Easthills Outdoors Instant Shader Deluxe XL Easy Up 4 Person Beach Tent Sun Shelter - Extended Zippered Porch Included

Space for 2 camping chairs plus 2 recumbent tweens + all our baggage. Not heavy to carry and bag design sensible for putting it away. Time needed to put up / take down very quick: it helps having more than one person in windy conditions - you would only buy it if there was more than one of you, I think - but on a still day then it would be no problem for one person. First day of use was in a stiff breeze and gusts of 20 mph+: we used the pegs with guy ropes and stones in the side pockets and had no problems. Note that it is not a "proper tent" (no flysheet etc.) and will only give limited protection from rain, but good for sun / wind. I felt a bit soft buying a beach tent at all but wife was recuperating from operations on her knees hence wanted a place to sit in a camping chair without sun or wind burn. Elder daughter also at a sensitive age and appreciated having space to change (the front does up for this purpose). Pricier than most tents but overall very happy with the purchase.

Your browser does not support HTML5 video.  UPDATE: 27th April 2019Had the Easthills Outdoors Beach tent out at Heacham, on the Norfolk coast. As any of you who have been to the East Coast know, it can be freezing due to the wind. This tent kept us very sheltered from the sun and wind to the point where it was too good at stopping the wind. Opening the windows allowed a nice breeze to flow through and control the temperature. We had several comments on a quiet beach, asking where to buy and how much. There was another tent on the beach, but as I had dismantled ours and packed up everything (chairs, icebox and all other paraphernalia in 5 minutes (including getting the sand spikes out)) the other family were fiddling with individual bendy poles as we left. They started several minutes before we did, and actually catalysed our leaving. This trip to Heacham/Hunstanton re-affirmed what a great buy this tent is. We’ll be using it to attend summer football tournaments, and perhaps a few more beach trips this year. As anyone whose kids play summer football tournaments know, these can be a total nightmare and I reckon this tent will be amazing at these too.UPDATE!VIDEO UPLOADED 19th OCTOBER 2018FIRST UPDATE 13th AUGUST 2018 MORE PHOTOS ADDED (Bidart, Aquitaine, SW France)OK so we made it to Biarritz, historic Bayonne and to the gorgeous beaches of the French Basque Country in South West France on the Atlantic coast. We amazed everyone with our Easthills Outdoors Easy Up XL. Everyone was staring at us, looking like the King and Queen of the beach in our palatial tent!I bought some 30cm (12in) U Spikes for £5.99 for 10 and these have anchored the tent against the Atlantic wind with no problem at all and no need for the guy lines. Yesterday, the wind was very strong and the tent had no problem in terms of strength against the wind and the spikes kept it firmly anchored. Unfortunately, what had been a simple dismantling in the previous days, turned into a little bit of a nightmare due to the strength of the winds which must have been around Force 6 on the Beaufort scale, judging by the size of the waves. Other people, didn't even have any shelters out, which mainly consist of either straight beach umbrellas or the umbrellas with the extended sides. These had long been packed away. However, our packing away was difficult due to the tent catching the wind. This of course, is not the manufacturer's fault! It's merely a cautionary tale, which I ended up just rolling the tent to the best of my ability. It would never have fitted in the bag, but the intention is when the weather changes back to beautiful sunshine I'll be able to re-pitch and eventually pack it properly.Here are my observations from 5 days of use on the beautiful French Basque coast:1) It really is easy to pitch and set up quickly, especially if you invest in some 30cm (12in) U Stakes and a mallet.2) Even with very bright sun, my wife still managed to discretely and invisibly change into her bikini in the zipped up tent.3) The shade is brilliant from the tent....those who have complained must be talking about having the windows open!4) The size is brilliant. We honestly have had not just looks, but long lingering stares (could be my wife in her bikini, but I reckon it's the tent!)5) Ordinarily, this packs down easily and perfectly, if you follow the steps I mention below.6) On the issue of unsticking the legs, I have found the solution thanks to another reviewer: you just need to gently pull the joint away from the leg, then the leg will bend easily. There's no need for any force or broken manicured nails (my wife's glad now!)7) No-one in Biarritz or Bidart has a tent like this!Finally, once we've got round to it, I'll update the video with one from our beach trip. In the meantime check out some of the photos from Bidart in South Western France.July 2018 THIS IS A PRELIMINARY REVIEW. IT WILL BE UPDATED IN AUGUST. THESE ARE INITIAL (PRE-USE) THOUGHTS AND FIRST IMPRESSIONS. THERE ARE TWO OTHER VIDEOS WHICH REFER TO THIS REVIEW.This is a preliminary review, as much as for our benefit, as for yours, before we do the full review when we take it to La Grande Plage in Biarritz in South West France between 8th-22nd August. PLEASE CHECK BACK IN AUGUST FOR A FULL BEACH REVIEW. Please accept our apologies for some of the comical moments in the videos. This is our very first video review!The Easthills Outdoors Easy Up 4 Person Beach Shelter Deluxe XL wasn't available for me to purchase in the UK at the time so I bought it off Amazon in the USA. So why did I pay over the odds for it, £114.02 versus the bargain price of £84.90, on UK Amazon? Quite simply when I watched other reviewers of this product versus the rival manufacturers' products I noticed some distinct differences. Firstly, this was bigger than rival offerings. Secondly, the vestibule/porch flap zips up completely. Rival offerings have a couple of friction clips which secure their vestibules leaving a very big gap around the sides and a 7.5 to 8cm (3 to 4inch) gap at the top, completely negating the point of "closing" the porch up. Lastly, there were thoughtful details, like sand pockets which use velcro to secure the sides allowing easy egress of the sand, and toggles, rather than Velcro like rival tents.The package arrived 2 days early from the US, which was a nice bonus, however, we've only got round to putting it up a day after it arrived. So if you watch the videos, you'll get a better idea of what it's really like. Some things I like after our initial set up:1) It fits in the locker under the floor of my Mercedes, along with two golf umbrellas, two portable camp chairs and still leaves room for me to store things. Of course, this is as a result of having a very big Mercedes and having a tyre fit kit instead of a spare wheel!2) It's well made. Having inspected all the seams and stitching, it's been made with care and good quality management techniques.3) It's really big (when I set it up in France, you'll see just how big it really is).4) The zippers work on the inside and outside and they can be secured with a travel padlock.5) The mechanism is excellent, and is really easy to put up.I noticed that other reviewers, both videographers and writers, have had problems getting the tent back in the bag. This, I'm afraid is clearly operator error. I took good care to see how it was packaged from the factory, to ensure that I knew how to fold it back tightly. Watch the video and you'll see what I mean.Basically, what you need to do is to:1) Ensure the windows are all unrolled and undone.2) Fold up the front porch so that the first part meets the first crease in the floor. This ensures that the "umbrella" mechanism is covered and the central part of the tent has evenly spaced material, making it easier to get into the bag. DON'T zip it up, or fold the porch into the tent completely.3) Make sure all legs are bent (free of the joint mechanism). If some are stuck, push using your thumbs close to the joint. If you try doing it from the end of the leg, you'll apply leverage which will break the leg.4) When you roll it, make sure you've covered the legs and mechanism, as per the video.5) Keep the tension in the roll as you do it.6) Secure the tent using the strap provided at the widest point.Some other features which I like are: the toggles which are used to roll the windows up, and secure them closed. I like the stretch "aerated" material holding the poles to the material. These give a reduced aerodynamic pressure on the poles and the tent fabric. I like the window mesh which is small enough to allow good airflow which keeps the interior cool and again reduces aerodynamic pressure on the structure.When we pitched it for this review, we had forgotten a mallet, so couldn't use the pegs and guy-lines. The ground here in the UK is solid after having had high temperatures and no rain for 7 to 8 weeks. Therefore, we just stuck one 1 litre water bottle in the two side pockets and believe it or not, the tape measure in the rear pocket. This held it down in quite breezy conditions, watch one of the videos before we used our drinks bottles for evidence of the breeze!In truth, my wife and I can't wait to get this out to Biarritz, perhaps Easthills Outdoors will get some orders as a result of our pitching this in Biarritz. Biarritz is the centre for European surfing, and a luxury resort too, so there could be a good mix of potential clientele from surfers to the "glitterati". I'm certain we'll get plenty of admiring glances for our tent on the beach.

In this probationary period (just received it!) I have given it 4 stars until I see how well it lasts but upon first inspection there is no reason why it shouldn't last and deserve 5 stars. Upon receipt I immediately tested it out on the lawn and in a breeze so I had some wind to contend with. I followed the clear instructions precisely and methodically and was delighted how easy and quick it was to both erect and dismantle and pack away. Once up I was very pleased at how spacious it was and I loved the blue colour. The blinds for the ventilation windows, tho' not fully, did keep the wind out sufficiently for me to not be bothered. I am 6'5" tall which was obviously an advantage during erection and dismantle but simply tilting the shelter slightly on its side during the process would ensure smaller people would also have no problem. When dismantled and folded it went back into its bag without hassle. It's a great beach shelter and I'm really pleased with it, plenty of space for relaxing in recliner chairs. Just follow the instructions carefully and you won't have a problem.

I was a little dubious when I bought this beach tent as I have seen people struggle with similar items on the beach. I was extremely happy witht he ease of use of this tent. No exageration, I can erect it in 30 seconds and dimantle it in 1 minute.I would reccomend it with no hesitation. Comes with everything you will need for use on the beach.

I'll admit I was a little nervous when I first used this, as it was quite windy on the beach and I had no real idea how to work it.I needn't have worried - it was easy to put up (handy instructions in the carry case) and was more robust in the wind than I thought it would be.Whilst others were struggling with their wind breaks or other tents we were all set up and could enjoy the beach.The shelter from the wind and some reprieve from the sun was welcome and is a mainstay for our beach trips.The ability to close the door fully was great allowing the kids to get out of their swimsuits and dried and changed was a real plus. They were nice and warm in it and the space allowed all three children to be in their at the same time.I did think that people would be sniggering as we took the tent down (or be blown down the beach) but it was so simple. We were all packed away and ready to go in no time.The only disappointment with this product is the handle on the carry case which is coming away from the material. I have contacted them about it but heard nothing as yet - which is a shame. You don't expect that after a weeks use when you are only using it as it was designed.