Anyone have any experience with portable screen rooms that hang under your awning? Looking at purchasing one to use as an outdoor office.
How heavy? Does it pull down on the awning?
Panels against the RV wall? How does it keep the bugs out?
Any floors with these things?
We will likely use it under the awning that comes off our slide, rather than the one over our door. We'd need to know if it was compatible or do they come with a big opening on the back wall for your door to the RV?
NWescapee said
08:31 PM Mar 10, 2014
We do not have one now and have personally never considered it since we decided to Full time. Years ago, with the first TT we had one and found the set up time, tear down time to be a pain in the neck. We also found that there were too many times when it was too hot, too cold, too wet, too windy, etc. etc. to use. If we were sitting outside we generally either wanted to be sitting in the sun or sitting by the fire, neither which could be accomplished in a screen room.
To consider it as an office means you would be counting on always having reasonable weather to enjoy being outside in a screen room. Will you be needing it full time or part time? If you are going to use it often as an office, will you always be camping far enough away from other people that their noise won't distract you?
We both still work full time and when we went on the road part time Dale would often use the picnic table to do some of his work on. That proved to be a problem on the first rainy trip, then there was the cold trip, then the one where we had too many nosey neighbors trying to see what he was working on thus prevently him from really getting much work done. Plus he had to spend time setting everything up and then putting it away each day to ensure nothing got wet, blown away or had a passing bird/squirrel, etc cause a problem.
We've just come to the conclusion that having 2 work stations inside the RV, removing the couch, made life a little simpler for both of us. At the end of the workday, if he's in the middle of a project or I'm in the middle of work we can leave it on the desk (me) or workbench (him) and come back to it the next morning.
Not sure I totally answered your question, but we had a portable screen room in the past and I think we used it a grand total of 6 times, the last 2 of which were due to stubbornness that went something like "we paid $XX for this, we need to use it to justify purchasing it" and then we took all the time to set it up only to not use it once it was set up. Gladly gave it to the people who bought the TT from us when we were ready to upgrade and they were thrilled.
Alie and Jims Carrilite said
06:59 AM Mar 11, 2014
The hanging screen rooms keep most of the bugs out, but the fine mesh also blocks the breeze. The one's I've seen do not have a back wall so you would still have a pretty big open area.
Set some citronella plants around your awning area. They work well to keep flying pest away.
Lucky Mike said
07:21 AM Mar 11, 2014
for long term..(a month set up) they are nice, but as it has been said....they are a pain to set up and tear down...they take up alot of storage.
normally they have Snaps to hold them to the unit ....during storms screen rooms are going to cause issues lowering and protecting the awning
they have gaps along the top....unless you order the hard door entry is thru a zipper.
they have there plus's but I think a pop up screen room over the picnic table is a little more economical/portable..and alot less money if needed
Savannah2014 said
12:05 PM Mar 12, 2014
Not a bad alternative. May just get on the road and sniff around for awhile before we decide, but thanks for the idea.
Savannah2014 said
12:06 PM Mar 12, 2014
Thanks guys- all good points and I think we may back away unless we find ourselves in more long-term situations. I don't see it for our first summer.
Neil and Connie said
04:26 PM Mar 12, 2014
We got the ones that hang down on the sides and edge of the awning but they don't go all the way to the ground. They keep some of the bugs out but not all…but are great at cutting down the sun heating on the patio making sitting outside possible. We took a look at the separate screen gazebo room thing and decided not to do it.
The Sunblock and Sideblock don't drag the awning down; the 3 of them only weigh about 15 pounds total.
We only put ours up (the main lengthwise one anyway) when we're parked for an extended period as it's hard to put on and off and you can't roll the awning up with it attached…so you gotta stake it down pretty well. The side ones are easier to put up since they don't have to go into the slot on the awning roller and we use those more if the patio is in full sunlight.
it has many positive reviews and looks plenty big enough for us.
BiggarView said
05:02 AM Mar 28, 2014
We're keeping a list of items that we think we'd like to outfit our future rig with and we picked out the same thing as Suse1023. I agree with Mike that the pop-up types are more adaptable to each individual site(portable). The Coleman model seems much more sturdy than what we currently have, but ours is also ten years old and near the end of it's life. My only concern is durabilty considering it will get far more use than anything we've had so far.
Lucky Mike said
05:56 AM Mar 28, 2014
alltho a bit more pricey....EZ up commercial is built real well.....it runs around 200 plus the sides if you need them
suse1023 said
09:05 PM Mar 28, 2014
link please mike?
-- Edited by suse1023 on Friday 28th of March 2014 09:05:53 PM
Terry and Jo said
09:57 PM Mar 28, 2014
suse1023 wrote:
link please mike?
-- Edited by suse1023 on Friday 28th of March 2014 09:05:53 PM
ok, thanks. I have used something similar, it must not have been the commercial model however.
ours could have been a cheap knock off, because it was flimsy and a real pia to deal with.
we were camping with the rvs and horses and it did provide an excellent bomb-proofing exercise for the horses when it tried to sail away after one side collapsed. thank goodness we were far off of a road as several of the ninnies took it as an excuse to run willynilly through the campsites.
(not my btdt mare of course)
i'll be sure to look for the commercial quality one when I go shopping.
thanks mike and terry and jo.
Lucky Mike said
01:57 PM Mar 29, 2014
I use truck tie downs and dog screws to hold it down.....also if the wind gets bad I release the velcro on all corners...
its easier to put the top back on when it blows off than it is to unbend the frame......
I had several of the cheap ones when I first started and learned my lesson....plus EZ-Up will send repair parts!!
Anyone have any experience with portable screen rooms that hang under your awning? Looking at purchasing one to use as an outdoor office.
To consider it as an office means you would be counting on always having reasonable weather to enjoy being outside in a screen room. Will you be needing it full time or part time? If you are going to use it often as an office, will you always be camping far enough away from other people that their noise won't distract you?
We both still work full time and when we went on the road part time Dale would often use the picnic table to do some of his work on. That proved to be a problem on the first rainy trip, then there was the cold trip, then the one where we had too many nosey neighbors trying to see what he was working on thus prevently him from really getting much work done. Plus he had to spend time setting everything up and then putting it away each day to ensure nothing got wet, blown away or had a passing bird/squirrel, etc cause a problem.
We've just come to the conclusion that having 2 work stations inside the RV, removing the couch, made life a little simpler for both of us. At the end of the workday, if he's in the middle of a project or I'm in the middle of work we can leave it on the desk (me) or workbench (him) and come back to it the next morning.
Not sure I totally answered your question, but we had a portable screen room in the past and I think we used it a grand total of 6 times, the last 2 of which were due to stubbornness that went something like "we paid $XX for this, we need to use it to justify purchasing it" and then we took all the time to set it up only to not use it once it was set up. Gladly gave it to the people who bought the TT from us when we were ready to upgrade and they were thrilled.
Set some citronella plants around your awning area. They work well to keep flying pest away.
normally they have Snaps to hold them to the unit ....during storms screen rooms are going to cause issues lowering and protecting the awning
they have gaps along the top....unless you order the hard door entry is thru a zipper.
they have there plus's but I think a pop up screen room over the picnic table is a little more economical/portable..and alot less money if needed
Not a bad alternative. May just get on the road and sniff around for awhile before we decide, but thanks for the idea.
Thanks guys- all good points and I think we may back away unless we find ourselves in more long-term situations. I don't see it for our first summer.
We got the ones that hang down on the sides and edge of the awning but they don't go all the way to the ground. They keep some of the bugs out but not all…but are great at cutting down the sun heating on the patio making sitting outside possible. We took a look at the separate screen gazebo room thing and decided not to do it.
The Sunblock and Sideblock don't drag the awning down; the 3 of them only weigh about 15 pounds total.
We only put ours up (the main lengthwise one anyway) when we're parked for an extended period as it's hard to put on and off and you can't roll the awning up with it attached…so you gotta stake it down pretty well. The side ones are easier to put up since they don't have to go into the slot on the awning roller and we use those more if the patio is in full sunlight.
www.amazon.com/Coleman-Hex-Instant-Screened-Shelter/dp/B00339C3FA/ref=sr_1_3
it has many positive reviews and looks plenty big enough for us.
We're keeping a list of items that we think we'd like to outfit our future rig with and we picked out the same thing as Suse1023. I agree with Mike that the pop-up types are more adaptable to each individual site(portable). The Coleman model seems much more sturdy than what we currently have, but ours is also ten years old and near the end of it's life. My only concern is durabilty considering it will get far more use than anything we've had so far.
link please mike?
-- Edited by suse1023 on Friday 28th of March 2014 09:05:53 PM
Perhaps here:
E-Z UP Instant Shelters
Mike can verify if I've picked the right site.
Terry
ours could have been a cheap knock off, because it was flimsy and a real pia to deal with.
we were camping with the rvs and horses and it did provide an excellent bomb-proofing exercise for the horses when it tried to sail away after one side collapsed. thank goodness we were far off of a road as several of the ninnies took it as an excuse to run willynilly through the campsites.
(not my btdt mare of course)
i'll be sure to look for the commercial quality one when I go shopping.
thanks mike and terry and jo.
its easier to put the top back on when it blows off than it is to unbend the frame......
I had several of the cheap ones when I first started and learned my lesson....plus EZ-Up will send repair parts!!