How to Make a Rain Canopy for a Screen Tent

Screen tents are great for keeping out unwanted pests. They are not so great for keeping out unwanted rain water. While you may be thankful one minute for how open the tent is, allowing that great breeze through, you may well be cursing the next if it starts raining, soaking you and all of your camping gear. Fortunately, it is easy to construct a canopy out of a tarp and some long tent poles to thwart the rain and keep you high and dry while still letting you enjoy the open airiness and panoramic views allowed by your screen tent.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

Tarp at least 4 feet wider and 8 feet deeper than your tent
Two tent poles a foot longer than the longest poles of your tent
Four tent poles a foot longer than the shortest poles of your tent
Wire or clothes line
Thin rope
Tent stakes

Step 1

Tie a length of wire or clothes line about 6 feet longer than the width of your tent between the tops of the two long tent poles. This wire will end up stretched over your tent and create the peak of the canopy roof.

Step 2

Stand the long tent poles about 3 feet from the middle of each side of your tent. Be sure that the wire or line running between them is pulled tight. Secure the poles upright using thin rope and tent stakes in the same fashion you would stake out your tent.

Step 3

Throw the tarp width-wise over the wire or line. Be sure the tarp is centered with an equal amount on each side of the line and centered over the width of your tent.

Step 4

Attach the tops of the four short tent poles to the four corners of the tarp and pull them outward until the tarp material is pulled tight. The tarp will now form a peaked roof over your tent, separated from the tent itself by at least 1 foot. This roof will keep any rain from falling on your screen tent.

Step 5

Stake out the corner poles to secure them in place in the same manner you use to stake out your tent.

Article Written By Christopher Williams

Christopher Williams has spent over 11 years working in the information technology, health care and outdoor recreation fields. He has over seven years of technical and educational writing experience, and has brought strong skills and passion to the Demand Studios team in articles for eHow and Trails in 2009.

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