There is a moment on almost every camping trip when the great outdoors turns on you. The mosquitoes find you at dusk. The afternoon sun bakes your awning shade into uselessness. A breeze becomes a wind that scatters your napkins across the campsite. Suddenly, the outdoor living space you love is somewhere you would rather not be.
A screen room fixes all of it. Enclosing the space under your awning gives you a bug-free, shaded, wind-sheltered outdoor room that effectively doubles your living space. You get all the fresh air and connection to the outdoors that drew you to camping, without the insects, harsh sun, and gusts that drive you back inside.
Adding a screen room to your existing awning is far more approachable than many RVers assume. You are not building a structure; you are attaching a purpose-made enclosure to the awning you already have. With the right product and a methodical approach, it is a very achievable upgrade.
In this guide, I will walk you through how to add a screen room to your RV awning, step by step, including the products I recommend and the practical tips that make installation and everyday use smooth.
It is worth understanding exactly what you gain, because a screen room changes how you use your campsite more than almost any other awning upgrade. At its core, it converts the open, exposed space under your awning into an enclosed, protected room.
The benefits stack up quickly. Insects, the single biggest enemy of pleasant evenings outdoors, are kept out entirely, so you can eat, relax, and socialize at dusk without swatting. Sun is filtered and blocked, keeping the space cooler and more usable through the hottest part of the day. Wind and blowing debris are cut down, so a breezy site stays comfortable.
The result is genuinely a second living room, an outdoor one. For families, it is a place for kids to play out of the bugs and sun. For couples, it is a shaded spot for morning coffee and evening cards. It is the upgrade that lets you live outside your rig the way you imagined when you bought it.
There is a social dimension to a screen room that is easy to underestimate until you have one. At dusk, when the bugs come out, and most campers retreat inside, you can keep right on enjoying the evening, dinner outdoors, a game of cards, and conversation under the awning, while staying comfortable. More than one owner has told me the screen room became the gathering spot of the campground precisely because it was the one place everyone could sit out comfortably after dark.
Adding a screen room comes down to the right enclosure for your awning, plus the panels that complete the sun and privacy protection. For this guide, I recommend the Carefree of Colorado Vacation'r Room as the screen room itself, paired with SunBlocker panels for added sun control.
Carefree of Colorado is one of the most established names in RV awnings and enclosures, which matters when you are attaching something to your awning and trusting it to hold up trip after trip. Using a screen room designed for the job, from a brand with deep awning expertise, is what makes this a reliable upgrade rather than a frustrating improvisation.
It is worth a word on why pairing the screen room with dedicated sun panels makes such a difference, rather than relying on the screen alone. Screen mesh keeps insects out and softens light, but on the side where the sun is streaming in directly, mesh alone still lets a lot of heat and glare through. The SunBlocker panels add a solid sun barrier exactly where you need it, which is what keeps the enclosed space genuinely cool and comfortable rather than merely bug-free. Together, the two products cover the full range of what makes an outdoor room pleasant: the screen handles the bugs and the breeze, and the panels handle the sun.
The Carefree Vacation'r Room is the screen room at the heart of this project. It is designed to attach to your existing awning and enclose the space beneath it, creating a bug-free, sheltered outdoor room. Because it comes in different sizes to match different awning lengths, the key is selecting the size that fits your specific awning, which we will cover in the measuring step below.
Designed by an awning specialist, the Vacation'r is built to work with your awning rather than against it, which is exactly what you want from an enclosure you will set up and take down repeatedly. Match it to your awning size, and it provides the structure of your new outdoor room.
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The Carefree SunBlocker Panel complements the screen room by adding focused sun protection where you need it. While the screen room keeps the bugs out and filters light, a SunBlocker panel knocks down direct sun on the side where it is streaming in, keeping the enclosed space cooler and more comfortable as the sun moves through the day.
Think of the panels as the fine-tuning for your outdoor room. The screen room creates the enclosure; the SunBlocker panels let you manage the sun on whichever side is taking the heat, so the space stays usable from morning coffee through evening relaxation.
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The single most important step happens before any installation: getting the size right. A screen room is built to fit a specific awning length, so an accurate measurement is what ensures the whole project goes smoothly.
Measure your awning according to the manufacturer's guidance, paying attention to the awning length the screen room is sized against. Screen rooms like the Vacation'r come in different sizes precisely because awnings vary, and matching the room to your awning is the foundation everything else rests on.
Do not rush this or estimate it. A screen room sized correctly to your awning installs cleanly and seals properly against bugs and weather, while one that is the wrong size will fight you at every step. Confirm your awning measurement, select the matching size, and you have set yourself up for an easy installation.
With the correctly sized screen room in hand, the installation attaches it to your existing awning. Screen rooms are designed to connect to the awning rail and structure, enclosing the space beneath, and following the product's instructions for your awning type is the key to a secure fit.
Work methodically, attaching the room along the awning and then securing the sides and front to define the enclosed space. Take your time aligning everything as you go, since a screen room that is hung evenly and squarely will seal better and look far better than one rushed into place.
This is a job that goes much more easily with a second pair of hands. Enlisting a helper to hold and align sections while you attach them makes the whole process quicker and less awkward, particularly the first time you set it up. Once you have done it once, subsequent setups go faster as you learn how your specific room and awning work together.
If you are between two sizes or unsure how your particular awning is measured, it is well worth confirming before you order rather than guessing. The measurement is the one part of this whole project where an error is genuinely costly, since everything downstream depends on the room fitting your awning correctly, so a few extra minutes of careful measuring here saves real frustration later.
An enclosure only does its job if it is properly secured and sealed at the ground and edges. Once the screen room is attached to the awning, anchor the bottom and stake it out so wind cannot get underneath and so the bug barrier is complete all the way around.
Pay attention to the points where the room meets the ground and where panels join, since these are where insects find their way in if there are gaps. A screen room that is staked taut and sealed at the edges keeps the bugs out reliably, which is, after all, the whole point.
Proper anchoring also protects the room itself. A screen enclosure that is well staked handles a breeze comfortably, while a loosely set one can catch wind and strain. Securing it well keeps both the bugs out and the room safe in changeable campsite weather.
It helps to think of wind as the main test your enclosure will face. A screen room presents a large surface to the breeze, so the difference between one that is staked taut and one that is loosely set shows up the moment the wind picks up. Spending the extra couple of minutes to anchor every point firmly is what lets you relax inside on a gusty afternoon rather than jumping up to chase down a flapping panel.
With the screen room enclosed and secured, finishing touches make it a space you actually want to spend time in. This is where the SunBlocker panels earn their place, blocking direct sun on whichever side is catching the most heat so the interior stays cool and shaded.
Position sun control based on where the sun sits at your site and the time of day you use the space most. Morning-coffee campers and afternoon-shade seekers may favor different sides, and the beauty of add-on panels is that you can adapt to each site.
Then make it yours. An outdoor rug underfoot, your chairs and a table, perhaps some lighting for the evening, and the enclosed space becomes a genuine outdoor room. This is the payoff: a comfortable, protected living area that effectively doubles your usable space at the campsite.
A screen room is an investment in many seasons of better camping, and a little care keeps it serving you for years. The most important habit is making sure it is dry before long-term storage. Packing away a damp screen room invites mildew and odors, so if you break camp while it is wet, set it up or lay it out to dry fully before storing it for any length of time.
Keep the screen material clean and clear of debris, too. Leaves, pollen, and campsite dirt accumulate on the mesh, and a gentle clean keeps the screen functioning and looking good. Check the attachment points and seams periodically as well; catching a small issue early keeps it from becoming a tear that cuts a trip short.
Handle the setup and takedown with a bit of patience rather than force, especially around the awning attachment and the zippers or closures. Screen enclosures reward gentle, methodical handling, and the owners who get the most years out of theirs are simply the ones who avoid yanking and forcing during setup. Treated well, a quality screen room becomes a dependable part of your campsite for a very long time.
The correct screen room size for your awning length is the foundation of the entire project. Measure carefully against the manufacturer's guidance before ordering, since a properly sized room installs cleanly and seals well, while the wrong size creates problems at every step.
Attaching and aligning a screen room is far easier with two people, especially the first time. A second pair of hands to hold sections while you secure them makes the job quicker and the result neater.
A well-anchored, taut enclosure keeps bugs out, handles wind, and looks finished. Pay particular attention to where the room meets the ground, since gaps there are how insects get in. Time spent staking out properly pays off in comfort.
Use SunBlocker panels on whichever side is taking direct sun, and adjust based on each campsite and the time of day you use the space. The ability to control the sun on different sides is what keeps the room usable from morning to evening.
Like any awning accessory, a screen room goes up faster once you know how your specific room works. Doing a trial setup in the driveway before your first trip means your maiden campsite installation is relaxed rather than a puzzle solved in front of an audience.
A screen room is the upgrade that finally lets you enjoy the outdoor living space that drew you to RVing in the first place, free of the bugs, sun, and wind that so often cut those evenings short. By enclosing the area under your awning, it effectively doubles your living space and gives you a comfortable, protected room that connects you to the outdoors on your terms.
Keep in mind as well that a screen room extends your usable season and hours, not just your square footage. Buggy evenings, hot afternoons, and breezy mornings that would normally send you indoors all become comfortable time spent outside, which, over a year of camping, adds up to a great deal more enjoyment of the outdoors you came for. That expansion of when you can comfortably be outside is, for many owners, the real value of the upgrade.
The Carefree Vacation'r Room provides the enclosure, sized to your specific awning, and SunBlocker panels add the sun control that keeps it cool and usable all day. Measure carefully, attach methodically, seal and stake it well, and finish it with sun control and a few comforts, and you have transformed your campsite.
Once you have spent a bug-free evening relaxing in your screen room while everyone else retreats inside at dusk, you will consider it one of the best additions you ever made to your rig. Fresh air, shade, and shelter, exactly the way camping is supposed to feel.
At RV Upgrades, we carry the Carefree of Colorado Vacation'r screen room, SunBlocker panels, and a full range of awning accessories to create your perfect outdoor room. Explore our collection and enclose your campsite in comfort. Let us help you enjoy the outdoors bug-free, all season long!
I’m Bill Rowell, the founder of RVupgrades.com. In 2002, I launched the business to help fellow RV enthusiasts find unique and hard-to-find products. Over the years, it’s grown to offer more than 15,000 items, with a warehouse in Eastlake, Ohio. Having owned and repaired nearly every type of RV, I bring over two decades of hands-on experience to the table. For me, this isn’t just a business – it’s a passion and a way of life that I love sharing with the RV community.
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