Nothing says camping quite like coming home covered in mosquito bites. Or, maybe you’d slathered on the DEET and you’re enjoying that faint DEET-y flavor on your fingertips as you munch down a S’more. There’s also another way. As more and more people are getting out in campers and vans, one of the most sought after upgrades is a way to keep your doors wide open while keeping the mosquitos out. The Bug Wall is the OG company offering slick, durable screen products so that you can let the summer nights into your van while keeping the bugs out.
The Bug Wall Features:
- Made in the USA
- No-See-Um bug netting
- US-made marine grade zippers
- UV stable materials for durability in the sun
- Magnetic closure
- Easy roll up storage
- Optional Chill Curtain clear vinyl insert for climate control
- Fits Transit, Sprinter and Promaster vans
- Customizable for roof heights and center/left/right offsets
- MSRP: $349 and up
The best bug screens for your van:
We’re coming up on the second year anniversary of having our van. Installing these screens has easily been the best improvement we’ve made in our comfort and livability. We’re going to talk a bit about the install and how the products work for us on a day-to-day basis. These have been on our van for a year, making this a long term review.
Let’s talk about the basic idea here. The Bug Wall makes mesh screens and clear plastic panels that are custom made for Ford, Mercedes or Dodge cargo vans. You can order from a handful of customized alterations, like whether to offset the sliding door left, right or center. So, if you have your sink on the left side of your door, you could get a right offset door and have the midpoint of the panels be essentially in the middle of your actual entry/exit space. They make these for the side door, as well as panels for the rear which can provide a screen for the bed area and insulated protection for your cargo area.
The Bug Wall offers mesh products and PVC products. The purpose of the mesh is pretty obvious: it’s a bug screen. The PVC products are interesting because they help you regulate the temperature of your van on cold days. Our Rear Garage Insect Screen has a PVC panel that we can velcro in over our rear window; this lets us see out of that window while we’re driving or at camp, but when we open the rear door we don’t get a gust of frigid air blowing in. It’s great.
The Install:
When you order these, they come in a big box pre-assembled with a couple dozen tiny metal clips. It’s your job to make the final adjustments to get this installed and trimmed on your van. It might sound intimidating, but it’s really not a bad job. The Bug Wall has videos for the side and rear doors and they walk you through it step by step. Essentially, you peel back the weather stripping on your door, clip the Bug Wall loosely in place, confirm fit, then clip it thoroughly in place. On our buildout, we couldn’t completely clip the Bug Wall around our kitchen sink without removing it, and it has worked just fine with that small section unclipped.
The tricky parts are getting the fabric tight but not too tight. You want the magnetic (if you ordered magnetic) door clasps to come together nicely. For Kelsey and I, this wound up taking some tinkering. We got the side door installed the first time in about an hour and then over the next few weeks I’d occasionally take down the weather stripping to tweak parts of the install. I wanted to get it just right, and with some iterative attempts I was able to. It’s not too hard, but it takes some thought and attention to detail to get just right.
Materials and Quality:
All of the Bug Wall components I’ve tested are exceptionally well made, using heavy duty materials that can take a beating. I’m not sure what the actual denier on the nylon marine canvas is, but it’s extremely tough. So is the double stitching on all the seams. The PVC ‘window’ on our Rear Bug Screen is also super durable. The only issue we’ve encountered is a tear in the mesh from our dog pawing at it. Honestly, she’s an anxious dog, and I’m not surprised it happened eventually. I repaired it with mesh repair tape with no issue. Meanwhile, our side door continually rubs up against the corner of our sink and hasn’t shown any wear there. I’m really. impressed by the durability.
The side door that we ordered has a right-offset magnetic closure. You can also get a zipper, but honestly I’d recommend the magnets. They easily push open with a hand while you’re carrying things but then smoothly close back up with a satisfying ‘snick.’ They are really smooth and easy.
Real life review:
Having the Bug Wall has profoundly changed our van experience. Kelsey has an anaphylactic bee allergy, and before the Bug Wall we were always a little nervous leaving our side door open at camp. Plus, short of bees, it always brought in mosquitos, flies and moths. Being able to leave the side and rear doors open to the evening air without worrying about bugs has been a game changer. It makes the van feel like an enclosed patio, very much bringing the outdoors into the van. Which is why we’re out camping in the van in the first place!
I’ve also loved the attachments to the rear garage bug screen. I like that I can unfold insulated panels to cover our garage, especially if we’re in a public area and don’t want to advertise the goodies we have back there. Similarly, the black out curtain and PVC for the rear window are two separate but super helpful additions. It’s nice that it’s modular. It was also easy to get the right height for the rear garage window with a simple measurement of our bed frame height.
After the installation, the bug wall products have been bulletproof for an entire year. They were a bit finicky to get just right, but since then they’re required zero attention from me. At this point they’re just part of the van and we couldn’t imagine van life without them.
Buy Now: TheBugWall.com
The Bottom Line
Ultimate Upgrade
The Bug Wall is pretty much a necessary upgrade to any camper van if you want to hang out comfortably in the summer time. The quality of construction and materials is absolutely top notch, and totally reflects the Made in the USA roots of the company. Installation takes some attention to detail, but the company’s videos walk you through step by step. The result of your effort will be a product that’s durable, functional, and adds a ton to your experience in your van.
The Good:
- Top notch materials and construction
- Magnetic center closure works flawlessly with correct install
- Installation videos are clear and helpful
- Modular rear garage components add flexibility
The Bad:
- Overall, not a cheap van upgrade
- Install process may overwhelm some customers