Screen tent enclosures
The screen tent is a collapsible enclosure that comes in a bag, just like a tent. It is erected just like a tent with poles and guy wires. The screen tent is practical for the cottage, for campers and for people just having fun in the park, who don’t want to be bothered by bugs. The screen tent remains a safe refuge where you can get respite from the mosquitoes and even shade from the hot sun.Screened tents can be quite large but most will cover an area sufficient to surround a picnic table or park bench. That’s usually enough for a family outing. Larger screened tents can cover several picnic tables but then the screened tent becomes more difficult to set up and pack away. Screen tents are also wondeful play houses for children, they can set up their toys inside the screen tent and you can be at ease knowing that your children are protected from mosquitoes and the threat of west nile virus and also sheltered from the direct ultraviolet radiation of the sun. Here are some examples of screened tents:
 
Some things to watch out for in purchasing a screen tent.
Fire Resistance - Screen cloth made in North America has to meet fire code requirements. While not fireproof, it has to be able to retard the spread of fire. So many of the screen tents brought in from China and other countries, use screen cloth that does not meet this standard. If you are concerned about using a screen tent close to a campfire, seek out those screen tents that are made in North America or have documented fire resistance.
Service - If the screen tent gets ripped, can you get it repaired by the store or do you just have to go out and buy another one. If its a big screen tent, throwing it away can be an expensive proposition. Look for models that have seperate screen panels less than 4 feet wide. That way you might be able to find a local tailor who can patch in new material if a panel gets ripped.
Durability - Does the screen tent make use of a lot of vinyl plastic parts. If it's all plastic bear in mind that plastic can harden and become discolored and brittle in the sun. Plastic hinges and joints can crack in half as you try to assemble your screen tent. Aluminum framing would be better, even if it does make the tent a little heavier.
Cost - Some of the screen tents made offshore nowadays are so cheap you might not be concerned if it only lasts one or two seasons. If thats the case maybe its worth going back to the store and buying 2 or 3 more so you have a back up in case it breaks.
You may also have a screen porch on your home. The older styles involve screens held on with wooden cleats while the newer ones have aluminum framed screens that either slide in place or are held in with fasteners.
If you have a gazebo style screen house repairing the torn screens may be as easy as driving the broken panels to the glass store but sometimes the panels dont want to come apart, or will bring the whole structure down if you take them apart ! In these cases you may need to fix the screens in place, which can be done. The instructions are the same as my instructions for fixing storm door screens in-place when you cant get those out. Click on the navigation bar link at the left of the page that says "Storm Door Screens"
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