Personal-size Screen House?

MarkBC

The Weatherman
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Has anyone seen -- or better-yet, used -- a "screen house" sized to accommodate one or two people in chairs?
I'm talking about one of those lightweight tent-like structures with walls of screen that people put over picnic tables, etc, in campgrounds to keep bugs away -- but sized for one or two people.

So far I've found this one:
bugpodtm-insect-bug-mosquito-sport-pod-pop-up-screen-chair-tent-82b.jpg
...which might be OK, though a little small for a full-size guy.

I'm considering a trip to the southeast -- car camping -- and seems like this would come in handy in buggy areas.
In fact, I wish I'd had something like this when I was in Montana in June, couple years ago. I had to stay in the camper or drenched with DEET to be avoid mosquitoes.
I'd like to sit outside without chemical protection.
 
MarBC, we spend a fair amount of time in bug country. I would encourage you to consider one of the more standard screen houses. Though somewhat larger, they might be less expensive and more comfortable. Ease of setup and take down is important. If you really want to be outside, it is nice to have room to move around a bit- maybe have a table and a couple of chairs. We do our cooking there as well which you probably do not, but you might want to bbq.

Another consideration is the entry/exit. A cheap, balky zipper will get irritating in a hurry and let in lots of bugs if they are swarming. The screen panels of ours overlap, which eliminates the zipper and makes entry/exit quick and painless.

Just my 2 cents.
 
Thanks, takesiteasy, you make a good point.
For the trip I'm considering, I'll be tent-camping out of my car (when not in lodgings), and so I will be cooking outside. So...now that I think of it, maybe I should have something bigger than just for hanging out.

What brand/model do you have?
 
Mark, there was a post on this earlier this year. Clam has some great ones. Several of us have the 6'×6', brown one that you can also purchase side panels for 3 sides. It takes a couple of minutes to set up.
 
I have one of the 6' x 6' Clam Traveler units and posted info about it in this Awning Alternatives thread (starting in post 13).

I'm glad I have it but in truth have not used it much so far. That's mostly a matter of my not traveling to buggy areas recently.

The Traveler seems to be constructed well but the carry bag is a bit flimsy. I have a couple of small holes in the carry bag, I believe from the hubs rubbing through the bag's sides. That bag could also be designed better... perhaps more of a wrap than a bag. Or a bag with a full-length side zipper.
 
Mark, I would find something that small confining. We have the big REI screen house and fly that do a good job of keeping bugs out and giving us enough space to relax. I suspect you're taking your car, not the camper so space may be an issue, but I do believe you'd be happier with more room.
 
We use a Themacell Backpacker mosquito repeller that works pretty well and if flies are bad either a fly strip or trap. Everytime I go into a screen house I think of something that I need that's outside the screen house. ;-)
 
MarkBC said:
Thanks, takesiteasy, you make a good point.
For the trip I'm considering, I'll be tent-camping out of my car (when not in lodgings), and so I will be cooking outside. So...now that I think of it, maybe I should have something bigger than just for hanging out.

What brand/model do you have?
We made our own, sorta. You can read about it here: http://travelswithrockythedog.blogspot.com/2013/06/new-awning.html
 
For super simple you might try a skeeter net. Like in the safari movies.

A couple of years back we had an Asian Stink bug epidemic here in the east. Hundreds of them got into houses. We bought a couple of very large skeeter nets to hang over the beds to keep them off of us when we were asleep. There is almost nothing to them and one made for a 4 poster bed might work well.

http://www.mosquitonetstore.com/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI7Ybu6IiH1gIVAQhpCh0OmA6IEAMYASAAEgJQpfD_BwE

I also saw this. http://www.plowhearth.com/umbrella-mosquito-net.htm?aff=6443&CAWELAID=530007710000197011&catargetid=530007710000089481&cadevice=c&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI7Ybu6IiH1gIVAQhpCh0OmA6IEAQYBSABEgJgyfD_BwE
 
This has been a good discussion for me. It got me to see that I probably want something big enough to cook and eat in and not just for sitting in -- something big enough to put over a campground picnic table, or my own portable table. And then that made me realize that I'd want one without a floor, so the screen can be erected/placed over an existing table.

Good stuff -- more ideas/input welcome.
Thanks. :)
 
We use a Coleman 15'X13' Screen Tent. The unit does not have a floor and fits easily over a large campground picnic table.

51xd-ItQ6sL.jpg

Weighs about 18lbs, piece of cake to set up and take down and its less than $100.00 at Walmart On-line. It works for us and we leave it in the camper full time just in case.
 
Maybe I'm gonna need two sizes:

a bird cage:
bugpodtm-insect-bug-mosquito-sport-pod-pop-up-screen-chair-tent-82b.jpg

AND a tiger cage:
Coleman-screen.jpeg


I may have to buy the tiny one just because of how funny it looks -- and the reaction it would get if I was sitting in it camped in bayou country among the Cajuns...

;)
 
Two years later and I hadn't got any screen house/shelter -- until last week!

42b6fe04-2831-4553-9679-e29a0250bf13.jpg 5b4780ad-5eeb-428c-9da4-b7814e809c5f.jpg

Turns out that the one I ended up with, the Quick-Set "Traveler" by Clam, is the one that Captm recommended... though I'd forgotten about this thread and "discovered it" on my own.

Took me a while to get to this point, and a couple of days before I ordered this Clam shelter I'd already ordered a larger one. But then I discovered the Clam, and decided its smaller footprint -- though almost the same usable standing space -- made more sense for me and my purpose. And reviews are great.

My very first time setting it up I did it -- from storage bag to as-shown -- in one minute.

And I found a local friend who wanted the larger one and bought it from me for full price, so I didn't have to return it.
 
MarkBC said:
Two years later and I hadn't got any screen house/shelter -- until last week!

attachicon.gif
42b6fe04-2831-4553-9679-e29a0250bf13.jpg
attachicon.gif
5b4780ad-5eeb-428c-9da4-b7814e809c5f.jpg

Turns out that the one I ended up with, the Quick-Set "Traveler" by Clam, is the one that Captm recommended... though I'd forgotten about this thread and "discovered it" on my own.

Took me a while to get to this point, and a couple of days before I ordered this Clam shelter I'd already ordered a larger one. But then I discovered the Clam, and decided its smaller footprint -- though almost the same usable standing space -- made more sense for me and my purpose. And reviews are great.

My very first time setting it up I did it -- from storage bag to as-shown -- in one minute.

And I found a local friend who wanted the larger one and bought it from me for full price, so I didn't have to return it.
Purchased this for MN. fishing trips. It’s the state bird!
 
WjColdWater said:
Purchased this for MN. fishing trips. It’s the state bird!
Speaking of Minnesota, we would have been miserable this past week without our new Clam screen house due to the mosquitos. Sounds like an ad for the Clam but we really like it. Easy to put up and take down.

We have the larger version which covers the large picnic tables found in the USFS campsites around here. The downside is it is a very large package when packed up. But we have lately been using our trailer to carry our gear so it is not an issue.

IMG_6491.JPG
 

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