Camco 43995 Adjustable RV Screen Door Grille

The screen on your RV's entry door is the part that fails first. Kids lean on it. Dogs paw at it to get outside. A gust catches the door and it flexes against the frame. Before long you've got a torn or bowed lower screen and a repair on your hands. The Camco 43995 premium aluminum screen door grille solves that by covering the lower half of the door with a solid metal grille that takes the abuse instead of the mesh.

This is one of those small upgrades that pays for itself the first season. The grille mounts over the bottom portion of your screen door, right where hands, feet, and paws land. Instead of pushing straight through delicate screen material, everything hits aluminum. Your screen stays intact, the door feels more solid when you open and close it, and the whole entry looks more finished.

The grille panel measures 24-1/4 inches long by 20-1/4 inches wide, and the width adjusts from 20 inches all the way out to 29 inches. That range covers the lower screen on most standard travel trailers, fifth wheels, and motorhomes. Measure your door's lower opening before you order, but the adjustability means you're not locked into one exact size. If your door falls anywhere in that 20 to 29 inch band, this grille will fit.

It's built from aluminum, so it won't rust and it shrugs off the weather that beats on a screen door parked outside all summer. The finish is raw aluminum, which means two things. It's ready to install straight out of the box if you like the natural metal look. And if you'd rather match it to your rig, raw aluminum takes spray paint or a clear coat easily after a quick scuff sanding. Either way you're starting with a clean, uncoated surface.

Who needs one? If you camp with kids, this is close to mandatory. Little ones lean on screen doors, and a standard screen gives out fast. Same story with dogs and cats who want to watch what's going on outside and don't understand that the screen isn't a door. Pet owners are the biggest fans of these grilles. Even without kids or pets, anybody who's tired of babying a flimsy screen door will appreciate how much sturdier the door feels once the grille is on.

Installation is straightforward and Camco includes all the hardware you need in the box. You position the grille over the lower screen, mark your holes, and fasten it to the door. A cordless drill and a few minutes are really all it takes. One tip from experience: pre-drill your holes and go easy on the fasteners so you don't dimple or crack the door skin, especially on thinner aluminum entry doors. Snug is better than cranked down tight.

A couple of honest notes. This is the standard grille built to protect the lower screen, not the full door, so the upper screen is still exposed. That's normal, since the lower portion is where nearly all the damage happens. And because it's a solid grille, it does cut airflow a little through the section it covers, though most folks never notice with the screen up top doing the breathing. If your door opening is wider than 29 inches, this model won't stretch to cover it, so check that measurement first.

For the money, the Camco 43995 is cheap insurance against a torn screen and the hassle of re-screening a door mid-trip. Re-screening isn't hard, but doing it at a campsite with the bugs coming in is nobody's idea of a good afternoon. This grille heads off that whole problem before it starts. It's the kind of practical RV upgrade you install once and forget about, right up until you notice your screen has survived another season that would have wrecked a bare one. If you spend real time in your rig with a family, a dog, or both, it's an easy call.