Awning screen room experiences?

[calimobber]

I've searched the boards and also looking through other sources but thought I'd ask here....

I'm really drawn to the awning screen rooms. When tent camping I loved our porch/vestibule for many reasons. I would love to have the option of enclosing the area under our awning for additional protected space. Does anyone here have experience with these types of enclosures?  

I believe this is compatible with our 13QBB awning:
http://www.campingworld.com/shopping/item/dometic-patty-oroom/22860d

Are there any others?
Is this a bad idea? I read the installation instructions and I think at least a dozen holes need drilled for attachment points. 
Should I just haul our EZ-Up and buy an enclosure for it?

TIA!
 

[charliem]

[font size="3"]I don't have experience with the awning room, but I have looked at them in the past. My previous camper, an RPOD, had a side attached screen room with flaps and we really loved it when it was up. [/font][font size="3"]Really nice on sunny or rainy days and added lots of room. [/font][font size="3"]However, it was a hassle to erect so we didn't use it unless we were setting up for several days. And it was really a mess to stow when wet. With the CL I revisited the add-on awning room, but after watching some videos, decided it too would be a giant hassle. Think it through carefully before you decide. Now I'm also looking at a freestanding pop up screen room with side flaps.  Still [/font][font size="3"]some hassle to set up; t[/font][font size="3"]akes a lot of storage space; still a mess when wet; but we're thinking it through.
[/font]

[pinstriper]

We went with the EZ-up and screen walls option. We don't really spend any time in it, but it makes a fine dog pen !

[kycamper]

We have been using a Northern Breeze by Eureka tent for the past four years. We set it up over the picnic table and the flaps can be rolled up for four walled screening. Since we just purchased the Camp Lite, we are seriously considering the screen room made by Carefree of Colorado. You don't have to drill attachments. Look at videos online. If we eventually buy one, we will reluctantly sell the tent. Great tent!

[calimobber]

Good advice all!  I researched the Carefree screen rooms a little further and it seems that none of their models come in a size small enough for our awning which is only 9'. Additionally after watching a few set up videos of various rooms it occurred to me that, depending on the room, I might as well still be setting up a big tent. More thinking to do ... 

[daplumbr]

A beautiful day here in south central Michigan so we unboxed our Patty O'Room and installed it on our 16TBS.  We bought the standard height starter set, plus a 2 foot and a 4 foot expansion panel. It's a straightforward, linear step-by-step type of install, except for the complex joints/decisions under the Camplite door. Even as straightforward as it is, it took basically all day (considering it was a sort of lazy Sunday).  I know there are several on this forums who asked about the Patty O'Room , so here are some notes in 3 categories, Good, Whatever, and Bad.

Good:

•   It's a very nice addition to the space of 16TBS. Ours is 9 feet wide and 7.5 feet deep. The extra 67 square feet we knew we would be getting with this room made it possible for us to chose a 16 foot instead of a 21 foot Camplite last year.
•   There are integrated privacy panels that make it into an enclosed room that provide both privacy and wind blocking if there's a breeze on a cool day. One side has the privacy panel down in the photos.
•   It's made to fit the Dometic awnings that come with our Camplites, so there weren't any modifications needed to fit the awning. (However, see issues with connecting to the Camplite in the "Bad" section.
•   It clears the light and door on the left and the forward window on the right so it's a nice fit.
•   The material is very heavy and rugged and should last a long time

Whatever:

•   It requires a dozen fasteners drilled and screwed into the wall of the camper, all carefully measured and placed
•   There is no improvement in the stability to the awning, so it all needs to come down if the wind gets pushy. Not unexpected.
•   Once the initial installation is completed, it's fairly easy to set up and take down (with 2 people). However, see one "Bad" thing below
•   It's stark white. Pros and cons there, but my preference would have been something a bit softer, or at least a darker flap on the bottom where it hits the ground. The room will look dirty quickly after just a few muddy fold-ups. The ground flap in the photos is not fastened yet, so it looks funny.

Bad:

•   As it comes from the factory and following the installation instructions, it is not bug-proof, or really not even bug-resistant. There is a significant gap of about an inch where the sides meet the wall of the trailer and some gap going up the rafters. The sealing flaps are too small and too stiff to do any good. We are going to have to add full-length Velcro there.
•   The rafter poles are very difficult to install and remove. It takes a strong person to compress the spring enough get them into their supports and if it slips while your hand is in the way, you'll have a nice blood blister to show for it. I may be doing this wrong, because it's so difficult.
•   The joints under the door to accommodate the steps are not well designed or at all bug-proof. We are going to re-design that area and get a whole roll of Velcro tape to see if we can fix that. I'm disappointed in the whole skirt/wheel well/step sealing system and it's obviously a weak point for bug proofness. I realize the variety of units that need to be accommodated for fit, but some special considerations from Dometic would help. As it is, what's supplied is just a very long straight piece of material that needs to be customized a lot.
•   The material is very heavy and bulky. Even the shipping box has a large red "HEAVY" label on it. Ours weighs 32 pounds even with just the two expansion panels.


[attachment id="718" thumbnail="1"][attachment id="719" thumbnail="1"]

[whoofit]

I'm sure it will erect easier with more time under your belt. Near the bottom of the trailer seems to be the weak point in every design. Nice addition! That's some serious square footage for 32lbs built tough.

[silly122]

We bought a carefree Travel'r for our first TT. It wasn't a perfect fit because they didn't sell the exact size but I made it work by not using the actual door which shortened it just enough. Then when we bought our 21BHS, I bought some addition panels and we're up and running.
I have a picture but can't figure out how to upload it using the Proboards app lol.
Sent from my Z30 using proboards

[daplumbr]

See if you can figure out how to post a photo. I'd love to see the CareFree. I'm also interested in knowing the weight. Someday, weigh the bag/poles/etc. and post that too. I'm still concerned about how heavy the Patty O"Room is and thought about getting the CareFree.

[silly122]

See if you can figure out how to post a photo. I'd love to see the CareFree. I'm also interested in knowing the weight. Someday, weigh the bag/poles/etc. and post that too. I'm still concerned about how heavy the Patty O"Room is and thought about getting the CareFree.

No Poles in the Travel'r and the weight once it's all tucked in to the bag isn't very heavy. I'm sure my 100lbs 4'11 tall wife could carry it.

Still can upload a pic, so please try this link
https://mega.co.nz/#!dM9ByaIa!EMDkjRIzfzVy8ZealLYZUlgPPPoyKnX4kNFZrl_PtsQ

Posted using my powerful BlackBerry Z30

[daplumbr]

Thanks for trying again on the photos. I couldn't get that link to work, even after playing with parts of it. No worries, though, since I've seen good photos of the Carefree screen room on-line. From the specs it looks to be about half the weight of the Patty 0'Room for the same size room. We just finished up most of the bug-sealing on our Patty O'Room this afternoon with a brilliant solution for the steps my wife figured out. We'll be using it on a short trip in just a couple week so we'll see how it goes.