How to Camp in a Screened Shelter

Testing the Screen Shelter

• 1

  Assemble your screened shelter at home, using the manufacturer's directions. Ask for replacements or exchange your screened shelter if parts are missing or defective, before the in-store warranty expires.

• 2

  Attach any included rain flaps. Practice raising and lowering the rain flaps until you can do so within three minutes or less.

• 3

  Watch the shadows cast by the screened shelter roof and the rain flaps. Place a picnic table and the equipment you usually take with you when camping under the shelter. Walk around to ensure that you have enough room and that the shadows cast by the screened shelter provide enough shade for your entire camping party. Return the screened shelter for a larger model if needed.

• 4

  Match tarps to the width and height of your screened shelter walls. Attach the tarps to the sides of the shelter, using rope through the grommets along the edges. Add grommets to the edges of the screened shelter where needed, using a grommet setter according to the manufacturer's directions.

• 5

  Lower the rain flaps. Run a sprinkler next to each side of the screened shelter to simulate a rainstorm, advises camper, backpacker and "Family Fun Magazine" feature writer, Clark Norton. Note where water leaks occur and how much water the rain flaps repel.

• 6

  Cut a piece of 6 mm plastic sheeting 20 inches wide, 2 inches longer than the height of the screened shelter wall, using sharp scissors, for the four corners of the screened shelter. Lay the strips over each seam on the outside corners of the screened house and use duct tape to hold them in place.

• 7

  Repeat the sprinkler test, noting any change in the amount of water still coming through the seams. Allow the shelter and the plastic strips to dry, add extra duct tape to any leaky seams and test the screened shelter again.

• 8

  Roll the plastic sheeting inside the screened shelter and put everything away as it came from the box as best you can.

Choosing a Campsite

• 9

  Look for sites that have already been used for camping, to avoid damage to the environment. Inspect the site for broken glass, sharp rocks and any roots large enough to trip you or party members.

• 10

  Look for potential windbreaks, such as large bushes or stands of close-growing trees. Create a windbreak if necessary, by siting your screened shelter near two small-diameter forked trees and stretching an extra tarp or weaving deadfall branches and vines between them, as long as neither tree has loose or broken branches that could fall and damage your shelter or injure any occupants.

• 11

  Pitch your shelter 50 feet above any visible high-water mark to avoid flooding. Higher elevations are usually warmer and drier, with fewer insects and other pests, according to "Emergency and Wilderness Survival Guide" author John McGoldrick.

Arranging Your Gear

• 12

  Keep food boxes in the trunk of your car or hang them at least 100 feet from your tent and more than 10 feet in the air.

• 13

  Pitch your screened shelter so that it leaves enough room to walk around your table, chairs or cots without tripping. Pile your gear along the windiest side of the shelter. Arrange your gear so that the items you need soonest and most often are easiest to reach.

• 14

  Raise or lower the rain flaps as needed to provide shade or protect you from wind and rain. Lower the flaps and tape the plastic corner sheets in place at least an hour before you expect rain or as soon as you note dark clouds massing.