There are so many things great about this product that I wanted to give it 5 stars, but there were a few things that I wanted to point out.

For starters, we only go to the beach about once a year. This was our first year to use the tent and we were VERY GLAD that we did! We are not campers or overly "outdoorsy" people. This was from a very greenhorn perspective.

APOLOGIES FOR THE PICTURE ORIENTATIONS.

PROS:

1. POCKETS--Oh man! There were secret pockets everywhere and BOY did they come in handy! They held tons of little thing securely and out of the way in very inconspicuous spots. There are even pockets in the ceiling!

2. QUICK SETUP--This was definitely a pro as the setup was very quick and very easy. The only part that took any time at all was anchoring it down and making sure the "floor" was as taught as possible. Really the initial set up was spectacularly simple.

3. STRONG/DURABLE--It was a bit of a windy day and the tent took a bit of a beating, but still held strong. The stakes were another story, however.

4. PLENTY OF WIDTH AND HEADROOM--I'm 6'6" tall so I didn't expect to be able to stand up in it (and I couldn't), but I had plenty of room to sit down and maneuver around--LOTS of room! For a guy who's used to bumping my head on everything everywhere I go, this was GREAT! Our family of 4 had plenty of room to keep our stuff and put on sunscreen. We even had a beach chair set up in there with the rest of our stuff!

CONS:

1. STAKES--While the stakes held, I would say just barely. Several of them were starting to come out even though we pushed them ALL in as far as we could without breaking them. Based only on what I have read from others, I would recommend throwing away the stakes and buying these instead:Orange Screw: The Ultimate Ground Anchor, SMALL - 4 Pack You will need at least 8 (though there is a 9th spot in the back that you can anchor as well--I would recommend this). This was probably the biggest con.

2. SOMETIMES THE POLES BEND THE WRONG WAY--This is really an easy fix, but occasionally when you start to "pop" it up to set it up or "release" it to put it away, the corner poles will bend the wrong way. It's really an easy fix (just start the process over--whether you are opening it or closing it back down and correct whichever pole bent incorrectly). The poles won't actually "bend" so much as the hinges will sometimes bend in the wrong direction. We learned this by practicing with it before we took it to the beach which we would also recommend.

3. THE ANCHOR CORDS-- This isn't a huge thing, but if tying knots isn't your forte, just buy some cable clamps or something to hold them in place when not in use. There isn't a way that we knew of to make these stay in place very well when putting it away.

So, those are our observations. In conclusion, we REALLY LIKE it but we will be purchasing those twist anchors in the future.

I purchased this tent for our beach trip. There was only 1 day of our trip we didn't use it due to excessive wind.
It provided great shade and was big enough for my family of 4. I rate it 4-stars only because the bottom tends to get slightly warm from the sun so we made sure not to sit out baby in the areas that had been in the sun. I am 5'7" and cannot stand up under the tent.

This tent is amazing! Provides tons of shade, has a floor so you aren't burning your feet while you wait for the shade to cool the sand down. This tent is extremely easy to set up and take back down needing only one person to work on it. It sets up like an umbrella so no need to be dealing with poles and separate pieces. The wind will not take your tent away, between it's open sides and attached sand bags it is very stable, it also includes stakes and ropes but I did not need these on my windy day at the beach. You can also hang a towel from any of the open sides to have more shade when the sun begins to move. It is also very light for carrying across the sand to your destination.I am so happy with this purchase!

This shelter far exceeded my expectations, which were high after reading such great reviews on other sites. The design of it is incredible - sort of like an upside-down umbrella and it's impressively easy for one person to set it up. In fact, having two people to open it is a bit awkward because there's nothing for the second person to do! The carrying case it comes with is just like one you might have on a folding canvas chair and it makes it super easy to carry around (the whole thing is very light).

Make sure to properly stake it out in high winds and it'll take gusts like a champ. I had it in a hot field for days and the temperature underneath was at least 20 degrees cooler. I love the included pockets to hide away little items and the sandpockets are a great feature for use at the beach. The only tip I have in using it is to be careful that the fabric doesn't get caught anywhere in opening it, or you could likely tear it.

Now, this isn't a shelter that you're going to be setting up chairs and a table and a lot of stuff under. In that case, I recommend Wendel's. However, this is great for sitting, laying down, stashing things under when you're at the beach or having a picnic. You do need to duck to get into it but it feels roomy if you're sitting down on the tarped floor. A great product!

I love this lightweight tent shelter. It opens and closes a lot like an umbrella- SO SIMPLE!!!!! It takes 2 minutes at best. Bring a mallet for the hard plastic stakes and wellah!! I spent the day with thus on a really windy beach and it worked like a champ!! Be sure that the umbrelka type spines do not get twisted around (each one should form an arch shape around the tent) and you are solid all day!! Used all eight stakes and noticed we got an extra stake - thought that was great!! Also the tent weighs less than my heavy canvass folding chair so that makes me love it even more. BTW - not sure about the photo showing a bubch of people under thus thing - it comfortably shades two adults in chairs MAX.