screen rooms

[m & k]

We have a 20' zip dee awning and would like to find a reasonably priced screen room to attach to it. Has anyone found a good one?

[lewster]

Zip Dee makes one that will directly attach to your awning. I'm a dealer for them and have all of the product #'s and prices. If you like, get me the model and serial # from your awning and I'll get a price for you.

[Chaplain Kent]

Welcome to the forums. We do not have a screen room attached to our awning but purchased a screen house last summer. this was a great addition to our camping gear and something we use all the time.

[Foiled Again]

I called ZipDee directly to look for one for my 22 CCD... $900 as opposed to a nice freestanding tent for under $200. Also people who have them tell me they are a bear to put up and take down.

I like simple and inexpensive.

Paula Ford

[Mike Lewis]

I have concidered purchasing one for our 31' Classic. We also wanted the privacy panel that closes it off completely. I'm looking at $1500. for the whole thing. I was told but an owner of one there is some problems with the long ones like mine, 21'. It seems the weight causes the roller to sag from the weight. Perhaps another owner might chime in here with their experience.
Pieman

[26.982 amu]

On the Texas coast, the tiny biting flies called no-seeums are a real nuisance. They fly right through regular screens. Has anyone had success finding a screen house that keeps them out too?

[FiveGreers]

We have a free standing Paha Que screen room (w/privacy panels) and the mesh is really tight (we've got no seeums, too). Really like the screen room, it's really large, not too bad to take down once you know what you're doing. At a rally last June (a pop up camper rally), we used it as a "garage" for kids bikes, coolers, chairs, etc.-it rained quite a bit! We do not have the rain fly for it, and it did stay dry inside.

[yukionna]

Originally Posted by m & k

We have a 20' zip dee awning and would like to find a reasonably priced screen room to attach to it. Has anyone found a good one?

Welcome to the forums! Your question is a popular one on these forums so there are a couple of past good threads on this topic with more information. I did a search using the term "screen" in the title, and this is what I found:

1) ZipDee Screen Room Installed!
http://www.airforums.com/forum...ghlight=screen

2) Screen Room
http://www.airforums.com/forum...ghlight=screen

3) Screened porch recommendations?
http://www.airforums.com/forum...ghlight=screen

4) Original aux. screen room
http://www.airforums.com/forum...ghlight=screen

5) Zip Dee Tropic Room Screen Enclosures
http://www.airforums.com/forum...ghlight=screen

Good luck and let us know how you make out. I don't think anyone has posted any photos yet of an awning screen room installation so pics would be appreciated!

Lewster -- you indicated that you are a dealer for these products...do you have any photos you could post or a website url to give us an idea of what they look like installed on an awning?

[grizzy]

We have the ZipDee Screen room for our 19' Bambi. I installed it myself and it took me maybe an hour or two. As far as putting it up, its really not too bad. I would say it takes me 10 or 15 minutes putting it up or taking it down. It takes a little more time if you fill the water sleeve hold-downs. We don't always do that. The room fits real nice against the Bambi and makes a nice sized outdoor sitting room.

[Cracker]

The best thing about a "free-standing" screen room is being able to set it up in a choice location - level, shaded, good view, or where you get a good breeze! With the "attached" screen room, you not only have to site the trailer or MH just right, you have to make sure you have a clear and level space alongside - difficult with some of the more-desirable wooded sites where a screen room is really needed. Also, in the event of pending heavy rains or storms, an attached screen room presents the daunting task of having to be taken down before rolling the awning up for safety.

With respect to purchasing any screen room, check the mesh size with care. To guard against no-see-ems you need a very fine mesh - generally found on the more expensive screen rooms. Trust those that have been there - a no-see-em (---otherwise known as a flying mouth with teeth!!!) can fly through the average screening without even looking or folding his wings! Another advantage of the fine mesh is that, aside from a driving rain, the fine mesh will block out a gentle rain - even with a slight breeze blowing - while still providing ventilation. The room should also have strong tiedowns around the skirt, yet have extremely flexible supports to yield to the onslaught of high winds. "Rigidity" is not a desirable feature!!! (I had a Eureka 12 X 12 screen room that made it though many Florida thunderstorms - with typical 35 to 65 mph gusts! We finally ceremoniously burned that room in a campfire to celebrate over 25 years of good and faithful service!) The roof design should also be such as to prevent "pooling" of rainwater - a factor too often ignored by the manufacturers of large and cheap screen rooms. Again, the flexible issue generally applies - permitting the room edges to simply collapse and spill the rain out (---three cheers for shock cords and/or fiberglass rods!) At this point, take note that screen rooms should not be thought of as anything but fair-weather tents for overnight accommodations - although doggone enjoyable to sleep in under the right conditions! The bottom edge of the room should have a minimum 12"-18" vertical border to handle dirt "spatter" from rain, along with an 8" to 12" attached horizontal flap that lays on the ground to the inside, following the ground contours. There should also be a provision for the attachment of privacy or wind shielding panels around the perimeter edge of the roof. A simple, but tough, fabric strip sewn into the joint between the roof and mesh is, IMHO, preferred. The shielding panels are then simply clipped to the fabric strip without the need for snaps and the like. Two zippered entrys are preferable - using very rugged and heavy duty metal or plastic zippers. Beware of anything less!

As a final comment - and even though it should be obvious if you think about it - never/ever leave foodstuffs - or the mere suggestion of foodstuff (---picnic coolers, boxes, bags, etc.) - inside the screen room, in plain sight or smelling distance of critters! Raccoons, squirrels, possums, crows, or the possible marauding bear, have no respect whatsoever for how much you paid for your screen room - and they know what most picnic coolers look like, and what bags and boxes are likely to contain! Further, due to the desired flexibility of the screen room, rigid objects such as bicycles, picnic tables, and the like, should not be stored in a screen room unless you enjoy patching the screening! A room that collapses is no big deal as long as it doesn't get torn up in the process. I will confess that we often set up the room over the provided site picnic table - but we make sure to move the table to the center of the room before leaving for the day or retiring at night.

I apologize for rambling - but I couldn't help myself! IMHO, a good screen room is one of the most enjoyable pieces of camping gear you'll ever own - especially in bug territory!