A First Hand Experience and Review of a Cool Cabana Sunshade Beach Canopy

Recently I decided to purchase a pop-up canopy tent for a beach vacation. My friend recommended that I check out the Cool Cabanas UPF-50 Sunshade. After conducting some research online, I discovered that it looked like one of the better, lightweight, options for replacing my old pop-up canopy tent.

So I went ahead with the purchase and brought the beach tent with me on my trip. The Cool Cabanas UPF-50 Sunshade is easy to set up and offers great stability if you do so properly. I decided that I would go ahead and write a review for the site based on my experiences. I will start by going over the specifications and some of the key features which make this portable beach canopy stand out. I will then tell you a bit more about my own experiences and some of the pros and cons of the product before giving a final verdict. If youre in the market for a new pop up beach canopy tent, hopefully this review will lead to in the right direction to see if its a good option for you.

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Specs

• Weighs just 6 pounds out of the bag, 7 pounds in the bag
• Measures only 99x12x12cm when collapsed
• When expanded, measures 2.85m (9ft 5in) diagonally, 1.88m (6ft 2in) to the peak of the roof, and 1.56m (5ft 2in) to the edge of the roof
• Features UPF 50 cotton poly canvas
• 8 pockets measuring 16cm X 11cm
• Comes in several colors and designs

Features

Fast and Easy Setup

You should find it a breeze to get set up with this Cool Cabanas Sunshade. It only takes a few steps, and the sturdiness of the parts helps you erect the tent even with a strong wind on the beach. Collapsing it is just as easy.

Rugged Enough to Withstand Strong Winds

This is a tent which can take whatever nature can throw at it. Obviously it should not be exposed to gale force winds—it was built to be taken out on breezy but pleasant days. It can get to be pretty windy even on beautiful, clear days where I live, though, so this was a very important consideration for me. I am glad to say that the tent met and exceeded my expectations in this regard (more on that shortly).

Impressively Compact and Lightweight

If you have to do a bit of walking to get to the perfect spot, no worries—this sunshade will not weigh you down too much, nor is it overly unwieldy.

My Experience With the Cool Cabanas UPF-50 Sunshade

When I mention I went out on a “vacation” with my new sunshade, I should clarify that I drove up the Oregon coast where I live a few hours and set up on one of my favorite beaches. I love the solitude up here and the stunning scenery. But the Oregon coast is really, really windy in many spots—including the one where I ultimately pitched the tent. So I was more than a little nervous about how it would perform.

Backing up a bit, I didn’t have a terribly long walk from where I parked to where I set up, but it would have been fatiguing had the sunshade been heavy. Thankfully, I wasn’t even winded when I got to my site, and I didn’t need to stop and rest at any point along the way. This is because of the lightweight design of the sun shelter, which weighs in at only about 6 pounds. It took me a few minutes to figure out what I was doing, but the setup process was pretty intuitive, and it didn’t take me long at all to get the tent up.

I loved having such a luxurious amount of shade, and found the pockets very helpful for keeping my smartphone and wallet out of the sand. As for the wind, thankfully it actually wasn’t too bad for most of my stay, but it got pretty crazy at times. I’d tense up each time, waiting for the sunshade to collapse, but it held its own.

By the end of my trip, I didn’t spot any obvious signs of wear on my Cool Cabanas Sunshade. Packing it up and carrying it back to my vehicle was just as easy as the initial setup.

Pros:

• You can get this tent set up quickly and easily.
• The pockets are incredibly handy.
• Even if you are going to erect this tent on a beach with strong winds, you should find that it can hold up well (note that this style of tent does not shield you from the wind).
• It is compact and lightweight enough for one person to carry to and from a site without any hassles.
• The selection of colors and patterns available is awesome. There is something to suit every personality.

Cons:

• The tent is a bit small. This isn’t a problem for me since I am using it by myself, but I imagine that if you wanted to sit under here with a friend or two, you might feel like it is a bit cramped. It isn’t ideal for standing up either.
• This tent doesn’t really do much to protect your skin when the sun dips below a certain point in the sky—but that is true with this style of tent regardless of the product or manufacturer you choose.

Verdict

The Cool Cabanas UPF-50 Sunshade offers fantastic ease-of-use, stability, and convenience.

Does the Cool Cabanas have a few drawbacks? Sure. I wouldn’t have said no to a bit more height, and the pop-up canopy tent design has some intrinsic limitations when the sun is low in the sky.

But all in all, I have been very satisfied with my purchase of this tent. I havent yet tried out the 6x6 EasyGo Cabana, but I would be interested to see how these compare side by side since they seem to have a similar design. Carrying it to and from my site and setting it up and taking it were very easy. It didn’t waver in the face of strong winds, and it gave me plenty of shade during the brightest, hottest hours of the day. Based on my experiences with it so far, I expect it to work out great as a long-term beach shade solution, and can give the Cool Cabanas UPF-50 Sunshade a solid recommendation as a top rated beach canopy.

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