We use our screenhouse as a stand-alone awning when motorhoming. For us it has been well worth the money it cost, it gives us extra living space which isn't attached to the van, so we can just drive off when we want to.

When you take the screen house out of its bag and start putting it up it looks a bit like a giant spider because the poles are permanently attached to the canvas and you open it out a bit like an umbrella! Very difficult to describe, but the system works well and is quite simple once you get the hang of it (they do supply a DVD to show you how to do it - best studied well before you attempt it for the first time!) Tent pegs are supplied although depending on the ground you may need some stronger ones (this is true of most tents, I find). It also comes with a repair kit - replacement joint, seam sealant, forgotten what else, sorry.

The base is 3m x 3m, so by the time you allow for the guy lines it does take up quite a bit of space, so may not be suitable for some campsites with small pitches. However, on the plus size, it gives you plenty of room for chairs, tables etc. Ours is blue, but I think the current models are green.

The screen house is adaptable - The back and front sections zip open and can be rolled up or turned into canopies using the supplied poles. There is fly netting on all 4 sides, fixed in place on the 2 sides but can be rolled up on the back and front if required. The netting is covered by fabric on back and sides. At the front it is covered by a transparent plastic window which has a curtain inside it. The curtain can be rolled up.

With the outside fabric rolled up on all 4 sides it virtually becomes a gazebo, although you may have to be a bit careful with the sides with the fixed flyscreen - we did have someone try to walk through it with a freshly poured cup of tea in his hand because he didn't see the fly netting, fortunately he didn't scald himself!

Our screenhouse is now 5 years old and has stood through high winds and torrential rain successfully.

You can purchase an inner for it, to turn it into a bedroom - the inner takes up virtually all the floor space so doesn't leave anything much in the way of living area, we were told, but I cannot confirm this as we did not purchase one. I wouldn't recommend the screenhouse for sleeping, as there is no roof ventilation and the one time a friend slept in it, using the inner from her tent which had collapsed in winds, she said it was like chinese water torture due to the amount of condensation dripping off the roof onto her sleeping area.

We paid about £250 I think, RRP now is about £360 I think but you can get them for £260-270 on the internet I think. There are certainly much cheaper options around for extra living area, but they aren't all as weatherproof which was something that was important for us as we motorhome in all weathers. This has fitted the bill perfectly for us and has been well worth it's cost.