Eureka Evanston Screened 6 Tent Review

Review of the Evanston Screened 6 tent from Eureka is a roomy 6 person dome tent with a 5'8" center height that includes a screened in front room.

I've been camping more recently and wanted to upgrade from my old 4 person tent to something a bit roomier and more comfortable to stand in. After looking at many different tents on the market I decided to go with the Eureka Evanston Screened 6 Tent and I've been very happy with that decision.

Evanston Screened 6 Review Overview

I was previously camping in a 4 person dome tent which is getting old so I wanted to find something that was roomier for car camping. I'm a little over 6' tall and it's hard for me to change clothes inside a tent so I started looking for a taller tent. I spent days considering different options and decided on the Evanston Screened 6. After taking it out on a few trips, including one where there were heavy rains, I have to say I'm very happy with my decision.

Pros

• Large 10'x9' sleeping area good for 2-4 people
• Waterproof
• Easy to setup even with one person
• Screened porch provides additional space
• Bathtub Floor
• Good Ventilation
• Packs relatively small for it's size
• Ceiling hook for light or tent fan.

Cons

• Screened porch doesn't stay dry in rain
• No back window, just large screened wall that is opened and closed by staking the rain fly from outside.
• Lots of guy lines
• Only 5'8" center height.

The tent is a a roomy car camping tent for an adult couple but will also fit up to 4 people comfortably on air mattresses. With one air mattress there's enough room to climb out the side which is more comfortable than trying to scoot off the bottom. When someone wakes up for a late night bathroom run it's less likely to wake up the other person.

The 5'8" center height means I still need to lean over but it's more comfortable trying to change pants while standing compared to my 4 person tent.

Ventilation is also quite good with a screened window on every side. The back wall of the tent can't be closed like the other windows. It's completely a screened section and only the rainfly controls the amount of ventilation. If you stake the back of the fly out you get more ventilation or you can leave it closed. It's not as convenient as having a window you can open from inside but the added ventilation, in addition to the larger air volume compared to my 4 person tent, meant a lot less condensation.

The tent has stayed dry for me even in very heavy rains. A couple of drops in the corners that might have been condensation was all I found. I'll use some seam sealer in the corners just to be sure but there were no leaks or drips from the fly or sides that I could see.

The screened porch is a nice bonus. It won't stay dry in the rain but it helps expand the area of the tent when it's dry out. When there are a lot of bugs you can sit and eat or just relax in comfort. A couple of camping chairs easily fit in the porch and make a good spot to take off shoes to keep the tent floor clean. I also use the porch like an air-lock to keep bugs out. I make sure the door to the screened porch is closed before opening the main tent door.

I would recommend this tent. Like most tents the tent stakes are basic I would recommend upgrading and get these 6 10" heavy duty tent spikes for the 6 tent grommets in the corners and these tri-beam style tent stakes for the guy lines. The stakes that come with it can be used for the floor mat and holding down underneath the screen room zipper.

I'm able to setup and break down the tent by myself. It is a traditional dome style tent which isn't as fast to setup as some instant cabin style tents which I also looked at but its lighter and smaller when packed, the screen room is a great addition and the price on Amazon for the Evanston Screened 6 Tent was great.

Evanston Screened 6 Dimensions

There are 2 sections in the Evanston Screened 8. The main sleeping area and the screened porch. The main sleeping area is 10' wide by 9' deep and the screened porch is 10' wide by 5' deep.

All together the tent as a 10' x 14' footprint. A 10'x12' light duty tarp is a nice addition to help protect the bottom of the tarp. 10'x14' tarps are hard to find and the extra 2 feet at the front of the screened porch isn't a big deal.

How Many People Will The Evanston 6 Sleep?

Tent sizing has always been confusing. In general when a tent manufacturer claims a tent will sleep 6 people they mean 6 people in sleeping bags shoulder to shoulder. For the Evanston 6 it would look something like this.

And you can fit a couple of more people in the screened in area if it's not going to rain.

But most people don't use tents like that. A rule of thumb I've heard is to subtract 2 from the manufacturer sleep capacity for a more comfortable fit. Four people would be a good fit in the Evanston 6 with room for some gear and room to get in and out without walking all over each other. You can even fit 2 queen air mattresses side by side in the Evanston 6.

A low profile air mattress like the Intek Classic Downy Queen would be better than a higher mattress because the walls curve. A better idea still would be the Intek Classic Downy Full or the Intek Inflatable Camping Mattress which are a little smaller so the sides of the mattress won't touch the sides of the tent. That's important if you'll be camping when it's cold or wet.

I use the Evanston 6 as a 2 person tent with a single air bed and a couple of totes for night stands. It's a good car camping tent for 2 adults. Gives you room to store clothes and some gear. It's very roomy which means lots of space to easily move around.

Here's another view of the interior. Since there isn't enough room to take good pictures inside a tent I made some models.

Easy to Setup

Although the tent is on the larger size it wasn't too hard to set up. It's just a matter of:

1. Laying out the tarp as a groundcloth
2. Laying the tent on top of the tarp and unfolding.
3. Stake down the 6 rings or grommets at the corners using the 10" Spikes but don't drive the spikes in all the way.
4. Connect the fiberglass tent pole sections together. There are 4 poles. 2 black ones for the main tent section, a grey one for the screened porch then a very short one for the rain fly. Slide the 3 tent poles through the pockets on the tent and carefully go around putting them in the pins at each corner. 
5. Attach tent clips to poles.
6. Slide rainfly pole into rainfly and place on top of tent. Loop the hooks around opposite corners at first then make the rest of the attachments. It's hard to get the hooks in the rings if the spikes are hammered all the way in. Once the rain fly is on you can hammer in the spikes the rest of the way.
7. Stake out the guy lines using the tri-beam style tent stakes 
8. Finally use 3 of the provided tent stakes to stake down the loops for under the screen door zipper and on the sides of the door mat.

It's much easier to do with 2 people but I was able to do it by myself in under 15 minutes.

Screened Porch

This is my favorite feature of the tent. I don't spend a lot of time using the porch but that doesn't mean I don't value how important it is.

It's a great spot to sit down and take off your shoes which keeps the inside of the tent clean. I pull a Mr. Rodgers and switch from my trail runners to sandals. There's enough room for 2 or 3 camping chairs or 2 camping chairs and a small table. 

My favorite aspect is it further helps to keep bugs out of the tent. With a regular dome tent when you open the main door bugs can get in. With the screened porch I try to close the porch door before I open the tent door. That means bugs would have to get through both doors and I try to keep them open for only a short period of time.

Unzipping and zipping the tent from the outside is easy provided you've staked down the loop under where the three zippers (center vertical two horizontal on the bottom) meet. From the inside you have to bend down and reach. Doing it from the camping chair is a little easier for me.

Some of the reviews I read about the porch were mixed. Some people were disappointed that you can't stay dry in it. That's a fair point but I don't store gear in the porch except maybe my shoes and the screened porch isn't a big enough area that I'd want to spend a lot of time there.

When it rains the water will pool on the floor of the tent's screened porch. There is a strip of mesh material in the front for water to drain off in as well as two holes in each of the back corners. You can sweep the water towards the front if it's not naturally rolling in that direction.

The screened porch is a comfortable space. Two people can hang out in there and talk, read, eat, play games, but when I go out camping staying confined in a 50 square foot space isn't my plan. I plan to enjoy the outdoors as much as possible. I generally have a canopy or rain fly over the picnic table and that's a larger space that I would spend more time in. Just need to get some bug screen for it.

So for me it's not a huge deal that rain gets in, there are still benefits to it and it's a nice bonus that doesn't add a lot of weight or space to the tent when stored compared to other tents that have a bigger screen room.