Easthills Outdoors Instant Shader Dark Shelter XL Beach Tent 99" Wide for 4-6 Person Sun Shelter UPF 50+ with Extended Zippered Porch Sky Blue

I rarely write reviews, but this tent deserves it. This was the easiest tent I have ever built. The built-in pull string was so simple to use. I thought I would not be able to do it on my own because I am short (4'11"), but it was so easy. The tent is very sturdy and well-built. It held up very well for our day at the beach.

We purchased this for the beach mainly for sun protection in the brutal South Florida heat and where you can burn in less than 5 minutes. Reading other reviews we did take it out of the bag and assembled it at home first as a "dry run". The tent is very easy and quick to set up. I was able to do it myself and I am in my 40s. It was simple and easy to disassemble. I absolutely love that there are no parts to remove or install. Pull it up until it clicks and its open. Push down with your thumbs and it collapses easily. I do suggest you watch some YouTube videos to see how to collapse it though, they are very helpful. The material is lightweight yet durable. For sun protection it gets a 100%. I burn very easily and was able to spend 8 hours at the beach without any burning. I highly recommend this unit because it is one of the few that has 3 window panels and they are very much needed for air flow, otherwise it gets hot inside but that is typical for any tent style unit. Opening the windows allowed for a great air flow which kept us cool and not stuffy. We loved that we could hang our wireless speaker from the top so it did not take up any room. The side pockets surprisingly came in handy as well. I didn't think we would care about the "porch" which is the material that extends out the front. However we found it to be an amazing feature that let us expand our area and stretch our legs. On populated beaches this was amazing as it keep others at a safe distance where we did not have to fear someone setting up their chairs etc six inches in front of us. It created a nice personal space so to speak. We did use the included spikes on the sand. They were easy to use and come out easy when it was time to go. The better feature is the built in exterior Velcro pockets you can fill with sand to stabilize it and prevent wind gusts knocking it over. When packing up it was simple to undo the Velcro and dump out the sand. Now for the downside - which is more of things to keep in mind and not negative items per say. This is definitely built with standard beach chairs in mind which are 4 to 6 inches off the ground. If you have taller chairs and taller people you may have an issue. We brought three chairs and 3 people all about 5 foot 9 inches. The first standard Tommy Bahama beach chair that is 6 inches off the ground fit well and was comfortable to sit in. The second chair was a higher end teak beach lounger with leg rest that sits about 8 inches off the ground and that also had no issues. The third chair was considered a "tall" beach chair which sits 12 inches off the ground and that was an issue with height. This had our heads up against the ceiling of the unit and was uncomfortable. I point this out as taller beach chairs are gaining in popularity for those who either had bad knees or don't like to sit so close to the ground. The other thing to watch out for is how much stuff and people you have. Most of the pictures posted show only people sitting in chairs. But if you have a chairs and a cooler and beach bags for towels, food, etc. it does become somewhat cramped in there. For our needs this was great. Yes there are larger tent style options out there but they require more than one person to set up and they require a lot of weights to ensure it doesn't blow away. This serves the purpose of a light weight, easy to open & close beach cabana and stores away nicely without taking up a lot of room. We were approached a lot at the beach asking where we got it and we did refer this. We hope to use this often and should something happen to it I can say with confidence we would but it again.

The media could not be loaded. We've owned this for a week and taken it out to the beach every day, and I'm ready to declare this a great, recommended purchase.POSITIVES:1) It's really lightweight. My wife wanted to carry this and let me carry the chairs!2) It's very easy to set up and break down. One person can set it up easily in a couple of minutes.3) This XL size is quite big. It easily accommodates not just 2 adult beach chairs, but 2 fully upright folding chairs, plus probably a small child or two. You could stretch out and take a nap in it if you like (see photos).4) It's shockingly stable and sturdy. We didn't have horrible winds this week (just 10-20mph max), but we never even felt the need to fill the sand pockets. The 6 basic stakes in the sand provided plenty of stability. In higher winds you can of course fill the 3 built in pockets with sand, and use the additional stakes and guy-lines to secure it, but I was pleasantly surprised that we didn't feel a need for either.5) This design gives you a tucked-away "cabana"-like feel, like you're viewing the ocean but shielded fromthe throngs of crowds to your left and right.6) Many nice design touches including 5 handy storage pockets, a hook for hanging things, easy-to-use roll-up screens, and the big "apron" that you can also zip up for total privacy.7) Light, reflective colors and lots of ventilation means this isn't as hot as the other big brand.8) It's a great value. In 2024, you can often find it in the $60-70 range.NEGATIVES:1) Stuffing it back into it's carry sack is a two person operation. If the sack had a wider opening, it would be much easier.2) Despite being lightweight it remains fairly big when folded down in it's carry sack -- bigger than the types of tents where you pull the support poles completely apart.3) I don't see how you can ever fold this thing up without trapping at least a little sand.BOTTOM LINE: This isn't going to provide as much shade coverage as one of the big 10-plus foot beach canopies. If you spend a lot of time at the beach, or have a big family, then spending a couple hundred bucks on one of those might better suit your needs. But if your crowd is small, and you want something much less expensive and easier to carry and set up, and you like the idea of a little privacy along with your shade, then this pop-up design won't disappoint, and this is the brand to get.