We also tested and liked the Coleman Mountain View 12 x 12 Screendome Shelter; it was an also-great pick until Coleman discontinued the model. The Coleman Back Home Screenhouse is the next level up for Coleman screen tents. This gazebo-style screen house adds beauty and functionality to any event, whether camping or in your backyard. It also has a doubled-up heavy-duty Polyguard fabric, so you and your camping guests will be protected from the sun, wind, and bugs. The Clam Quick-Set Escape was by far the toughest canopy tent we tested. It’s made with reinforced polyester and heavyweight no-see-um mesh, and it comes with the strongest stakes we’ve seen on any tent.
Some models even offer an unparalleled three-minute setup that will help prepare you for impending storm clouds in no time. Make sure the heavy-duty material is UV protective, and that the corner stakes are able to keep the canopy portion from flipping upwards in cases of wind gusts. In addition, look for a carrying bag that has wheels on the bottom for easy transportation. Coleman Skylodge 15×13 Instant Screen Canopy – Get to the bug-free adventures even faster with the Skylodge Instant screen canopy tents. The Skylodge 15×13 Instant Screen Tent sets up in just one minute.
Several REI reviewers who bought both the tent and the fly for rain protection note that the fly has only two walls, leaving much of the tent exposed. The add-on fly for our runner-up pick, the L.L.Bean Woodlands Screen House, offers four-walled protection, though it’s also more than twice as expensive. Since 2015, I’ve tested camping shelters and large car-camping coleman screen tent tents on weekend trips involving more than a dozen families, and I have talked to dozens more about their tent travails. Over the years, I have evaluated gear for magazines including Wired, Popular Science, and National Geographic Adventure, where I was a senior editor. ◊Pricing, selection, and availability of store clearance items are determined by each store.
It not only comes with stakes for grassy or sandy areas but also four sandbags to attach to the legs for harder surfaces that the stakes won’t penetrate. Add the handy wheeled case that it easily slips back into, and you will have yourself an incredible asset for tailgating. Like the REI and L.L.Bean canopy shelters, this Clam tent has a generous fabric skirt at its base that is designed to keep determined insects—and pooling rainwater—out. If we were camping somewhere infested with mosquitoes or no-see-ums and could fit the Clam in our vehicle, we’d prefer it over any of our other picks.
Insta-Clip™ Pole Attachments stand up to high winds, and the WeatherTec™ System’s patented welded floors and inverted protected seams ensure you stay dry. The snag-free, continuous pole sleeves mean you only have to feed the poles once—reducing setup time to just 15 minutes. Inside, the 15 ft. x 12 ft. floor is large enough to fit two queen-size airbeds. Before you lie down, attach the fly for protection from the rain, or on dry nights, gaze at the stars through the mesh roof. Any $75 canopy tent from a big-box store—we’re talking about the common square canopy with four spindly metal legs—can provide shade during midday. But when you’re camping or eating outdoors, you’ll likely want protection from insects, as well.
The Screen House Shelter packs into a reasonably roomy drawstring bag with a strap that makes the canopy tent much easier to transport than tents, like the L.L.Bean, that lack a strap. We eliminated canopies that were not big enough to comfortably shelter a picnic table, concluding that a table is probably the number-one coleman sundome spot where campers would place such a structure. We also eliminated bulky, heavy shelters that are intended to be used as semipermanent backyard fixtures. A lower roof makes this shelter feel notably smaller than our top pick, but it’s also durably made and ready to pair with a superior rain fly (sold separately).