Hello!
Would like to add a screen room to our "Scampy". Would either purchase a screen room or attach screen to our awning. Any advice would be helpful. Although our scamp put away for the winter it's not to late to start thinking of next camping season!
thanks!
John
Just my experience.
Awning Screen Room: Expensive, harder to set up, you have to skirt your trailer on the screen room side.but it is a convenient expansion of living area. I would only set it up for a weeks stay, not for short term use.
Clam type Screen rooms: After a little practice they are fairly easy to set up.
Six sided: Kind of heavy, stows to 6 ft. long, The green ones can get hot in the sun and the screen weave is tight it keeps the bugs out but also the breeze. The green ones the wind panels just stick on , The tan one's there is a flap over the wind panels to make them more water tight.
Gazelle makes a Tan 5 sided screen room which is quite a bit lighter and stows to a shorter length. but still allowing some extra space for cooking.
The 4 sided pop up screen rooms usually allow for two chairs and a side table. No room for cooking or other stuff. Much lighter.
Aldi sells a six sided Clam clone for under $100 in the June time frame. I spoke with someone who bought one and they were happy with it for the price. Wind panels?
I have a six sided green Clam which was the first to come out but If it needed replacing I would go with the 5 sided Gazelle for two people. Mostly due to storage length and weight.
Camping near water in the Mi. UP in late May and Fl. in Nov. a screen room is a must have item.
Just my opinion. YMMV
Eddie
I have had the four sided, green Clam with the wind panels for several years. I am happy with it. It is NOT water proof, but is great on cold, windy days. It is ideal for one or two people. Can fit two reclining chairs and a small table, or one reclining chair, a small chair and a small cooking table.
ELongest's summary of options is excellent. I too spent hours mulling over the options for attaching an awning to my Scamp 13, for the sake of sun protection. Meh, not enough square footage, especially when the sun gets lower, and EXPENSIVE from the get-go; and turning it into an additional room, with mesh panels, and then maybe adding solid panels on top of that, was even more expensive.
I bought the five-sided Gazelle last spring, and am very happy with it. It is SO fast to set up and take down. Comes with stakes, and tie-downs for when it's super windy. I also set it up in my back yard, as a place to hang out when I don't want to be bothered by wind or bugs. Pretty cozy! In campgrounds, it's great that I can set it up on top of a polypropylene mat, so my dog can hang out with me and be comfortable and not get dirty or mosquito-bitten. I can also attach wind/privacy panels, so she doesn't see other campers' dogs and freak out (oh the barking/guarding frenzy).
It is NOT pet-proof, from the point of view of confining any pet. Any dog or cat, of any size, can easily get out under the edges if they want to. So don't think of it as a safe pet space because you still have to be out there with them, or have them tied/restrained somehow, if you've got to get back into the Scamp for something. But it's a perfect refuge from sun, wind, and bugs, while you still feel like you're outdoors. And moderate rain, if it's not blowing sideways and you have the panels to cover at least four sides.
My only critique of my Gazelle 5-sided is that the velcro patches on the wind panels don't match up with what's on the gazebo, even though all items were purchased at the same time. Next summer I'll un-pick some of them and sew them back on where they belong. Meanwhile this mismatch doesn't make them unusable, it just means that in a stronger wind there won't be as much keeping the panels secure as there should be. If the wind is going to be that challenging, I just take the whole thing down. Five minutes or so and it's all stowed away in its bag and tucked up in the car or Scamp or garage.