SunShack Pop Up Beach Shade

This is an amazing beach shade -exactly what we needed and way better than the umbrella. We're buying another on for our friends! After reading the reviews about the size and folding difficulty we were a bit leary of this product but went out on a limb and decided to pull the trigger on it so that we can finally take our infant to the beach without fear of the sun/wind upsetting her. The size is perfect for my wife and infant to fit under to get out of the sun/wind, along with some of our stuff, including a small pack and play and my wife's beach chair - I could see the three of us ducking under it to get out of the rain, it would be tight but not uncomfortable. As far as folding it up, it is very simple to follow the instructions, or watch the instructional video. I practiced folding it up at home before taking it out and now it's like riding a bike, closing it up is easier than it looks once you take the time to practice with it. It holds up very well to moderate winds if you open the zippered window, just make sure you point it opposite the direction of the wind. The pockets for sand are very easy to clean out, you just have to tip it upside down and shake it out. If they made it a bit bigger it would be nice but I'd also be worried about it being too difficult to fold up and also too susceptible to getting moved or having the supports bent by the wind, so I see why they went with this size.

This thing is super cool! My umbrellas break everytime I go to the beach from the wind. I needed something I could use without breaking. It is super convenient...you just pull it out of the bag and it pops up into shape all by itself. I thought this was good because I have seen other ones that you have to stick rods into place like putting up a tent and that did not seem too convenient. It is slightly hard to figure out how to fold it back up, but if you just play with it for a minute, it seems to fold into place well enough to stick back into the bag. I wish it would fold up just slightly smaller so I could fit it in my back pack with all my other beach stuff, but it is very light, so it is not bad to just carry it with the shoulder strap on the shoulder. One more comment is... my husband always wants to leave the beach because he gets too hot in the sun. This thing has saved me because he just curls up inside the beach shade like it is a camping tent and he is content as can be. He said he feels like we went camping for the day which makes him very happy!

This product would get five stars except it is impossible to put away. But the good news first: it is large enough for two adults or four small children and some extra gear. I used it over a four day stint to the beach and was satisfied with it until...part two of my review and why it only gets three stars. It comes in a rounded bag with a shoulder strap for easy carrying. It also comes with an instruction email once purchased. In the email they show you how "easy" it is too put away. It is not easy. Over the four days I used my sunshade it took about twenty embarrassing minutes each day to put it away(with multiple people watching said video and giving it a go). The shade must be grabbed by both ends and then twisted in such a way as to make it fit back in the small circle of a bag. On the fourth day the metal base ended up bent and now it doesn't unfold correctly. If I use it again I will have to unbend the metal so it sits upright in a straight fashion. This is just my experience.

at around 15 mph the top of the shade just lifted up like nothing. only our belongings that we put quickly inside kept the shade from actually flying over the beach. the side seams looked like they would rip any second and the fabric flapping in the wind got quite noisy so we just folded it back together after 30 minutes. also, the stitching is very wide and doesn't feel strong.proslooks very nice compared to most others of its kindpops up in a second and is quickly put back together (once understood)very light and flat to carryspf 30 (supposedly)consdoes not work in windstraps on the case are too short to carry around a shouldercan't sit inside on a super low beach chair without the head touching the top of the shadesewing does not seem to be sturdybottom is the same, very thin fabric as the topwe returned both of our shades and looking now for beach umbrellas instead.

Works great for our family to shelter the kids from wind and bright sun. It's not quiet tall enough for me to sit upright fully with no hunch (I'm 5' 7") underneath the canopy. I'd give it 5 stars but it usually takes me 7-10 attempts to fold the dang thing back up to fit it in the carrier case. Lots of curse words. And I usually have to watch the you tube video on "how to fold a sun shack." Depending on where I'm located, that can eat up a lot of my data. Plus my toddler (and husband) tend get super frustrated (impatient family) waiting while I struggle.

This shade is AMAZING!! I took it out to the beach on Memorial Day weekend for the first time. I brought a scoop to fill the sand pockets and placed my beachbag inside while I dipped in the ocean.I love the screen window...provides a nice breeze. My only challenge was I kept getting sand in as I would get in/out of the tent. I think next time, I'll lay a beach towel or sand mat down to help clean that up a bit. I mean, it's a beach...it'll be sandy...no big deal.The instructional video on SunShack's website was so helpful to learn how to fold. I felt like a pro after one try. Now I don't have to fight with a beach umbrella that will likely take flight at some point in the day! L