We have had a smaller Neso tent for a while, and honestly I was a bit nervous about the bigger version, thinking the taller poles might result in more problems with stability and wind resistance. On the contrary, the big version seemed even more stable and the extra height and coverage was great. After struggling with umbrellas with limited coverage and keeping "shelter" type tents staked and stable on the beach, we are sold on the Neso design. Any tent will have problems in strong beach winds but it's easy to adjust the poles to compensate, and when they do fall it is non-catastrophic.

I did order 2 extra poles, which I would recommend if you really want this to be a "tent" experience rather than a lean-to shelter.

This is an incredible beach tent.

One thing to keep in mind is that you always have to position the supporting poles in the direction of the wind, otherwise it won't stay up.

If the wind shifts or changes direction, you may have to re-position the poles.

I ended up purchasing extra poles and ground stakes so I can use it in the park.

It is very well-made, seems like it will last a while.

A bit of background: I'm the senior engineer at a shade sail/ architectural fabric manufacturing company. When you google "architectural fabric" - that's the stuff I design every day. I was sick of bad umbrellas and those tacky department store canopies at the beach and this seems to be a decent solution.

First off- this is the size you want. The smaller neso shelters are too small. The smaller size claims 2 or even 3 people but let's be real... two will fit if you don't extend your legs and only if the sun is directly overhead. This size (grande) works perfectly and should be the "standard" size.

The grande is tall enough for me to stand under in almost all wind conditions (I'm 5'8" tall). I'd say you can comfortably fit 4 people an chairs under this shade. Maybe 6 people if you really like each other. The bigger size means if flaps a bit more in the wind, but with this style of sun shade you're pretty much always going to have flapping in wind (even with smaller shades).

I've never had a problem with sandbags dragging or moving and the poles do a decent job of staying where they are supposed to. If you experiment with pole positioning this shade can withstand some decent wind.

Here are some tips:
-fill the bags with sand and position them with the fabric slightly stretching before installing the poles
-always have the poles/high side facing into the wind
-placing the poles closer the center of the high side will eliminate some flapping in higher wind. I usually place them right on the edge of the high side but about 1/4 of the way towards the center of that edge

Now the cons:
-coming from a commercial sewing and fabrication shop, I have to admit that the edge stitching is really awful. The seam is decently done though.
-the reinforcements are pretty bad and could be designed in a way that distributes the tension more evenly. They used the wrong type of grommets and the wrong reinforcement material. Grommets will begin pulling out after the first use, although it does not render the shade unusable. I guess this is what happens when you get a mass produced consumer product at this price point. I would recommend that the manufacturer ditches the grommets and instead uses nylon webbing to form a loop, possibly sandwiched between two layers of curved reinforcing material.
-the plastic feet on the poles are thin and will crack, but it probably isn't worth changing if it would add to the cost
-the cooler pocket is gimmicky and unnecessary- get rid of it and improve the corners with the saved cost

Over all a great design for beach shade! Get one before they run out again!

Pros: Provides good shade, Takes minutes to break down. Just fold it up like a bed sheet and put in the handy pack. Poles break down easily. Very light to carry out to the beach. Had the tent pack over my shoulder while carrying two beach chairs. The anchors are essentially nylon bags with drawstrings. Each is easy to fill up with sand and then empty when breaking down the tent.

Key points to know (this is why I only gave it four stars)
-This tent must be set up facing the wind. The wind flows through the tent and keeps the back end aloft and up. There were a couple of mornings where there wasn't much wind on the beach. The tent's back end stayed really low. Additionally, there were days where the wind shifted. You will need to rotate the tent to face the wind. Additionally, the anchor bags work best when you put a good amount of sand in them and then bury each.

I love how lightweight and portable this tent is. It works well on a day with or without wind. The only issue we have run into is having to adjust the poles if the wind changes direction on us. That is why this is getting 4 stars instead of 5. However, this issue is fairly easy to do and you get the hang of how the tent works.

I live at the beach and have seen my fair share of pop up tents go flying across the sand on a windy day and break. I love the peace of mind in knowing the Neso tent will not do this.

Also, Neso has superb customer service. One of the poles I received in my bag had a chip in the plastic. This was not an issue as far as functionality goes but needed to be replaced in case it got worse. I called Neso customer service and they immediately shipped me a replacement pole and were very pleasant on the phone.

I would recommend Neso and this product to friends.