. The overall design is similar to the Acadia 6-Person Family Tent we reviewed last year and found excellent.
First, they’re often placed over the top of items like a patio set or a picnic table. Second, the open floor means less fabric and less mess, making them lighter, easier to set up, and easier to clean up. For portable screen tents, being lightweight and being compact are two essential characteristics. As mentioned earlier, some screen tents can be packed down to the size of a large duffel bag—a real benefit for car camping and other scenarios with limited space.