What kind of shade canopy to buy?

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Endurance

Endurance

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I am taking a group to Powell that likes to spend more time on the beach than I'm used to. I haven't owned a shade canopy since the days when the only choices were an EZ Up brand canopy or one of the worthless kind that require stakes and guy lines.

It looks like there are now EZ Up knock offs in the marketplace. EZ Up now has a slant leg model that they call a 10 x 10 but is really an 8 x 8 since they measure the 10 x 10 at the bottom of the slanted legs. They also offer a true 10 x 10 model with straight legs (for more than twice the price) so it's really a 10 x 10. I see that you can also now buy temporary side walls that would be handy to put on the side that has the rising or setting sun to effectively double the shade.

Do any of y'all have recommendations for a shade canopy given the changes in the market since the last time I bought one?
 
Don't spend a ton of money. Good chance that a gust will come out of nowhere and twist it into a pretzel ;) I always buy empty sand bags from homedepot and fill them on the beach then attach with paracord. But even secured the wind will twist one up.
 
When the wind comes up depress the thumb buttons and relax the whole structure just a little. You can still leave it erect but when a sudden gust comes up, it will collapse all on its own and not break itself.

Regardless, plan on throwing them away in 2 years and starting over if you use them much. Sports Authority offered a one-year warranty. I've used that before.
 
We started using a clam brand canopy with screen side walls. It is similar to a popup ice hut but larger. It just fold up on itself with wind gusts. One morning we had a freak storm that folded one regular gazebo, rolled my tent with two people in it and tried taking the boats from the beach but the clam still stood unharmed. Made me a believer. More expensive but worth it when you dont have to replace it every wind storm.
 
After having the metal frame/legs crimp and eventually break on me, we purchased an ARS all aluminum model years ago and just in the last few weeks replaced it with an all aluminum model from Caravan Canopy. Cost more - yes. Replacement parts available - yes. Lighter for packing in the boat - yes. When the wind comes up we take the top off. We purchased side panels with middle zippers so we could open them up to let the breeze through. The extra cost was worth it to me.
 
I think a worthwhile feature is the ability to remove the canopy while leaving the structure intact. Some of the new knock-offs won't do this. The canopy is (semi-)permanently attached to the frame. Being able to pull the top off quickly is worth paying extra, IMO.
 
I built my own shade canopy, and it has withstood the WORST Lake Powell winds could muster. I purchased all of the elbows off of ebay for a carport kit. I then cut all of my poles to the length I wanted out of metal 3/4" conduit poles. I made it 10x20, and would use 5 gallon buckets filled with water to hold it down. It would occasionally move a little, but the buckets would just slide a little, but it would barely bend the poles. I'd just straighten them out once I got home. I've had it over 20 years, and I've purchased 3 tarps that wore out over the years....
 
Endurance said:
I am taking a group to Powell that likes to spend more time on the beach than I'm used to. I haven't owned a shade canopy since the days when the only choices were an EZ Up brand canopy or one of the worthless kind that require stakes and guy lines.

It looks like there are now EZ Up knock offs in the marketplace. EZ Up now has a slant leg model that they call a 10 x 10 but is really an 8 x 8 since they measure the 10 x 10 at the bottom of the slanted legs. They also offer a true 10 x 10 model with straight legs (for more than twice the price) so it's really a 10 x 10. I see that you can also now buy temporary side walls that would be handy to put on the side that has the rising or setting sun to effectively double the shade.

Do any of y'all have recommendations for a shade canopy given the changes in the market since the last time I bought one?
Click to expand...

I have a good EZ Up frame, along with a tarp and some bungees that seemed to work very well for several years. The secret seemed to be in not having the tarp come down on the sides to trap air. We used houseboat sunscreen on the sides for cooling shade. I also have a parts frame that went airborne half the length of the big beach at Gunsite. Since we are permanently boatless, it's all free if you want to come get it or pay the freight.
 
BartsPlace said:
I think a worthwhile feature is the ability to remove the canopy while leaving the structure intact. Some of the new knock-offs won't do this. The canopy is (semi-)permanently attached to the frame. Being able to pull the top off quickly is worth paying extra, IMO.
Click to expand...


Agreed, this pic is from 2000 and I still have this canopy and use it routinely. If the canopy is going to be unattended for any length of time, just pull off the top. This is at Mountain Sheep and we had a monsoon come through, no worries...

upload_2017-6-6_22-56-10.png
 
Water Man,
I built one very similar for my fish camp in Alaska. I got the joints from the local flea market(they use this kind of design all the time), the steel poles and cross members from Home Depot,the ball bungees from Walmart and sized it to the tarp I bought from Costco. One feature I really like that you did was to not wrap the top over the horizontal side tubes. I did that and rain water collected on the top and had to be pushed from below to drain off.
Chuck
 
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