I have a Smartshade Canopy that has been out on my back deck for over two years. In that time it has withstood rain and wind and sun. However, the tie-down cords for each corner rotted away from sun exposure after one year and now the canopy fabric has begun to fall to pieces. Wenzel no longer exists, except for the name. Exxel or some such company now owns the brand. I just got off the phone about ordering a replacement canopy and was told there was no way for them to do that. In other words, they've outsourced their manufacturing and no longer have enough granular control to take orders for replacement parts. The frame still stands and is well-made, for what it is worth, so I give would give them four stars, but they get 3 because a) they are no longer really Wenzel and b) you cannot order a replacement canopy.

We've owned this canopy now for 5 years. We use it for a full week each year as our kitchen space when camping. It has also been used a handful of times for one-day events. It has served us pretty well, and has not lost its waterproofing. (Condensation sometimes forms on the underside and drips down, but that has been minimal.) However rainwater does have a tendency to pool in the center of each side, as it's not possible to get adequate tension on the fabric there. When this has happened we just periodically dump the pooled water over the side. But this year heavy rain at night built up to the point that the metal frame on one side buckled in two places, and one of the center supports would no longer lock into place. We managed to get through the remainder of our week with extra guy wires in strategic locations and a splint on the support, but I think this canopy will now have to be retired. If we are able to get replacement parts, we will repair it, but from now on will only use it for light duty situations.

The wheels on the case are big enough to roll the canopy kit through tall grass without getting stuck. The canopy easily opens with two people pulling outward from opposite corners. It does, however, take some strength to lock the corners in place. The posts can then be staked in before adding the canopy to avoid wind issues. The large velcro corners on the canopy are easily attached to the frame. It takes a little finagling to raise the posts up, as it must be done in stages to keep all sides even. However, the lowering of the posts takes a simple click of the button. If set-up takes 5-10 minutes, the tear down takes 3-5 minutes. The little net for holding objects in one of the upper corners of the canopy is a bit silly due to its small size. The great news is that it withstood 20 mph winds at the park.

Let me start by saying that this canopy stood up to a really bad thunderstorm.

We bought it to use at farmers' markets and at art shows to provide us with some shade since we are standing out in the open for hours at a time. It has worked great for that purpose. We are very thankful for the extra shade that it supplies.

It is very easy to transport as it does not weigh all that much, and it is easy to setup. It is a bit harder to set up on grass than on pavement as the legs get caught in the grass, but with two people it is no problem (it would be difficult with just one, though).

Even though it is light, it still feels very sturdy even after many weeks of frequent use.

Now, for the thunderstorm story. We set up at an art show on a nice sunny day. Then, in what seemed like an instant, the whole show was hit by a huge storm. It left the whole show flooded. However, during that time, we were kept most safe under our canopy. It did have an occasional drip on the inside of the tent, but for the amount of rain that was coming down, I don't blame it.

It we were to set up for an art show again, we would use the screw-in anchors (instead of the ones that are supplied with the canopy which are hammered in) to keep this securely anchored to the ground. Surprisingly, the storm did not upend our tent, but I would still like the extra security from the beefier anchor system.

Needless to say, we would buy this exact same canopy again without reservation. If you are looking for a good white canopy, get this one!

This was our second experience with Wenzel products. The first was a 10' x 15' market canopy that performed admirably under weekly use and demanding outdoor commercial conditions for over two years, and to my knowledge is still going strong for a new owner. This one is another story. We ordered two of these to cover our 10' x 20' market space, and after 4 weekends x 6 hours per weekend the white nylon fabric started turning an ugly yellow. Within two months they were the color of urine (see photos). To Wenzel's credit their customer service is first class. After informing them of the problem we had two brand new ones within a few days, not just the fabric but the entire assemblies, with their apologies and at no charge. All they wanted in return were photos documenting the problem. They didn't even ask for the old ones back. They recommended that we purchase a specific UV blocking product ($14.00 a bottle times two) and coat the new fabric with it, which we didn't get around to right away.

So here we go again. After just 24 hours of New Mexico sun the new tops are starting to turn the same shade of urine-yellow. In an effort to arrest it before it gets any worse I just got finished coating all 250 sq ft of fabric with the UV goop (no easy task). Clearly Wenzel has a quality control problem here! Aside from the fabric problems the framework and other features perform perfectly. I will update this review after a few more weeks of use with the UV goop.