Remove the included rainfly to let in more sunlight through the mesh roof on dry days or to gaze up at the stars on dry nights. Any $75 canopy tent from a big-box store—we’re talking about the common square canopy with four spindly metal legs—can provide shade during midday. But when you’re camping or eating outdoors, you’ll likely want protection from insects, as well. That’s why we focused on collapsible camping shelters with mesh walls to keep bugs at bay.
Our journalists combine independent research with (occasionally) over-the-top testing so you can make quick and confident buying decisions. Whether it’s finding great products or discovering helpful advice, we’ll help you get it right (the first time). The L.L.Bean Woodlands Screen House has a much more consistently glowing history of online reviews than does the REI tent. With all that in mind, we found more than a dozen tents that met our criteria.
The tent does have great ventilation, with most of the back and about half of the top being full mesh. When the rainfly is on and the side windows unzipped, you can still see outside, a nice feature and added reason to keep the fly on at all times. With 90 sq ft of interior space and an additional 40 sq ft of vestibule space, you will have plenty of square footage. The main tent will easily fit a coleman screen tent full and a twin air mattress, while the vestibule will hold two chairs, a table, and then some. However, both areas are short, with a max height of 5′ 8″ — which is only at the top dead center. The vestibule area is a little shorter than that at 5′ 4″, forcing most campers to duck and change sitting down. Certain product categories and brands are not eligible for promotional discounts or coupons.
The fabric is made of 500D polyester that’s CPAI-84 fire retardant certified and blocks about 99% of UV rays. It has a thumb lock system, three different height position options, and can be put together in only a few minutes without any tools. This canopy tent comes in three different size options (10’ x 10’, 10’ x 15’, and 10’ x 20’) and each one includes the frame, cover, a roller bag, and four weight bags. The Eurmax Ez Pop Up Canopy Tent is perfect for camping, picnics, and other fun outdoor activities. The canopy tent has mesh walls on all four sides and an edge of polyester fabric (also DWR treated) at the ground that deters mosquitos and other critters from invading from below. Like many tents of this type, the REI Screen House Shelter has a fabric hook in the center of the ceiling that accommodates a small lantern or other light.
Getting in and out of the Evanston is also oddly difficult, as the doors only open halfway. Not only does this make things awkward, it is impossible to inflate or deflate your beds anywhere but inside the tent. They added windows on each side because the door only opens halfway, which places a large seam right down the middle. We should also point out that there are no clips or ties to tuck them away when the windows are open, so they just dangle in the wind.
You also want fabrics that are waterproof and protect you from UV rays. If you camp places where rain is common, you’ll probably want to get the best camping canopy for rain so you can make sure everything and everyone stays safe and dry under coleman chairs it. In our tests one camper took less than 10 minutes to put it up on the first try. Two shorter aluminum poles cross to support the roof while four longer poles join to the roof poles at the top of the tent and slide into pegs at the ground.
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. 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.
The shelter has a 10-by-10-foot footprint—the most common size for tents of this type—and a peak height of 7 feet. It will shelter a standard-size picnic table, but with little room to spare. 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. Like the REI and L.L.Bean canopy shelters, this Clam tent has a generous fabric skirt at its base that is designed to keep determined insects—and pooling rainwater—out.