Making Beach Time Comfortable & Enjoyable: How to Choose the Right Beach Tent

The beach is my happy place! How many of us can relate to that? I’m sure many. It’s a relaxing, calming, and de-stressing environment that helps us break our routine and take a break from technology. And, it’s the best way to spend some time outdoors in summer.

However, going to the beach alone or as a couple has nothing to do with going to the beach as a family, especially if you have young children. The struggle is real: think of all the preparations – from choosing the appropriate clothing to packing the necessities. Regardless of the number of your team, there’s one crucial thing you need to prepare for and that’s staying protected from the sun with the right sunshade. Because getting sunburnt is no fun for anyone.

What’s the Best Beach Shelter?

There are two main types of beach sunshade:

  • Beach sun umbrellas
  • Beach shade tents

Which One Is Better?

Well, I’m sure at least once you’ve witnessed some kind of an umbrella accident at the beach, either it was someone struggling to dig into the sand to secure it or simply an umbrella flying out in the wind. While it may be cheaper, using an umbrella is not always an easy task and sometimes is not even safe, as more and more people report umbrella-caused injuries.

Considering this, beach tents are the best way to stay out of the sun for you and your family. Designed to be easily set up and quickly packed away, they’re the most convenient beach shelter. A beach tent provides a greater shaded spot than an umbrella does. It can also protect you from the wind if secured properly. Some models’ closing frontage guarantees you the privacy you need for changing outfits and storing stuff. So, what are some guidelines you can follow when looking for the right beach tent for you?

beach tents

How to Choose the Right Tent

There are five different key features to consider when choosing a tent for the beach:

Size

Size does matter when buying the tent that will best serve your needs. The size of the tent should contribute to the comfort of your beach experience. It’s not the same whether you need a sun shelter for yourself only or for your family of four or more. The volume of the things you want to store in should also impact your choice. Look for the numbers in the specs when choosing one – the seller often indicates how many people is a certain model for, but if not, simply look at the size in cm.

Material

This is a very important feature. It’s what makes the tent a sun-protective one. You should aim for materials that are UPF 50+ which indicates that the tent surface reflects and absorbs sunlight to block up to 98% of the sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays. If looking for durability and long-lasting performance, look for 190T polyester, which stands for an anti-tear kind of polyester.

Weight

You’re already fully packed up when deciding to spend a whole day at the beach, especially if you’re going as a family. You don’t need another item adding weight to your beach luggage so, aim for the lightweight tent models that pack up in a small compact carry bag.

Ventilation

A sunshade tent needs to shelter you from the wind, but it’s also important to provide you with air to breathe when inside. Mesh windows with a simple roll-out mechanism will get the job done. It’s especially important when the tent has a closing zip-up mechanism as it prevents condensation.

Easy Setup

Setting up beach tents for the first time can be stressful. Though most laughter and judging eyes tend to come from those who haven’t taken shelter at all, save yourself from it by simply buying one that sets up easily no matter the mechanism. The mechanism is what makes the next step you should consider.

beach shade tent

The Setup Mechanism

Based on the mechanism, there are two main styles of beach shade tents: tents that pop up and tents quick to pitch.

Pop Up Sun Tents

The typical beach pop-up tent. As their name implies, these models pop up just by releasing them out of the bag. While the release is easy, some find the packing up quite difficult. The sellers often say there’s a simple trick for packing them away. You can pack with a few moves that at first, you won’t be familiar with but will quickly become second nature. With tents, it’s always a good idea to practice setting them up at home first after maybe watching a demo video or a YouTube tutorial. This won’t just help you with the setup process but you will also get to know the product, see if some parts are missing or not included in the package, and see if the product is possibly faulty. The pop-up tents are not the most stable ones but there are often guy ropes and sand pouches/bags included for extra stability.

Quick to Pitch Sun Tents

These are a newer style of beach shade shelter and are more similar to regular tents. They have their fibreglass frame built into the tent and often include heavy-duty PE (Protective Earth) floors. They can still be set up very quickly as soon as you get familiar with the process. Often these models can be securely anchored with the special sand pegs but if you choose not to, you can still use the guy ropes or fill the built-in pockets with sand. They’re slightly more expensive but the frames offer you more stability which means you can stay longer when it starts getting windy.

To Sum Up

With knowing the right information about beach shade tents on one hand and knowing your personal needs and wishes on other hand, you can make a decision and choose the right tent for you and your family and make the most out of your beach time. Because life’s too short for going to the beach not protected.