I hate mosquitoes and rainy nights because they make it impossible to keep the windows open. So I made this.
I love having fresh air while car camping, but opening the windows usually means dealing with mosquitoes or rain.
I wanted to solve this problem.
I know there are plenty of bug screens that fit over car windows. They work well for keeping insects out, but they don't really solve the rain problem.
If it suddenly starts raining in the middle of the night, you basically have to close the windows. And for me, that's when the whole camping experience starts to feel pretty miserable.
So I started wondering:
What if I could keep the window open, let fresh air in, keep the bugs out, and still block the rain?
My first idea was pretty simple. I imagined the car door as a flat piece of cardboard and started sketching out a window cover made from waterproof fabric.
I added an opening on the outside and figured out a way to support it with a pole, basically turning the window cover into a tiny rain awning.
Then I replaced part of the inside panel with mosquito mesh. That way, air could still flow through while keeping insects and rain outside.
After a few months of experimenting, here's what I ended up with.
It actually worked pretty much the way I imagined.
I was able to keep the window open while creating a small rain awning, and the mesh keeps the bugs out.
I used waterproof Oxford fabric for the main body, which helps keep rain from getting into the vehicle while the window is open.
The side openings are secured with Velcro.
For the awning support, I used fiberglass poles with Velcro attached to them, allowing the poles to stay connected to the window cover.
The fiberglass poles are connected with elastic cord. I left a little extra cord on both sides and hooked it around the front support pole to improve stability in windy conditions.
At the bottom of the cover, I added elastic and several magnets to help keep it securely attached to the door.
It's not perfect, though.
The biggest limitation right now is the shape of the window. It works best with rectangular or mostly rectangular vehicle windows. It can be used on some irregularly shaped windows, but the fit isn't ideal.
The window area also needs to be no more than 21 inches tall and 41 inches wide.
This is still a work in progress, so I'd love to hear what you guys think. What would you change or improve?
