We had a window guy come in and do an estimate to have side-sliding windows added to our screened porch/Florida room. The sample he showed was was a mid weight vinyl. Springy and soft - stretched pretty well.

Does anyone have advice on this type of pane? We were originally thinking plexiglass.

The room will be a playroom for young kids, so glass is out of the question. We were told that the vinyl can be punctured but is easy and inexpensive to replace (the panes were constructed like a screen)

Heat retention is not a high priority, but keeping some AC contained is always good. The panes can be removed for high wind situations.

Basically what we're asking is that should we explore other materials (we could also construct panes of whatever material we want since the frames are the expensive/difficult part) or is vinyl a good option?

Thanks for any input.

Don't have many ideas about this but I can tell you from experience that real plexiglass is frightfully expensive and I mean frightfully! Costs probably 4X-5X more than glass would cost.

Ask them if they have a heavier weight plastic.