Clam Escape Screen Tent | 11.5 Ft Pop Up Gazebo - Green 6-Person Shelter | Instant Screen Tent for Camping, Patios, Tailgating and Backyard Use with No-See-Um Mesh, Weather Protection, and Room for 6

I really didn't want to buy this. I kept trying to talk myself out of it, but after watching several video demonstrations of how easy it was to put up and how cool it looked...I just couldn't resist. We've used a 10 x 10 Coleman sun shelter for a few years now and it has worked well for us. It has built in LED lights, which are very cool, and I purchased the mosquito net walls that were made for it as well. We've used it for special events, yard sales, and camping. Although it has performed well over the years, it is a bit of a pain to set up (especially when adding the net walls around it), it's very heavy, and it takes up a lot of packing space in the back of the truck. Now, I don't plan to throw the ole' Coleman away. I'm just going to reserve it for events at home and take this Clam on the road. This is unbelievably easy to set up. I can do it by myself and it takes less than a minute. It's bigger than the Coleman, giving us a 12 x 12 area to relax in and it provides plenty of space for a table and chairs. It comes in an oversized bag which gives you plenty of room to pack it away. I really hate it when tents and other such things come in bags that are almost impossible to pack them back into. When in the bag, the Clam shelter is definitely longer than the Colman shelter but it has a slimmer profile and is much easier to lift and carry. The bag also has a shoulder sling and I can easily carry it over my shoulder with no problems. When setting it up the first time, I recommend paying close attention to some of the demonstration videos that can be seen online to avoid some of the problems that I've read about in other customer's reviews. I've read that some mistakenly tried to put it up in a "wrong side out" fashion which resulted in some very confusing situations. I try to think of it like "planting a tree". The shelter's central "roof hub" is what rests on the ground while the majority of the tent fabric is up in the air. You just let it open up and blossom like flower in a sense. Then, you just walk to each wall and pop it out with the final step being to walk inside to lift the roof up. It really is quite simple. Now, I saw plenty of videos of people putting it up, but I couldn't find anything about taking it down. I just did everything in reverse obviously and it also was very simple process. The shelter is fairly well made and you the company has put some extra features in to make it more durable. The eyelets that are used to pull the walls out are made of metal and there is extra fabric in the corners which protects those vulnerable areas from tearing. There is also an extra layer of fabric securing the area around the central hub for durability and increasing water resistance. The one thing that I did notice, however, is that the needle holes for the stitching are quite noticeable in the corners making these areas the most vulnerable for water. While the shelter doesn't claim to be waterproof, I will certainly be adding some seam sealer to these areas in order to make it's "resistance" a bit more effective. The shelter does come with small plastic stakes, but I plan on using some longer and more heavy duty galvanized tent stakes to provide extra security. Once the shelter is up, it's quite lightweight enough for you and a helper to position it over a picnic table. I've set it up in the yard twice now (once to check it out and once to show a family member how cool it was) and we had no problem positioning it. I also purchased a set (3 panels in each set) of the privacy/wind walls developed by Clam specifically for this shelter as well. They also go on very easy and are great to have. I plan on setting it up one more time to add the seam sealer to the corners and then it will have it's first run as we take it camping in a few weeks. This shelter will certainly help to reduce the amount of set up time and I am looking forward to using it. Update: 8/19/16 - Just got back from a week long camping trip and this Clam performed very well. We go to a family campground up in the mountains of North Carolina that accommodates both tent and RV campers. We stay in tents but everyone is always walking around and checking other campsites out. The Clam certainly got a lot of attention and I had at least three people (2 who travel in RVs) personally came up and asked questions about the shelter. The folks in the RVs usually sit and eat outside in the evenings and this particular shelter drew their attention because of how easy it is to set up and take down. I put some seam sealer on some of the areas that I had talked about previously in the review and it didn't leak a drop during two light rains and one moderate one. I didn't use the wind screens that I had purchased for it because it was still kind of warm up in the mountains and I didn't want to trap extra heat inside. The plastic stakes that came with the shelter would of been useless in the hard ground where I was at. I was glad that I brought some extra galvanized stakes with me. The wind picked up right before one of the rains and it pushed two of the wall panels in. I ended up using some guy lines around the metal eyelets on the wall panels of the shelter and securing them down with some additional stakes. There were no problems after that. I was very pleased with the performance and it sure made set up and take down a little bit easier.

Set-up: This tent sets up as easy as it looks (watch the video) - truly! On our first try, straight out of the box, it took 1.25 minutes for one person. Construction/durability: The tent seems to be sturdy and well made. We set it up at our campsite at 9000' in elevation where we had 15-30 MPH winds, and it did just fine. First we only staked it at the base, but once the rainflies went on, it was necessary to guy line out the walls because the force of the wind against the solid surface pushed in that pressure point (no big deal really, with that strong of wind, we should have done this anyway). No tears in the fabric under these conditions or broken poles, and the stakes did their job (more guy lines and stakes would be good to include though - I luckily had some extras with us to use). Usage note: The way the flies go on requires you to pull the tent wall straps through the center of the fly (grommeted), and tie the guy line from there - if you set your guy lines without the fly on, you'll have to undo the lines to get the fly on, and then reset the lines. We put up all the flies and just dropped the unneeded flies down half way and tethered the loose ends to each other or to the bottom so they didn't flap around. This made for a nice half-wall effect all the way around when the walls weren't needed, and it allowed for super quick raising when they were needed. Design flaw: #1 The rain flies go on the outside of the tent walls, but they do not have a flap at the top that allows the rain to roll off the top and onto the OUTSIDE of the fly. This causes rain to roll down to the INSIDE of the shelter, though it does stay on the walls which is better than nothing, just be aware of this. The center tension point in the ceiling also drips into the tent (we used a kettle to catch the dripping water). The tent just needs a little "skirt" that would hang over the hooks and velcro for the fly, and a more sealed design at the top. The rain we experienced with the tent was light and mostly blowing from the side, so it wasn't really an issue. We had tested the tent at home with a hose and realized the poor design flaw there - CLAM should do the same (it'll take you 3 min, tops). #2 This is a MONSTER to transport. It's 6' long, though fairly narrow around. Be prepared for this when you give a shipping address. In action: We took it on a camping trip in Colorado to a site at about 9000' in elevation. We set it up, picked it up and walked it to set over the 6' picnic table that was at our campsite. We brought in our very large cooler, and small camp prep table, and we still had plenty of room for 4 kids and 4 adults to sit at the table and stand around talking. Because it was windy and chilly, we put on the rainflies on the prevailing wind side, which kept us warmer. We ended up putting the flies on all the way around (except the door), but dropped them down half way so we could more quickly raise them up when needed, which was necessary at dinner time. It turned the screen house into more of a yurt where we were happy and warm (especially compared to our campsite neighbors who were cooking and eating in the windy rain). I would absolutely recommend this tent for anyone that doesn't believe in suffering while camping (or that doesn't like bugs, sun, wind, or rain). If CLAM would fix the rainfly issue and make it smaller to transport there wouldn't be anything wrong with this tent at all! LOVE IT!!!

I own a first up shelter. It is awesome and first class AND it is only 5 feet long and fits in my camper. HOWEVER I bought this CLAM shelter and LOVE it. It is so easy to put up, it lasted through some sprinkles, dried quickly and it awesome inside. Inside is good size. It take TWO 7.5 by 15 feet rugs to go under it. I wish it had a second door....but I love it. We also looked at a Coleman and it had a very tiny covered area. IF you are buying new, though the newer modes have a rain flap and or have the wind screens built in. I think those are awesome features. If only a few bucks difference I'd go for the upgrades. The wind screens go by color. The green screens Velcro on top and sides match the green shelter. The brown screens match the sides of the green shelter but not the top. I bought the brown wind screens anyway because I liked the windows and decided to alter them to work. The down side of the clam is #1 no roller bag and #2 it is LONG. The bag is like 75 inches long. It is a bit weighty too. Everything remains attached. You have two tie wraps to help wrap around the shelter to reinsert into the bag. I did this along in the dark and had no problem. Just up the feet in one end of the bag and put the other end in. NOTE: might be easier if you put the bag on a picnic table or tailgate so you are not bending over during put in and take out of bag. I plan on rigging up some white "Christmas" lights inside...for fun and frivolity. Be careful with the fiberglass poles. YOU do need to make sure not to have heavy stuff THROWN on top of the bag. They sell a side pole repair kit for the "1660 six pack" for $34.99. There are d rings on the outside of the tent for the wind screens. I added a string to the inside center to tie a light and help with take down. I don't try to shove a heavy wood picnic take in and out. As others noted, you may need a fan inside because this blocks some wind. We like the green (avocado color) because it "is harmonious with the surrounding environs"..he, he, he, it matches the trees...

Ten stars! I have the large instant coleman tent. Great product for the price...but it really is too large and thus cumbersome setting up and breaking down. This instant screen house by Clam is totally amazing. Much easier to handle and thus quick and easy. Just as in the video, it really does take one minute to set up. Intuitive. I only read the instructions about the two poles at the doorway. SECOND 9 X 9 TENT BOUGHT AS AMAZON SECOND: Not used, but someone attempted to set this up, the easiest tent in the world to set up, but they undid many hub rods and put them back wrong. I had to undo all the hubs and figure out how to put it back together. Since I’ve been a Clam man for almost 15 years I got it done, but it took over an hour and half. I suppose worth it cause now I can set it up and take it down in less than 5 minutes and I saved over $100 buying the second. I have a great swiss gear screen house. Loved it, and easy to set up, but not nearly as easy as the Clam. Nor as efficient and tight. The quality of materials used is top notch. Reinforcements are perfect. There was no skimping to factiously reduce the price. This company is genius, and they and their product get my highest recommendation. The engineering of this product really is truly genius. ADDED ON REVIEW A FEW WEEKS LATER....... I had this set up in a corner next to my house. Thinking it protected from the wind, only five stakes loosely pushed in half way. Dumb. I woke up in the morning and it was gone, and nowhere in sight. It had been lifted by the storm, and sailed over a 20 foot high playground, 300 feet from my house, and landed in the edge of the woods, leg first into the woods. I pulled it out, uprighted it...AND THERE WAS NO DAMAGE WHAT SO EVER. SCREENS, ROOF, JOINTS.....ALL TOTALLY INTACT. NOT A SCRATCH. OMG!!! I have been loving this since I bought it. Yes, it sets up in one minute. Which is why I have brought it so many places already. Oh yeah.....this is totally amazing workmanship!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'll say right off that I do really like this pop-up shelter, but it has flaws. My biggest complaint is that the seams leak pretty badly in even moderate rain. I am going to have to apply seam sealer to the seams across the entire top. Based on earlier reviews I did not expect this. Others claim theirs won't leak even in heavy rain. Perhaps something has changed (material? stitching methods?), but ours leaks, period. Another point to note is that, while I can, my wife cannot set this up without help. Overall, compared to our previous shelter (a Coleman metal frame octagonal gazebo) this Clam is much easier and far faster to put up and pack away (the Coleman also leaks BTW). It holds up to wind pretty well as long as you anchor it down and out (stakes and guy wires). Good bug protection and shelters against breezes pretty well too. Final note is the side wind/privacy panels (which I bought separately) are a bit disappointing. They go up with minimal Velcro pads and corner clips, but the Velcro comes loose too easily so they don't stay in place that well. Going to have to do something there as well but not sure what.

I was looking at patio furniture for my new deck, but I didn't want to have to move furniture into my barn in the (Pacific Northwest rainy) winter, so I was looking at collapsible furniture, then Trex furniture that I could leave out all year, and when I got to shade umbrellas, reality hit. Half of the day my deck is in full sun, I get some pretty good winds in summer that would challenge a shade umbrella, and the wasps and yellowjackets usually drive everyone into the house when the food comes out, and then mosquitoes at dusk. So I got this tent shelter, especially because of a review from a petite woman who said she could pop it up by herself. I moved in a small indoor dining table and chairs from my house, which are now protected from sun and rain and bird poop, and I'm out here every day working on my laptop. And it really does take under 5 minutes to put up, once you've watched the video. I got sandbags to anchor the corners plus a couple of the guy lines are anchored to the ground beyond the deck for super strong winds. For a backyard party I can fit six people at my little table and a few more in chairs around the edge, and it's cozy but preferable to yellowjackets crawling all over our food. The main tent zipper seems well made and is easy to open and close. I leave the bottom open a few inches because my cats like to play inside and outside the tent. So far no sign of damage to the screening from cat claws, that seems well made too. I did noticed that the screening blocks wind quite a bit, even without wind panels. That's good if the wind is cold, not so good on a hot day. It's ok, this was a perfect solution and so much less expensive than patio furniture. We don't get much rain here in summer so I don't know how dry things would stay inside the screening with heavy rain and wind, but it's fine with light rain. Bonus: If I go car camping I'll just take down the shelter in 5 minutes, pop it in its carrying bag, attach the extra rain/wind/privacy panels that I bought separately, and use it as an ultra-roomy tent and living space.

This screen tent is a total game changer, it arrived one day before our camping trip and I was really excited to put it to the test. From right out of the bag, it took me and my wife less than two minutes to set up except for the rope and spikes that took a little longer because of the strong winds at the time. They were calling for high winds and rain that afternoon so I was a little skeptical. About two hours after set up and started raining and the wind was howling I would have to say maybe about 30 miles an hour. But it held up like no other screen tent I ever had and the rain did not seep through the top, we also purchased three side panels and the rain did not go through .We camped out for five days and the wind was howling for five days and it didn’t budge. I am very happy with this purchase and I would highly recommend it..

We’ve been sitting with this box for a few months because there just hadn’t been an opportunity to use it, but today was the day!! I was a little leery about setting it up myself but after understanding the instructions it went smoothly. Yes, the tent is sort of inside out, but that’s the beauty of the easy set up. I floundered a bit before I realized I had to step outside of the canopy to pull the handles on each side to get them taught. It is so nice to enjoy our backyard with shade from the sun and no mosquitoes. It does get a little warm when there is no breeze blowing, but a small fan would fix that. We bought 3 side panels for sun protection. A trick I’m using is to not connect the bottom 3rd of Velcro and the hooks so the lower panel can blow open for wind. The zipper seems strong and overall I’m super pleased with the quality. We won’t leave this up all season long because it isn’t designed to be a permanent fixture. Many complained of rot or fabric tears and I can see if left open to the elements for months on end it might not make it long term. We haven’t experienced rain to know how or if it leaks. It is very stable. The only thing that would have made it perfect is if it came with a bottom? But that’s ok.

I absolutely love this tent! It’s easy to put up and take down, its sturdy and kept the area dry in pouring rain. I purchased two packages of the additional weather panels and used the 6th one over the doorway overnight (even though it doesn’t Velcro down) and they kept the inside of the tent area dry. The large flaps at the bottom and the screens provide good coverage and keep bugs out well. The zipper and fabric are heavy duty and the whole unit is strong and durable. The inside of the tent is tall and roomy with the ability to accommodate a table plus multiple guests. The tent easily fits back into the bag with more than enough room for the tent and both sets of weather panels. I highly recommend this tent and have nothing bad to say! I’ve owned comparable Coleman screen tents and this one is miles better. It’s definitely worth the price!

The clam is the best dining/shelter I have ever owned by far. It literally goes up in 25 seconds, a little more time to install the pegs, and slightly more if you use the ropes for when you have heavy winds. I use an extendable paint pole to put under the center in heavy winds, as this stops the center from collapsing downward which can happen from time to time. It is really quite water resistant if you have the extra panels. Otherwise, its like any other dining tent with no seeum mesh, the rain will get through for sure. But, get the panels, or build your own and this is not an issue. Its an excellent unit, high quality, some say its not, mine sure as heck is and as far as leaking seams? Get over yourself, its a bloody dining shelter, not a water proof bomb proof emergency shelter. I love mine. Enough said!

When I ordered this gazebo I received a message saying it would be delayed by a week. I then decided to cancel it as I would not be home to receive as I was going away for a month. The seller decided to assist me and gave me a discount and stated that he could have it delivered to a different address since I would not be home. I received this gazebo at the address I was staying and it it awesome. I will say it did take me a little more than 60 seconds to put it up but it wasn’t so bad. It is fantastic. Lots of room on the inside and it’s very easy to dismantle and put away. I would highly recommend this product to anyone. Excellent customer service and excellent product.

The tent did not include a rain cover. This was the one disappointing thing. Little confusing when reading over the add and other similar tents at similar prices. That said, I experienced minor rain and it kept everything inside dry. The mesh screen was fine enough to catch most of the lighter rain drops it ran down into the ground. Very quick and easy setup and take down was ideal! True to what it says it takes minutes to set up and take down. Easily done with one person. Overall I'm very happy with this product! I would reccoment to a friend.

Some friends got one of these and when we saw it we knew we just had to have one. So easy to set up in just a few minutes, very sturdy and well made. The mesh is way better quality than other screen rooms we’ve owned. Very spacious inside...we were able to get 6 adults with lawn chairs around the perimeter. On colder evenings we brought our propane fire bowl inside, placed in the centre. As long as the screens are not all closed with the accessory panels, there’s no worry about fumes. I would only caution that setting it up in strong wind is not recommended. Ours nearly took off like a kite! But if you have it staked down it should be okay unless you get caught in a gale. We are very happy with this product and highly recommend it.