We Review The Best Beach Sunshelters Of 2020

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What do people look for in a good sunshelter?

How about, protection from the sun? That’s pretty obvious. Beyond that, there’s also protection from blowing sand, rain, and other elements, when you are in one spot with your stuff, and you need something stylish to protect you.

Can a good sunshelter defend against things like the harsh elements?  Most likely not all the elements.  You don’t want to be caught in a hail storm with only your sun shelter to protect you, as the material it’s made with is general thin and meant to block the sun, not balls of ice.

Sunshelters, also sometimes simply called shade canopies, can be very unlike tents, if that’s what you were picturing. A “shade” or a “canopy” means you get simply that – a piece of fabric that pins to the ground and is suspended to give you some shade from the sun.

shade canopy for the beach

But they aren’t all like this.  In fact, the term “sunshelter” can be a catch-all for anything that qualifies as any kind of structure to block out the sun.  In this ultra-broad sense, an umbrella may even be a sun shelter.  Heck, your hand could be a sunshelter by that definition… (getting too meta?)

Then again, some sunshelters look like this.  Little pop up tents made to be your own little personal hidey-hole.

best-beach-tent

What are sunshelters used for, mostly?  Sunshelters are often used for camping, beach vacations, festivals, conventions, product expos, resorts, or….. for your back deck, your back yard, a place for your dogs, cats, horses, you can also use it for gardening, as a mini gazebo.  The list goes on.

Unfortunately, now you may be a bit confused.  With so many possibilities, and yet so many limitations depending on the style of sunshelter you buy, you may wonder – what exactly can it really be used for?

For instance, you may wish to have a place to keep your valuables and belongings, while you are out frolicking in the waves or off taking a hike, out of sight from your sunshelter. 

Which begs the question – is a sunshelter somewhere where you will feel safe leaving your wallet?  Again, it depends on the type that you have your eye on.

sombra sun shelterWhat about a sun shelter you can sleep in?  Can you use a sunshelter like an actual tent, and sleep in it?  Depending on the kind you buy, that could be fine. But in many cases, no, unless you like sleeping on the beach under the stars, you’ll be right out in the open.

It comes back to the million dollar question – what kind do you want?

best sun shelters

While it is true that some sunshelters are more stylish and their primary function is providing shade, other sunshelters are designed to be more like tents, and are sometimes even referred to as “beach tents”. 

Now, depending on if the front flap actually zips up, you may not want to be open to the elements if you are planning on staying the night. 

beach tents for babies

We must stress that even the most durable sunshelters are not really full on camping tents. That’s why there are camping tents.  If you’re counting on a sunshelter to do everything a nice big tent can do, you may as well be shopping for a tent like that.

That said, depending on how much you’re willing to spend, and what look you’re going for, many of the features you’ll find in normal tents are often built into sunshelters, like zip up flaps, easy set up and take down, maybe a pocket here or there.

But the difference – at the least the main difference – is that sunshelters are made to be more lightweight, portable, and often open to the elements.  That’s the appeal of them, often as not, which is to provide a fashionable shade that gives you a view of what’s around you.

madgrit green sunshelter

Perhaps you may be considering taking your new sunshelter to a festival.

Depending on weather, you just might watch them slowly sink into the mud and disappear forever. In that case, there are some cheaper and even disposable models which might suit you better.

On the other hand, maybe you want something a bit more enduring, that will withstand trip after trip to the beach, for several seasons to come.

best beach tent reviews 2016

On the whole most people are looking for the following:

  • EASE OF USE – Easy to put up AND take down
  • LIGHTWEIGHT – This will probably spend more of its life being carried to and from the car, than some of the more ‘traditional’ tents which will stay up longer
  • WEATHER PROOF – This means wind, water AND the all important sun shelter
  • VALUE – No one is going to live in here, and the price tag ought to reflect this.

So, without further delay, here are our reviews for the 5 best sunshelters on the market today in 2020…


#1 – GENJI SPORTS POP UP FAMILY BEACH TENT AND SUNSHELTER

Feature Pick


Genji Sports Pop Up Family Beach Tent And

QUICK STATS

  • NAME: GENJI SPORTS POP UP FAMILY BEACH TENT AND SUNSHELTER
  • MANUFACTURER: GENJI
  • ORIGIN: CHINA
  • DIMENSIONS: 82.7 X 52 X 50 INCHES
  • DIMENSIONS FOLDED: FITS IN 22 INCH CARRY BAG
  • WEIGHT: 5 POUNDS 4 OUNCES
  • SHIPPING WEIGHT: 6.3 POUNDS
  • MATERIAL: NYLON
  • COLORS: BLUE
  • WINDOWS: YES
  • NO OF PEOPLE: 2 ADULTS/ 1 ADULT PLUS KIDS
  • UV RATING: 50+ UPF
  • OUR RATING: 4 OUT OF FIVE STARS

This Genji Sunshelter is super lightweight and comes with the option of being able to switch from a sun shelter to a ‘proper’ camping tent, as well as having the choice of being able to add a weatherproof covering to it.

genji sports pop up family beach tent review

The back panel can be zipped up or down depending on which ‘mode’ you want (ie simple sun shield or something more ‘advanced’).

It is made of nylon, and is strong and lightweight. This pops up by itself quickly, and boasts an ‘easy down’ time of 3 seconds. More on this later.

The good news about this tent, is that it does what it says on the tin, and is a really good sunshield.

It does pop up easily, and if you utilize the sand pockets, it will not blow away easily like some other, lightweight tents do.

One word of caution though. It is not super easy to put down again. There is a definite ‘knack’ to this.

Even the five star reviewers acknowledge the difficulties with this product in the folding down stage.

However, when it is down, it is nice and compact, and the durability seems to be reasonable for the price.


#2 – EASYGO SHELTER – INSTANT EASY UP BEACH UMBRELLA TENT SUN SPORT SHELTER

Feature Pick


Easygo Shelter – Instant Beach Umbrella Tent Sun Sport

QUICK STATS

beach shelter reviews

This shelter is on the bigger side, and maybe a consideration for a beach-going family. It boasts a very easy set up procedure, and has optional stakes, and sandbags in case of prevailing winds.

With the majority of customers giving it the big thumbs up, we too were quite impressed by it.

In our research, we saw relatively few people have complaints, and there is a year’s guarantee, which not every beach tent comes with.

Unlike the previous tent, there are no reports coming in to Beach Baby about having to conduct a wrestling match with this product, and Beach Baby would have to conclude that it is looking good for the price.


#3 – COLEMAN COMPACT SHADE SHELTER

Feature Pick


Coleman Beach Shade

BEACH BABY STATS

large beach tent

This one is a bit heavier, and not a pop up tent, so do be prepared to spend a few minutes (between five to ten minutes) setting it up and poring over the instructions.

Once you get used to it, it will not be difficult. You do not have to dance the fandango to get it to go back down again, and the price is pretty reasonable for something that will be used time and again.

Yes, a few people have complained about the amount of time it initially takes to assemble, but Beach Baby wants to be fair. No one ever said it was an ‘instant up’ product to begin with.

This zips up and can be used as a place to get changed on the beach, and offers excellent sun protection.


#4 – PACIFIC BREEZE EASYUP BEACH TENT DELUXE XL

Feature Pick


Pacific Breeze Easy Up Beach Tent

QUICK STATS

We’ve already done a full length review of the Pacific Breeze EasyUp Beach Tent, but we can’t say enough good things about this beach tent. EVERYBODY seems to like this product.

So yes, it is rather more expensive than the other tents featured on this page, but perhaps this is because it is worth it.

Housing 3-4 people comfortably, this is all weather proof – sun, wind and rain. It is also very easy to get up AND put down.

In short, this has everything we are looking for in a beach tent, plus a year’s guarantee.

Beach Baby feels you can’t really go wrong here.


#5 – G4FREE OUTDOOR AUTOMATIC POP UP INSTANT PORTABLE CABANA BEACH TENT

Feature Pick


G4Free Outdoor Automatic Pop Up Instant Portable Cabana Beach Tent 2-3 Person Camping Fishing Hiking Picnicing Anti Uv

QUICK STATS

G4Free Outdoor Automatic Pop up Instant Portable Cabana Beach Tent 2-3 Person review

Finally, we have an automatic pop up tent that can also be used for “regular” camping.

It is waterproof, and comes with sand pockets for wind protection, as well as fixed bands in case of more severe wind.

It is fully UV sun proof, and is easy to set up. It also won’t break the bank.

At only 2.2 pounds, this is by far the lightest of our featured tents, which may be a consideration if you have to do a lot of carrying it about.

Because it is such lightweight construction, it might be of interest to walkers/ hikers or anyone going off the beaten track.

About the author: Emilia is the fashion guru of Beach Baby, with a deep appreciation for anything that can be worn or adorned. She makes her own apparel as well, including everything from swimwear, to dresses, and even shoes.  She also owns over 100 pairs of sunglasses!  Emilia also loves to surf, boogie board, and partake in a number of water sports.

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