Do Campgrounds Allow Screen Rooms?

[Jo Agrafojo]

Hi all, We're planning to buy a TT within the next couple of months. Right now, we live in Spain and over here we have a Dethleffs TT (caravan). Just about every TT in Europe has a screen room attachment so you actually virtually double your space! European screen rooms are extremely heavy duty and can stand up to any kind of inclement weather. I'll try to attach a photo of our Dethleffs with the screen room attached so you can see what I'm talking about.

I notice that in the US, most TT's (and RV's) in general don't have anything like this. People use awnings instead. We've been looking online and can't find any screenrooms (US) that match the "heavy-dutiness" of the ones here, and we're thinking of purchasing a "free-standing" one (so we don't have to go drilling holes in our new Casita) and shipping it over to the States.

Question: If we go the expense of bringing this over - are most campgrounds o.k. with campers setting up screen rooms next to their TT's? I don't want to buy it, ship it and then when we try to set it up on our campsite get told that the campgrounds doesn't allow them.

[Dan Jones]

I have seen just about every possible variation of a screen room in most of the parks I have been to. Awnings, add-a-rooms, screen tents, EZ-Ups (canopies) with and without screen and/or fabric panels. Never been told they are not allowed.

Outdoor carpet is a different story. SOME campgrounds -- usually those with nice grassy sites -- are forbidding them or limiting the size basically to that of a door mat. Carpets left for several days can damage the grass.

One just doesn't know what the situation will be at a new-to-you park until you read the park rules.

Others mileage may vary.
Dan

[Roy in TO]

Many of the awnings here have a sreen or "add a room" attachment available.
Screen rooms are just screens with maybe a bit of material at the top and bottom.
"Add a rooms" have solid walls with screen windows that can be covered.

They usually attach with zippers or velcro to the awning and tend to be very expensive.
You see them mostly used with tent trailers. So most campsites should allow them.
Many of our campsites are not designed with the additional room in mind.
We personally tend to use a separate unit that we can place anywhere on the site.

You will find that most of the campground rules revolve around the number of things you can put up. That is primarily to keep a group of 20 teens from all setting up on the same site. Some say the # of families, but that gets overlooked for church groups etc.

[Carol H]

Jo, Like Dan I have seen a lot of them as well. Here on the wet coast most of us have one type or another to use in rainy weather not so much in summer months for bugs as we dont have a big bug issue. In the interior lake areas you will need one!! LOL I have an EZ-up and I cant recall camping anywhere it wasnt permitted.

Suspect one of the reasons you may have gotten the impression they are not popular is that the trailers on a whole in NA tend to be bigger so you will not find everyone has them as in Europe - but still they are used a lot by folks like us with smaller trailers.

[Jo Agrafojo]

Carol, Dan & Roy, Thank you for the quick responses!!! We will definitely buy one here then and ship it over. Here in Europe, just about every single TT has one and they vary in size, shape, color, etc. Some people even have two of them - one attached to their TT and another separate one for their campstove, grill, refrigerator, etc., etc. They get pretty elaborate!

We're going to go ahead and purchase a screen room that stands alone so that we can situate it wherever it fits best on the particular campsite we're on. Hubby's looking at a couple of discreet, neutral-colored ones (no flourescent pinks or polka dots - ha!). The European ones are much heavier-duty than any of the ones we've been able to find on-line in the States. We like the quality of them.

Thanks again for your input.

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by Jo Agrafojo

The European ones are much heavier-duty than any of the ones we've been able to find on-line in the States. We like the quality of them.

LOL that could be said about a lot of products!! Sadly the price difference in NA between the European made product and one made in NA or China are normally *really* big.

[Roy in TO]

Originally Posted by Jo Agrafojo

We're going to go ahead and purchase a screen room that stands alone so that we can situate it wherever it fits best on the particular campsite we're on. Hubby's looking at a couple of discreet, neutral-colored ones

Walmart > First UP > about $100.
Canada an US models differ slightly. One comes with the screen, the other does not. In either case the screens and walls are available separately for about $20. We travel and shop on both sides of the border.

I consider the First UP to be disposable. You can get 3-4 years out of one then replace it when something happens. If you get one, photograph how it is folded when you first take it out, they don't provide instructions on how to get it all back into the case.

[Roy in TO]

Originally Posted by Jo Agrafojo

The European ones are much heavier-duty than any of the ones we've been able to find on-line in the States.

I was told the reason Carefree of Colorado switched to metric sizing was to suit the European Market. I imagine there are quite a few of those over there then.

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by Roy in TO

I was told the reason Carefree of Colorado switched to metric sizing was to suit the European Market. I imagine there are quite a few of those over there then.

LOL and perhaps the Canadian market as well as most of the rest of the world?

[cpaharley2008]

Is that your tow vehicle seen in the picture?

[Thomas G.]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

Is that your tow vehicle seen in the picture?

I was just going to post:

Wow, 10 posts and still no argument over European tow ratings?

[rgrugg]

Our local Walmart has screens for the first up for $39.95 and the wind curtains for same are $49.95. Just bought the wind curtains.

[Jo Agrafojo]

Thanks for the information about the First Up.

Here is a photo of the screen room we are thinking of purchasing here in Spain and shipping over:




The vehicle in the photo IS our tow vehicle!! Our TT (caravan) is a whopping 600 kilos (approx. 1,400 lbs.) and we tow it with a Citroen Xsara Picasso (4-cylinder, diesel). We'll definitely not be towing the Casita with anything like it - ha!

[cpaharley2008]

please post some pictures of your 1400 lb caravan, inside and outside

[Jo Agrafojo]

Here are some photos. I had a bunch of them saved on my old computer and lost them when my computer died.

This photo was taken when we were camping on the Cote d Azur in France:




Here is another one that we took in a campgrounds in Vilanova y la Geltru (Cataluna - north of Barcelona):





Here is a photo of the caravan in the field where we keep it:



Will post some inside photos. Have to locate them first.

[Carol H]

Got to luv the small Euro Diesels! Interesting info on the Go Carvan site about this one. Wish Subaru would start offering the diesel in NA as they do in Europe.... not fair!!!

[Jo Agrafojo]

Here are the inside photos of the same model Dethleffs we have (I'll have to take some more inside photos of ours and post them sometime): The U-shaped booth makes a huge bed, lots of overhead storage and storage under the benches, 3-burner stove, fridge, sink and lots of counter space (the covers that are up in the kitchen cover come down and make a counter over the sink and stove), gas furnace, nice bathroom with toilet, sink, built-in medicine cabinet and storage drawers - mirrors on all 3 walls, wardrobe closet.... nice for a small 3.6 meter (approx.12-foot long) TT.

[cpaharley2008]

Dang,
A fully tiled bathroom in a trailer, not even $75K Airstreams have that!!!

[Jo Agrafojo]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

Dang,
A fully tiled bathroom in a trailer, not even $75K Airstreams have that!!!

Jim, It does look like real tile doesn't it? Ha! Actually, its all molded fiberglass. Gives it a great look!

Carol, we love our diesel car. Gets great gas (or should I say diesel) mileage.

[Carol H]

Jo I love the trailer I think you should bring it with you!!!