Bug-free Car Camping: Window Cover.

Last year, I made a bed in my Toyota Rav 4 for car camping.

YuKonstruct's Van Slam gave me me plenty of ideas on how to improve my car-camping style.

This simple project is a bug screen for your window, so that you can sleep inside with fresh air and be free from bugs!

All you need is:

• Window screen - purchase at your local hardware store. I got a fairly hardy variety so that it could withstand the abuse of a car door being closed on it repeatedly and so that I wouldn't have to finish the raw edge at the bottom.
• Strong magnets
• Sewing machine and strong thread
• Needle for some hand sewing

Your window screen needs to be customized to fit over your door. I brought my screen out to my car and measured and cut to shape right there.

• Fold the screen material in half and place over the car door - fold at the top.
• Cut the bottom of the screen to length - you will want the screen to go beneath the window to reach the metal door frame, but not hang down much more than that.
• Hold the two halves together and cut the screen to fit the angle of your car door, leaving about 2 inches overhang on either side.

• Sew one of the sides of your bug screen together.
• I recommend folding the screening over twice to make your seam - this uses up about an inch of your overhang allowance, which is perfect.
• Go back out to your car and put the screen on to check if your measurements are OK. Adjust if necessary.
• Sew the 2nd side together.
• I left the bottom edges without sewing them. If you have flimsier netting than me, you may want to finish the edge all the way around.

• The magnets hold the bottom edge of your window screen onto your car, sealing the edge so that the bugs can't get it.
• I sewed magnets all along the outside bottom edge so that there was about 3 inches between each one. I did not sew magnets into the edge that is inside the car.
• Make a pocket out of some of the spare netting and place the magnet inside.
• Handsew around the magnet (you could potentially use a sewing machine here - but my magnet was sticking to the foot pedal and it wasn't worth the effort!)

• Slip your window screen over your car door and spread the magnets out so that there is good contact with the metal door frame.
• Close your door, open your window and enjoy the breeze without bugs!