Kelty Screen House Shelter - Large

My wife and I just purchased a large Kelty Screenhouse (the blue and grey 2010 model). It seemed to be just the thing we were looking for and the price was right. Being a Kelty product we were sure the quality would be excellent. We have used many Kelty products in the past and have been very pleased with them. There is, however, something terribly wrong with this particular tent. For one thing it is extremely difficult to set up. Once the poles are assembled and installed in the tent loops at the top it is very hard to get the base of the poles inserted into the grommets at the bottom corners. My wife and I are experienced campers and have assembled many tent products in the past. In spite of reading the instructions and checking to see that the fabric was evenly distributed and the pole sections were properly assembled the tent fabric was extremely tight. Tight to the point that we were concerned that there would be too much stress on the fabric and the seams would give out. In time we did manage to get the tent erected. Once up we noticed that the sides adjacent to the doors were not in contact with the ground. There was a gap of about six inches below each wall. We thought this would be alleviated by pulling down the sides and fastening the provided web loops to stakes. To our horror when we attempted to do this the fabric above the webbing ripped. There is absolutely no way that this should have happened. We did not abuse the product. We faithfully followed the supplied instructions. We selected a very flat and level site for set up. We tried everything we could to determine why the tent was giving us so much trouble to erect and why it was not setting right. Then the tent simply ripped when a slight downward pull was applied in an effort to get the side to reach the ground.

The corner pole segments of mine are a tad long for the material so the material is over-stressed when the the nipple of the pole is put in the grommet. It was necessary for one person to bend the pole while a second put the nipple into the grommet. I plan to shorten our corner poles a few centimeters each. Other than that it appears to be a high-quality mosquito netting cover for a picnic table or whatever. It has convenient inner window covers that can cover the mosquito netting to keep out breezes and rain.

What a great product, at a great price.

I read the bad reviews and bought it anyway. I set it up in the backyard in about 20 minutes. It was a little difficult because the poles do seem to be a little too long and the shock cord not so great, but it went together. Once up, it proved to be just what I wanted with a lot of nice features. It will be great for island camping this summer and STP price makes it that much better.

Good size, setup is easier with two or more. Have not had it in the rain yet.