Clam Quick-Set Escape Sky Camper Screen Shelter 6-8 Person

My wife and I set it up the first time out of the box in 2:43 minutes, including re-reading the basic instructions on the side of the box. I'd say that was darn easy! That was just the main body. It took another couple minutes and reading the instructions to figure out the support over the door, but now that we get it, it'll be easy. The roof, walls and floor took longer because we had to pull out and read the printed instructions. The roof was simple but we should have put on the walls first so we didn't have to undo the hooks that hold the roof on, then redo them, but that's what happens when you don't read all instructions first, eh? The roof and walls went on easily and make sense how they connect. It took longer for the floor but we worked it out. We even managed to get it all back in the bag with minimal effort. I wish it would fit squarely in the bed of our pickup but at least it fits diagonally so it will travel easily. Overall it seems very well made, though one of the walls was missing three velcro pads, and one the floor, one of the toggles was sewn to the wrong side. Not major problems but since we paid full price we're contacting the seller for a replacement. UPDATE: we’ve had our Clam for two years now and used it at least a dozen times. We really like it for keeping the bugs out and we even use it to keep our dogs contained when when we’re camping so they can be off leash but not wander off. It still seems very sturdy and looks like it’ll last a good long time. If it got destroyed somehow we would replace it with the same thing since we really like the Skyview version

Where to begin. Love the ease of setting up. Perfect complement for our small camper. Tall enough to set up a shower tent inside. Sides can be any combination to completely secluded for dressing to partial to block wind and provide a view. We don't use the floor and only use a small tarp in order to allow water from shower out. Works great to dress after shower in the large area. If you really are serious about using this to full-time camp some modifications will make your life a lot better. First the rainfly top needs better secured for wind. I use tarp clamps centered over sides and tied to center pull out. I made lag screw stakes and used a Cordless impact. Every tent should come with reflective guidelines. Tarp clamps to hold front privacy to top.Not sure why they made it the way they did but a easy fix. Highly recommend this product. The versatility and screen roof to let heat out [ and it does ] make this the best option available.

I’m going to come right out and say, I love this tent! It’s so simple and so smart. I don’t understand the negative reviews. My review is a little lengthy but if you’re considering this tent, please read on. Also look for my pictures and walk around video. The good! -Sets up in a jiffy! A little tricky the first couple times but easy with a little practice. Definitely doable with only one person if it’s not too windy. If it is windy, make sure to stake it down and run the included tie down rope from each hub. With the rope secured you won’t have any panels popping in. - So open! The visibility out of this tent is amazing. We have this set up in our yard as a screen tent when we don’t take it camping. Without the wall panels or rain fly, the tent offers 360 degree views, even skyward. There’s nothing like sleeping under the stars from the comfort of a bug free tent! Simply amazing. -Strong, durable construction/material. The seams are strong and reinforced where needed. The no see um mesh is super tight. The fiberglass poles do what they should, as do the metal hubs. The removable floor is particularly durable. They did not cheap out here. I would still use a tarp underneath to keep the underside clean for storage. The floor attaches with Velcro along the perimeter and kept our gear dry during a nasty rain storm. -Waterproof construction. This is a big one right? A lot of the negative reviews say otherwise but we slept in this tent multiple times during rain without issue. One storm in particular produced very strong wind and rain and the tent stayed perfectly dry inside. I researched the other clam tents before I decided on this one. I chose this newer tent design for the removable rain fly. Why is this important? Older clam tents don’t claim to be waterproof. These older tents had a all in one design and the material (including the roof) stretched when erected. This stretched the seams causing it to leak. The separate rain fly is snug but doesn’t stretch, making it a better option. The seams are taped and the material coated with something to make it truly waterproof. The wind panels offer similar construction. Why they call them wind panels when they are clearly waterproof is odd. It is worth mentioning that the fly and side panels attach with Velcro and plastic clips on the corners. They also overlap the in such a way to help keep the rain out and it works as long as the velcro holds. It’s not a perfect system but works well enough in light wind/rain. Also we never had the panels pop in with the tie down rope attached and we never had the roof cave in. That’s another problem you read about with older clam tents. -Smart design. From the straight horizontal door zipper, to the pass through wall panels. The overlapping design to keep you dry. We even hang clothes up inside along the fiberglass poles. The design works well, it’s simple and intuitive. The not so good. -The velcro attachment system works in most of the time in light/moderate wind. The rain fly could use more velcro or a better attachment system all together. As soon as the wind picks up, it becomes apparent the rain fly wants to take flight. The velcro simply can’t hold with strong wind. That being said, the fly stayed on during a short rain storm but it was no longer attached in a few places. To be fair, this tent was never designed to withstand a tsunami. -The tight no see um mesh is great at keeping the bugs out but it does not breath well. This really isn’t a negative point for the tent, it’s the reality of tight mesh. Putting on a the rain fly helps block out some of the summer rays and will keep the temps down. You can also open a couple of the upper wall sections to let a breeze through. Just know that it can get warm inside if not shaded. -The pass through wall sections are great. They utilize heavy duty zippers. The problem is you can’t zip them closed tight. You are left with a small gap where two zippers meet. Not an issue for rain since the wall panels cover this area but bugs may be a different story if not using the wall panels. -The shape of this tent is a little awkward in terms of useable space. My wife and I camp with our two dogs. One would think with over 11 foot diameter, that’s plenty of room! We can fit our two cots and the dog beds and our gear but it’s tight. A square design yields more useable space. The clam design is a hexagon. Every wall is at a angle meaning you can’t tuck anything into a corner, because there are none! If you sleep with sleeping bags you could pack more people in, maybe 4 or 5 adults. -I have a couple knit picky complaints about the removable wall panels. The wind/rain panels go on when you need privacy or the keep the wind and rain out. They attach quickly and they offer small windows if you roll up a small flap. Each small window has more mesh. Remember, the main tent structure is already made of the same mesh. This double mesh design does two things. It doesn’t help with airflow. The tent has a hard enough time breathing without the wall panels attached. Second, the windows are strategically (maybe not) placed over the zippered pass through sections on the main tent. But you can’t pass anything through the wind/rain panels, no zippers here! If you’re brave enough you could cut it the mesh on the wall panels. My wife won’t let me. My other complaint is the door panel. It offers the same horizontal zipper design as the main tent. The problem is how it attaches. There is no velcro at the top in the middle, right above the zipper. This results in the panel sagging in the middle and potentially letting a little rain in. Who dropped the ball on this one? -Long carry bag. When packed up this bag is a handful and sort of awkward to carry. It’s roughly 6 feet long, so it can be tricky to pack in a car. Luckily it’s not too heavy at 35-40 lbs. At end of the day, we love this tent. It’s not perfect but I think you will be hard pressed to find a smarter more versatile tent.

Out of the 9 months we have had the Clam we’ve used it for about 7 weeks. This tent is advertised as being durable and easy to set up. It is easy to set up to a point. The floor is a pain to install. My biggest issue with this tent is that it does not stay up - the ceiling collapses constantly and I have been hit on the head numerous times when this happens. If there is dew overnight- the ceiling collapses. If there is a breeze - not wind but a light breeze, the roof comes down. If there is a sprinkle of rain the ceiling collapses. If there is absolutely no weather to speak of it will also fall. For $600 I expected better than this and would recommend everyone get any other tent than this one.

Overpriced (CAD $872 with the shipping) but I like it!