# Best Sun Shelter?



## N8rbug (Sep 28, 2010)

I've got a sister who comes to visit often from NYC who loves the beach. She's battling metastatic cancer and her chemo regimen makes her extremely photo sensitive.

Anybody have knowledge of portable, pop up sun shade/canopies? Not a tent or the little cabana types you have to crawl into, but rather the kind that you can walk under and easily place a lounger under for complete shade. Which ones are the most durable and will withstand most beach wind conditions? 
I have a Jeep and permits to drive on the beach so weight isn't so much a factor.

Thanks guys! This place is the best for sharing reliable information!:fishing:


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## Garboman (Jul 22, 2010)

I spent a fair amount of time on the OBX beaches 

The larger umbrellas and sun shades can be quite dangerous in any considerable wind. I once witnessed an eight foot diameter umbrella with a pointed ten foot aluminum pole to stick in the sand cartwheeling down the beach for hundreds of yards end over end.........people were laying about and had no clue to the potential danger of being in the wrong spot....finally it blew into the surf and the owner was able to retrieve it. The pole was sticking in the sand about a foot each time as it was blowing.....it was impressive....

If you double u-bolt a large beach umbrella to your jeep,your sister can stay out of the sun and you can move your jeep around with out too much trouble and take the shade with you.......

If you depend on sticking something into the sand , you can count on it moving at some point when the wind picks up.


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## pipe (Nov 10, 2009)

These are quick to put up and very sturdy.I got mine last year at walmart for $98.00.They are still not the answer in a really strong wind.
http://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&sourc...lojqs4qF7hhA8aPhQ&sig2=5fP3Be3z5x1kb88L9wjhvw
Using one of these to tie the legs into the sand helps.
http://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&sourc...1qPH2yIDQykxdZJdw&sig2=hJM_BJCyqDllLUdBT9qlLg


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## pipe (Nov 10, 2009)

I should have said"Using four of these."
Also,in a strong wind you can drop the legs two or three clicks and reduce the hight.Helps quite a bit.
Lastly,you can buy a piece that covers one wall and keep out wind or sun for around 30 bucks.


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## boomer (Jul 1, 2009)

I use an E Z up tent 10 x 10 at the beach for years. I tie rope to the corners and tie the rope to 5 gallon bucket of wet sand, no wind troubles. I added a side curtain to it for extra shade.


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## surfchunker (Apr 10, 2006)

We've had a couple of the ez up pretzel on us ... not fun ... now I use a cheapo 8x6 tarp and clamp one end to my truck ... luggage rack would be great and then the other end I use the camping poles 2 for like 10 bucks ... hook the poles in the other end of the tarp and then use a piece of rope with a loop and put it over the tarp and run the line down to a couple walmart sacks full of sand ... less than $20 and works great and only takes a minute or two to put up ... I usually get a year or so out of a tarp ...


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## TideJones (Aug 29, 2008)

I also have one of the ez up shelters. Talked to a lot of folks before I bought. Two best pointers I had was to get one with a vented top and get a true 12 X 12. The vents let the heat build up in the canopy escape and helps reduce the parachute effect in the wind. The extra 1' on each side may not sound like a lot, but it makes a lot of difference. Don't buy one with slanted legs. A 10 X 10 with slanted legs will give you 64 square feet of shade. 4 adults a cooler of beer and a cooler of snacks will not fit inside 64 sq feet.

When you are on the beach and see someone with a canopy stop by and ask them about it. 

For anchoring, all I do is make a hole about a foot deep for each leg. I have not had any problem with the wind. In fact last year four of us were on the beach when a thunder storm rolled up. Gust of wind blew several other canopies down. Not ours. The rest of the beach cleared, but we stayed under the canopy. Yes, alcohol was involved.


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## BlueHwy (Sep 1, 2009)

EZ-up and Caravan seem to be the best made out there. (I ended up going with Caravan.) They cost more than the off brands but they hold up much better. Look inside any of the canopy shelter. Look at the metal structure. The more hinge point the more problems you'll probably have. The fewer hinge points the better.

Of course the other options is to go with the cheaper brands and consider them "disposable". 

I use four 5-gallon buckets filled with water or sand. Use four bungee cords to connect the four corners of the canopy to the buckets.


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## PoBenda (Sep 6, 2010)

+1 for the easy-up. I used to be a semi-paid surfer, which meant that I was setting up the booths for all the pro's at every contest I was in. The knock off canopies we had never lasted more than 1 event, but the easy-ups lasted a couple years at least. (This is with every weekend all weekend type use.) You can feel the difference in the wall thickness and type of metal that the canopy is made with.

I have one, worth every penny.


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## GreenFord (Apr 11, 2009)

We bought a Quest version from Dicks a couple of years ago and have had great luck with it. I honestly only expected it to last one season. Easy to put up and has held in some strong winds at Fort Fisher. They had the 12'X12' on sale for $79 when we got ours. One key is don't leave them out when not in use, A trick to use on any of them is to bring old grocery bags with you. We fill them with sand and tie them to the legs to anchor it in wind. When it's time to go we just bust the bags open and throw them out.


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