We tested the Coleman 10 × 10 Instant Screened Canopy and Walmart’s Ozark Trail 10′ × 10′ Instant Screen House during our first round of testing in the winter and spring of 2016. These two shelters are the same size and shape (7-foot peak height, 17 pounds) with an almost identical design. The cap-like ozark trail screen house roofs on both models provided far less shade than we wanted, especially in the beating desert sun. The mesh walls do have a ribbon of polyester at the foot, but even carefully staked they can leave gaps at the ground; if bug protection is your main concern, these tents would likely fall short.
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. The way the poles clip into hubs is a little hard to get apart. This tent is only $47 at Walmart, however that is not the point. The hubs on the tent and the construction of the design are worthless.
Then the instructions start to get really funny. ‘Insert the leg poles into the hubs to raise the screenhouse frame’ got the first laugh. The “frame” barely stayed together on the ground. Any attempt to lift a corner and insert a leg pole resulted in pipes flying everywhere.
As a result, Schwinns became increasingly dated in both styling and technology. By 1957, the Paramount series, once a premier racing bicycle, had atrophied from a lack of attention and modernization. Aside from some new frame lug designs, the designs, methods and tooling were the same as schwinn tricycle had been used in the 1930s.
But the L.L.Bean tent’s peak ceiling height of 6 feet 6 inches is half a foot lower than that of the REI tent, making it feel notably darker and less spacious. It typically costs more (in fact, the price has risen substantially—more than $150—since we first ozark trail chairs tested it) and lacks the convenient strap-equipped carrying bag we like. Since 2015, I’ve tested camping shelters and large car-camping tents on weekend trips involving more than a dozen families, and I have talked to dozens more about their tent travails.
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). 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. The rest of the process was funny too, with wimpy frizzy guylines, and inexplicable bits of plastic that are supposed to tighten them. I had to use every knot I’ve learned from rock climbing.
Trailspace’s community of gear reviewers has field-tested and rated the top tents and shelters. It take 2 people at least to set this screen house up. I am now ready ozark trail chairs to put up the screen house on my back patio so my grandchildren can play without the bugs getting them or the sun burning them along with eating out there.
The hubs break and the legpoles bend beyond repair. Got one of these out of a storage unit at auction. We set up the REI Screen House Shelter and L.L.Bean’s Woodlands Screen House side by side in the Mojave Desert in 100-degree temps. Fellow campers consistently gravitated toward the REI shelter over the L.L.Bean. Please get in touch with us before opening any return requests. We offer a 30-day returns policy – if you are not happy with your purchase you may return the item in its original condition for an exchange or full refund.
It was a nice size though and eventually got up with extra tape. Tried to buy replacement parts but they were discontinued. Repaired the cracked gable with duct tape and was able to use it one more time but then gave up on the cracked part and bought another smaller screen room.
Unfortunately, we cannot refund return postage costs on items that are not faulty. If the item has been attempted to assemble or arrived in not same conditions as it was delivered, we reserve the right not to fully refund the item, with a maximum deduction of 50% that might apply. The item may be missing the original packaging or protective wrapping, or might be in the original packaging but not sealed. Our mission is simple – to make unique household products available to our customers at the best possible prices. We take pride in having the opportunity to positively affect a person’s life, so we scour the market looking for the latest and greatest innovations in home and households. We also value our supplier relationships as much as our customer relationships.