![]() The Sport-Brella Premiere offers an improvement over regular umbrellas in every detail. While this shade is more expensive than our other picks, the quality of its materials-from the aluminum poles usually reserved for high-end camping tents to the parachute fabric-all but ensure that this shade will be around for many more summers than your typical beach umbrella or tent. On most days, though, with a gentle onshore breeze, sitting under the Shibumi Shade is like lying under a crisp sheet hanging on a clothesline in the summer sun. (If you don’t need quite as much coverage, the similarly constructed Shibumi Shade Mini is designed for one person or a couple.) High winds produce more noise than one might expect. ![]() We tested the Shibumi Shade in everything from barely perceptible ocean breezes to stiff 25 mph winds, and it worked admirably, providing about 15 by 10 feet of shade-enough for six adults-when the sun was high. One person can set it up in a minute or two. The shade has three components: a long arc of high-strength aluminum tubing (it folds up like a tent pole), a roughly 16-by-8-foot rectangle of parachute fabric, and a sand anchor, which doubles as the shade’s carrying case. Instead of resisting the wind, the Shibumi Shade’s wonderfully simple design puts it to work-which makes sense, considering that the shade was conceived on the blustery beaches of North Carolina’s Outer Banks. If your favorite beach features steady offshore breezes-or even umbrella-tumbling gusts-the Shibumi Shade is a natural choice. That said, the Sun Ninja Tent’s stretched-out design unavoidably occupies quite a bit of beach in relation to the 7-by-7-foot piece of shade it creates, which other folks might not appreciate if you frequent crowded beaches. Sitting under the tent feels almost bedouin in nature, an experience in nomadic self-contentment. (The company also offers an eight-person model for even more space.) In low and moderate winds, the flexibility of the Sun Ninja shade allows it to shake off most gusts up to 15 mph without falling over. The whole process can take one or two people less than three minutes, once they know what they’re doing.Įrected, the Sun Ninja Tent provides plenty of shade for four people to comfortably lie down in. The spandex canopy is dead simple to set up: Stretch the four arms of the fabric out across the beach, fill the large pouch at the end of each arm with plenty of sand, and then place the four collapsible aluminum rods under the canopy, raising and angling them into the top corners of the tent until you find the best balance of tensions. Remarkably consistent in a variety of wind conditions, the Sun Ninja Tent 4 Person is pleasant to sit under-no matter how strong the sun-and packs away into a small carrying case that’s easy to throw over your shoulder (it weighs just over 7 pounds). Also, we plan to retest some traditional stand-up umbrellas that are suitable for beaches with even stricter rules. In case the beaches you visit have such rules, we’ve included in this guide two smaller tent-like options, as well as an umbrella we’ve recommended in the past. Canopies and tents do take up a larger footprint on already crowded beaches-especially if they’re used inconsiderately or irresponsibly. Maybe it’s something we should have seen coming. ![]() Recently, counties in New Jersey and New York State, among others, have banned this kind of tent and shade. While the Shibumi model maximizes your shade without intruding on close neighbors, it requires a steady coastal wind to function-and it costs more. The Sun Ninja shade requires plenty of beach space but tolerates variable wind conditions. Of the seven shades we tested, our two favorites, the Sun Ninja Tent 4 Person and the Shibumi Shade, meet those demands but suit different circumstances. It should be easy to carry and intuitive to set up, and it should remain sturdy in the wind without collapsing. On top of that, even if your umbrella does remain stationary, you spend most of your day chasing the meager, postage-stamp-sized patch of shade it provides as if you’re some deranged sundial.Ī good sunshade provides consistent protection from the sun over a large area while maintaining a comfortable amount of headroom. I’m sure I’m not the only beachgoer who has witnessed umbrellas uprooting and tumbling into sunbathing neighbors despite all efforts. One of my earliest beach memories is the sight of my father chasing a large, colorful umbrella down the sands on a particularly windy day on the Maine coast.
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