Gear: The Ozark Trail Screenhouse

The Clam also sets up and folds down with remarkable speed—we timed the process at 60 seconds. However, this model is too big to fit in the trunks of most sedans, and the muted colors look good when it’s sunny but can feel a bit gloomy if it’s already rainy out. Adults as tall as 6-foot-3 can move about this tent standing upright. With a 44-square-foot vestibule, and 86 square feet of interior living space, the tent has plenty of room to house beds, cribs, gear, pets, and camping furniture.

The Tungsten 4 shares many of the Mineral King 3’s best features, and provides 10 square feet of additional living space as well as excellent weather protection—as long as you set it up properly. Like our top pick, the Tungsten 4 is a sturdy, two-door dome-style tent that can be deployed in about 5 minutes. It ozark trail canopy uses high-quality materials such as aluminum poles, breathable mesh, and water-resistant polyester fabric, and it comes with a full fly and a footprint. The Tungsten 4’s larger size accounts for the higher price tag (about $40 more), but campers who would like that extra room may find the expense worthwhile.

An avid swimmer, surfer, hiker, and camper, she currently lives on the island of Oahu in Hawaii, where she can be found, as much as possible, in water. We’ve tested (and recommended) Eureka tents in past versions of this guide. In October 2023, Eureka’s parent company, Johnson Outdoors, announced that it was discontinuing the Eureka brand. The product line, including its tents, should remain available through the end of 2024. A full rain cover, two vestibules, and an extra-sturdy pole structure make this the best choice for families who want to get outside in any weather.

Temperatures ranged from the 50s at night to the 80s during the day. To compare tent fabrics, you also need to know their overall rip strength. For most fabrics, rip strength is expressed as a measurement of the diameter of the fibers in their thread, or a denier—the higher the denier, the stronger the fabric.

ozark trail screen house

Additionally, I encountered a few issues with the stitching during my first use which caused a couple of holes, but nothing that couldn’t be fixed. Overall, it’s a great purchase for anyone looking to enjoy the outdoors while staying protected from the elements. Despite the fact that the tarp is designed to keep critters out, I personally found it to be useful more as a protective shield against the sun, wind, and rain. It was great to have the shark-mouthed duffel included as it made it easy to store and transport the tarp when I wasn’t using it. Additionally, setting it up was a breeze — the one pole, along with the stakes and guy-lines, made the process both quick and easy. One of the first things I noticed when I started setting it up was how sturdy and well-built the tarp was.