Gear: The Ozark Trail Screenhouse

It has definitely become a favorite spot in my backyard, and I’m glad I decided to give it a try. I recently had the chance to use the Sojag Striano 12 ft. x 14 ft. First things first, the Interpon AkzoNobel powder coating gave the screen house a protective layer that has definitely earned its keep in my backyard. The champagne aluminum frame added a touch of elegance, though I must admit, I haven’t had much luck keeping leaves and dirt off the surface. One thing that did give me some trouble was the assembly process.

ozark trail screen house

My experience with Ozark Trail equipment has been to reinforce the old adage “you get what you pay for”. I highly recommend that anyone looking for a good screen house spend the additional money and get a Swiss Gear. Don’t try to save a few dollars and end up with a POS like this one. Wirecutter is the product recommendation service from The New York Times.

Keep your approach shot safe by aiming on the right side of the green to avoid the deep bunker on the left. This par 4 angles to the right beyond the right-side fairway bunker. Hug your tee shot as close to that bunker ozark trail chair as possible for the best approach into the green. A miss left of the green will create a challenging up-and-down. This uphill par 4 has a generous fairway with a large natural limestone formation on the right.

The Wawona 6 is more complex to set up than a classic dome-style tent like the Wireless 6, but not by much. We recommend doing it with two people, but one person can manage in about 15 minutes. As with any free-standing tent, with this one you stake out the four corners, and then you feed the two main tent poles through the Wawona’s fabric sleeves, which go halfway down the tent’s body. The North Face’s color-coded poles make this process easy to navigate.

When pushed, most of the reps we talked to estimated five to 10 years, though the actual lifespan will vary widely depending on care and frequency of use (for more advice, read REI’s excellent tips). In conducting research for this guide, we heard multiple tales of careful campers who had been using the same tent for 15 years or more. Throughout all our testing, we wanted to know how it felt to be inside the tents for long periods of time. If we had to spend a day in the tent during a storm, would it be comfortable?

However, the Wireless 6’s poles were the best fiberglass ones we tested—they left no splinters, unlike those on the Camp Creek 6 or the Copper Canyon LX 6. The Wireless 6 goes up easily, using the same kind of intuitive pole and clip method as our couples’ pick. The fly is equally simple to attach and orient with color-coded clips. ozark trail screen house This type of pole tends to be less flexible and bulkier than pricier aluminum, and it can be a pain to handle. Finding a small, light tent is the logical approach when you’re backpacking. But with car camping—the industry term for what most people consider just camping—you’ll likely be parking next to your campsite and unloading.

At 16.7 lbs, it may not be the lightest option, but the included carry bag made transportation and storage much easier. I like that it’s made to fold up compactly so it can easily fit into the back of my car when I’m heading out for a day at the lake. While the screen house performed well, there were a couple of minor drawbacks. The zipper opening could have been a bit taller for taller individuals, and the frame felt a bit less sturdy than some other high-end options on the market.

During our testing, our Base Camp shrugged off both a rainstorm and a desert windstorm as if they were nothing. Despite losing some headroom in comparison with the Kelty Wireless 6 and The North Face Wawona 6, both of which measure six-foot-four in height, the Base Camp 6 offers a substantial six-foot-two. At $500, this modified dome-style tent isn’t cheap, but it represents substantial value. Many tents with similar profiles—such as the Big Agnes Dog House 6—either cost more or require you buy the tent body and attachable vestibule separately. The Wawona doesn’t come with a footprint—few tents this size do—but it’s otherwise all-inclusive, and it is compact considering how much livable space you get. The price also reflects the high quality of the materials, such as the four reinforced aluminum poles, which weigh little yet result in a remarkably strong tent.

A footprint doesn’t take up much space, is relatively inexpensive, and is much easier to repair or replace than a tent bottom if it tears. A full rain cover, two vestibules, and an extra-sturdy pole structure make this the best choice for couples who want to get outside in any weather. It’s pricey, though, and unless the other couples’ tents we recommend, it doesn’t include a footprint. Canopy tents are great for summer outings, events and more. Use a beach tent for a bit of shade when visiting the shore, or use a pop-up tent to quickly set up a kiosk at a company function.