If you love camping but hate eating your morning pancakes in the rain, a canopy tent can protect you from the trifecta of bugs, sun, and sudden showers. Our favorite of the eight canopy tents we tested, the REI Co-op Screen House Shelter ticks all those boxes. However, it isn’t meant as a place to sleep; for that you should choose a regular car-camping tent. Overall, we think the Ozark Trail canopy serves its intended purpose – a value brand 10×10 instant shelter that caters to price conscious consumers looking for an affordable shade option. And compared to some of the tents in the EZ-Up lineup, it sells for almost a 70% discount.
Compared with our top day-tent pick, the L.L.Bean Woodlands Screen House uses arguably superior materials; it also comes with an unsurpassed warranty. It always cost more than our top pick, but the price has gone up another $150 since we first tested it. No matter what you call them, though, a good one should protect you from the trifecta of outdoor discomforts—sun, rain, and bugs—while you’re picnicking or camping, and it should be intuitively designed and pleasant to sit in. 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). My shoulders did not chafe nor rub or irritate while walking and I did not get any bruising on my hips.
My friend chose to not put up his rain fly betting on the perfect weather to continue while enjoying the stars at night. During those five minutes of rain, he was a little more stressed as the risk of a wet sleeping bag had not been completely mitigated and he rushed back to the campground. True, I wasn’t able to remove the rain fly to watch the stars or let the wind ventilate my tent, but I was able to enjoy the day hikes without any sort of worry. In essence, I had committed to the permanent rainfly option by default and there was a certain contentedness that came with that. The first good design feature is the placement of the door on the side, and more specifically on the long side of the tent.
The L.L.Bean Woodlands Screen House has a much more consistently glowing history of online reviews than does the REI tent. While the previous version of this tent used beachy-feeling aqua and orange, the current version is a drab olive green more typical of other tents. This ozark trail chairs doesn’t affect the functionality, but the brighter colors were something we previously praised. The floss is for size reference, but I’m looking for smaller floss containers. I use an empty coffee bag for trash because it’s light and can be folded down to the size needed.
As always, make sure to bring the “Ten Essentials”, extra food and water, sunscreen etc. Most parents and grandparents dream about sharing their passions with their kids. But what happens when your passion includes schlepping 30 pounds or more of gear through the tick-infested woods and sleeping on the ground for days on end? This is a personal choice because I’d rather have some wetness on my lower body and not be sweating and cold all over. I sweat under the best of rain shells when hiking hard in moderately cold temps. Because it’s basically a single compartment stuff bag, I did have to make sure the items inside were ozark trail backpack distributed properly.
They’re cheap, so I usually carry one in my daypack even though I rarely use it on multi-day backpacking trips. I pack my clothes and personal items in a waterproof stuff sack, then place that along with my down quilt inside a trash compactor bag. Though all of these shelters are self-standing and staking them may not be strictly necessary in calm weather, it’s wise to always do so in case the wind picks up unexpectedly. Before staking out a tent, make sure all of its doors are zipped closed to avoid staking it too tightly and straining the zippers. Like regular camping tents, these camping gazebos are not intended to be left up for extended periods, as the fabrics are susceptible to UV damage.