Our Wenzel Screen Room Lets Us Enjoy Our Camping Time Even in the Rain
Written: Oct 13 '03 (Updated Nov 07 '04)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: great size, stability, well made, keeps bugs out, does well in adverse weather
Cons: need 2 people to put up
The Bottom Line: This screen room's design gives it more stability than many others. It was one of the best additions to our gear!
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| AliventiAsylum's Full Review: Wenzel Panorama Hex Screen Gazebo 14' x 12' 35855 |
As we learned about camping, one of the pieces of equipment we hadn’t thought about purchasing was a screen room. After seeing many campers with a screen room over their picnic tables, and experiencing a few days of rain as well as flying insects disturbing our meals, we decided it would be a good idea to add this to our equipment list.
The first screen room we purchased was cheap and quite a disappointment. I had two major complaints: it was small and would not stay up well in the wind. This summer, we decided to invest in a better quality screen room. We went with the Wenzel Panorama Screen Gazebo.
The Wenzel Panorama Screen Gazebo is made of polyester, including the screen mesh, which has been UV coated for great protection. The frame is made of shock-corded steel, coated with a rust protection.
The room is a hexagon shape - much different than the square we’d had previously. This allows quite a bit of room around a picnic table. With a 14 foot by 12 foot base size, we’ve found that we can keep our picnic table well-centered and have room to move around. Other gear we normally would let get we now fits in here.
The wall height is 70 inches, with a center height of 82 inches. This means that while some people might have to still duck to make it into the Wenzel Panorama Screen Gazebo, there’s no one I know of who won’t be able to stand up inside of it.
Setting it up is not a one-person job, but then neither was our last screen room. Six steel roof poles travel through sleeves on the roof and click into the center hub on the roof. This hub is made of plastic and holds the poles in place quite well. Six steel wall poles hold the walls slightly slanted away from the roof. A plastic clip attached to the Wenzel Panorama Screen Gazebo walls by canvas holds the walls securely, while a metal clip inserted in the bottom of the poles stretches the walls out. My husband and I get it assembled in about ten minutes.
There are two zippered doors at opposite sides of the Wenzel Panorama Screen Gazebo. These can be unzipped just in the center to allow quick access, or unzip the entire door to bring gear in or out. The zipper is an inverted “T”, making the entry or exit simple. The zipper seems to hold up quite well as my kids usually enjoy going in and out of the room. Especially for my 3 year old, this sometimes provides quite a bit of entertainment.
Because of the hexagon shape, the Wenzel Panorama Screen Gazebo is much more stable than our old screen room was. There are steel pegs to hold it in place at ground level, but we’ve only had to use this once over the summer. In a normal, light summer breeze, the unit stays up just fine.
Except for the insects which get in when the door is left open, we haven’t had problems with bugs. The mesh keeps out all of the annoying pests, and there are flaps at the bottom which prevent bugs from crawling in that way. A few could possibly get in, but they would have to be very tenacious about it.
The Wenzel Panorama Screen Gazebo comes with a 10-year warranty against defects in workmanship and materials for the original purchaser only. Should you need replacement parts, they are available from the manufacturer. Make sure you choose a location a good distance from your campfire or charcoal grill to assemble it at your campsite.
With the Wenzel Panorama Screen Gazebo, we’ve been able to sit outside in rain showers and play board games on the picnic table, or eat our meals without getting wet. It’s a great addition to our camping gear, and I’d highly recommend it to anyone looking for a screen room. Even around our house, it would be attractive enough to leave up if we wanted to use it.
Company contact information:
Consumer Service: 1-800-325-8368
www.wenzelco.com
Other Camping-related reviews:
Eureka Blue Mesa Three-Season Tent
Coleman Weathermaster Tent
Coleman Electronic Ignition 2 Burner Propane Stove
Coleman Sleeping Bags
Coleman King Size Flocked Quickbed with Quickpump
Leatherman Pocket Survival Tool
Lodge Deep Camp Dutch Ovens
Woodall's Eastern Campground Directory
50 Hikes in the White Mountains
Campmor Online Store
BackCountry Online Store
Eastern Mountain Sports Online Store
Cabela’s Online Store
© 2003 Patti Aliventi
Recommended:
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Member: Patti Aliventi
Location: Mount Washington Valley, New Hampshire
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