From there, we tested each product for several months in Utah and California, subjecting them to sun, wind, and rain. All the while, we assessed key performance metrics such as functionality, ease of setup, protection, craftsmanship, and portability. We hope you can use this comprehensive and unbiased review to help you find all the shade-seeking advice you need to make the best purchasing decision. The E-Z Up Pyramid is our favorite canopy for outdoor sports enthusiasts.
We wanted to sleep there for the night but ATV’s literally drive right through the stream and campground. Rather than deal with the potential buzz of people for the night, we pushed on to another camp spot 1.5 miles up. The tent sites that are waypointed on FarOut all seem to have a fire ring and chairs made out of flat rocks circling. There is space for 2-3 tents here, so we chose the flattest spot with the least amount of poison ivy to set up our tent. All things considered, the REI Screen House Shelter is our favorite portable model.
If it’s manufactured correctly, each leg should form a 90-degree angle with the floor. Rest assured, too, when we say we’re not using this article to sway you to buy a heavy-duty pop-up canopy tent from TentCraft. We manufacture and sell professional-grade, custom structures at prices that likely aren’t in the budgets of consumers who are shopping for a 10×10 pop-up tent in the $100-$300 range. Those are recreational-grade tents that wouldn’t hold up to the type of use our customers demand. We simply want you to get the best bang for your buck, even if you are shopping for recreational-grade pop-up tents. Overall, we think the Ozark Trail canopy serves its intended purpose – a value brand 10×10 instant shelter that caters to price conscious consumers looking for an affordable shade option.
We also hosed the tents down to see if the material was water-resistant and strong enough for an afternoon thunderstorm. The results of the unbiased and exhaustive review are presented here. The Pacific Breeze Easy Up is a beach tent with a half-dome design and enough space to shade one or two ozark trail backpack adults. Its one-pull setup requires more muscle than anticipated, but overall, it is hassle-free and takes only seconds to erect. At 5.4 pounds, it’s the lightest canopy in our lineup, making it very portable. We like the built-in sidewall pockets, attached floor, and roll-away side drapes.
This feature also tightly stretches the entire canopy fabric into place, giving it greater resistance to wind and rain. At first glance, the setup for the Quick-Set Escap appears quite daunting. However, it became our favorite canopy to set up after conquering a slight learning curve. Despite its size, it amazingly ships completely assembled and pops into place with just a few pulls and pushes.
We also timed setup and breakdown times for each shelter, and we repeatedly zipped and unzipped doors and windows, looking for annoying snags. In early March, we took our second trip to the oceanside Sycamore Canyon Campground (PDF) near Oxnard, California. A later check of the weather at nearby Point Mugu Naval Air Station confirmed top recorded wind gusts of 40 miles per hour. A canopy tent is a purchase most regular car campers consider after stocking up on the basics.
Some canopies perform well in one or two of these areas, but we gave the highest scores to those that could expertly handle all three functions. We even gave extra points to canopies that also protected against bugs. This canopy gives 64 sq ft of coverage with an SPF of 50+ and features an easy-up design with telescoping legs, so it can be set… With all that in mind, we found more than a dozen tents that met our criteria.
All four of these models maximize space and offer several features that make them very livable. The Quick-Set Escape offers a massive, fully enclosed living space, and the Eureka Tagalong dons extra pockets, hooks, and attached sandbags. The center trusses on the Eurmax hang lower than we would prefer, limiting the available headspace, but this is our only caveat. The Tagalong sits a little low and isn’t adjustable, which affects the user’s ability to alter the canopy’s height or angles as the sun’s rays change.