REI Co-op  Screen House Shelter

I was sent a used shelter with sand and dirt all over it!!!

The screen house served us very well on a recent trip to Golden Gate Canyon State Park in Colorado. It fit nicely over a very long picnic table and kept the bugs out nicely. There is no floor in this piece. It is easy to set up once you figure out the poles. There is no way i could figure out how to set it up alone. Two people were a must and the third to stablize the final corner pole was optimum. I would recommend setting up at home and get the feel of it. We got rained on and hailed on (lightly) and it did fine. It is NOT a great screen for high winds as the screen is tight to keep out those pesky blighters. The screen basically acts as a solid wall and doesnt hold up in the wind. We did set up in shade so it's difficult to speak to whether the shelter gets too hot as i've read is other reviews. We were also a 9000 ft and it never really got hot.

This bug house is great if you are not worried about crawlers getting in through the bottom. It did keep mosquitos and other flying bugs out but after having it set up for a couple days there were TONS of spiders inside. the set up was easy. we had some unexpected rain and threw a tarp over to keep it dry in a light rain but the rain does immediately come though the walls. No wind kept me from testing it in rougher conditions. I did sleep in it for two nights and only recommend this if you are not creeped out by ground bugs and spiders and I would definitely not do that again. I need protection from a full tent. Happy to own it and will use it for its intended purpose but in the future I might look into bug shelters with a floor.

I have only used the screenhouse once for a week camping trip. The screenhouse is lightweight. I can lift and put it up by myself. It's relatively compact. When we kept the zippers closed it kept the bugs out. I also purchased the rain tarp that goes with this screenhouse. When using the tarp it also kept the rain out. I didn't have any heavy winds so i can't say if it would withstand winds. As other people commented you do need to use both hands to close the zipper all the way.

We are currently using this screen house on a two night camping trip. We were able to put it together quickly after a slight re-read of the instructions. The assembled size is nice four to six people (we were four) and the packed size is compact—slightly smaller than a 4 person tent and way lighter. It fits around a standard picnic table you’d find at most camp sites. There are doors on both sides so you can easily access both sides of the table. The screen keeps our insects as long your party is diligent about zipping the doors shut. Think about placement before staking, because you don’t want either entrance to be in a muddy spot or rut. It’s been convenient, but we got soaked on our first night due to a thunderstorm that was blowing rain through the screen walls. It’s not meant to be waterproof from the sides, so I rigged a tarp porch to cover one of the doors.

Easy to set up; great shade and protection from bugs; fits great over a campground table.

It's defective - cannot handle any amount of wind. We had gusts up to 25mph last night. Not great but also not terrible. I made sure to really anchor things down beforehand. Unfortunately the two top poles got completely bent and now the tent cannot stand on its own. I'm returning it and buying a different shelter.

I spent a great mosquito free camping trip in this. Easy setup, works great. Weird pole design: instead of two long poles making the X of the frame it has two short poles that make the top X and 4 poles that plug into the ends of those to make the verticals. I got dirt in the end of one of the short poles while messing around with this. My Big Agnes 6 with just two long poles is slightly easier to set up.

Took it out for the first time today in Prescott Arizona It was great to have something you can put around the picnic table and not worry about bugs getting in. I can’t wait to get out again with it.

Screen tent is outstanding! Superseded my expectations considering the camping locations. Camping 4 days into our 9 day adventure including moving daily and portaging in a canoe. Love the light weight of it for it’s return protection from the flying critters. Weather has been no bugs during day, low winds and clear skies with 85 degree days. Doors open during the day to allow wind flow. Max 10 mph winds and staked down, she holds strong. Clearly can’t stand wind above 20 mph based of the flexing in 10 mph. Maybe if one had it tied down she might make it. Otherwise top is only good for minor shade, but will cook you out in the open on sunny days as the sun beats right through the top. Tarped it and instant shade. Night time? Amazing! 500 plus mosquitoes were glued to the outside of the screen all night long. Inside only a few got in from underneath. Only due to our limited resources for blocking the edges. Typically at dusk you are in the tent or eaten alive. This screen tent has allowed up to stay up past midnight to end the cool night, Northern Lights and stars. Recommend REI sell reusable 5’ x 2” water tight and fillable tubes so when at a lake or near water, one can fill these tubes and shove them in the bottom of the screen walls. Empty and reuse, lightweight and flexes with the terrain it is on. Better bottom seal. Wish it had a floor to eliminate the mosquitoes. If it had a floor I would use it at home on my upper deck as well as there are gaps on decks. We,ll use a tarp for now. REI Co op should really rethink having an alternate one with a floor in it for those who would like it. Another outstanding product by REI again!