Otentik Beach Sunshade - with Sandbag Anchors - The Original Sunshade Since 2011

This is simply one of the best sunshades out there to use at the beach. I was a little skeptical about how it would work or how it would hold up, but we love it, and we're on our second season with it on the Gulf coast of Florida. I can't make it through a day on the beach without someone walking up — usually someone with a heavy metal frame shade that they're struggling to keep up on a windy day — and asking "what in the heck is this shade? Where did you get it??"It takes a few tries to get the hang of putting it up right, and it definitely requires getting used to the fact that stiff winds are actually no problem for it, no matter how much it seems to be buffeted around or pulled taut around the poles. It's quite simply an entirely different beast than the usual umbrella or pop-up shade. My favorite things about it are how easy it is to set up once you get the hang of it, how durable the stretchy fabric seems to be, and how it's fairly flexible to adjust during the day as the sun moves around thanks to the two poles. (or get some extras and have four)I always wash it out real well and then let it dry at the end of a week before rolling it up and putting it away. We've never had any trouble with the seams or the fabric ripping or anything like that. I highly recommend this shade. Great value and it's simply the best thing to use at a windy beach.My tips: stretch it out on the ground as wide and taut as you can and bury two adjacent sandbags first. Dig out the sand and put the bag in the hole where you got the sand from. And then stretch out the two opposite sandbags on the other side before you bury them, stretching it out as far as you can. Seriously, you cannot stretch it out too far! Ideally, you've got the four sandbags buried and the shade pulled nearly flat on the ground with no slack in the cords. Put the poles underneath on one side (facing the wind preferably) and just pop it up. NOTE: You don't have to force the poles waaaay down into the ground like a normal umbrella. You need to shove them into the sand a little bit, but you don't have to get them a foot into the ground or anything. I bent a pole one time just forcing it way too hard. (Once it bent and flexed at the joint a few times and stressed the metal, it was toast after a few more times putting it into the ground. Suffice it to say, I learned my lesson. The poles are plenty strong enough, I was just doing it wrong. And Otentik ended up replacing that pole for me.) The poles just need to be enough into the sand that they won't flip over, but the pressure from the shade on top of the pole (this is why you pull it really taut on the ground first) helps keep the pole from ever falling down. I also recommend always trying to set the side with the two poles pointed into the wind. That will help the shade inflate like a sail and keep it up in the air!

Pros:-extremely portable/lightweight-simple, yet impressive design-extra stretchy, durable materialCons:-sandbags are obviously on the ground, so needs a little wind to pick up the tail of the tarpBE THE KING OF THE BEACHI walk onto the beach with a skimboard bag, cooler, and duffle full of goodies SOLO more often than not. It is IMPERATIVE to carry light.I barely notice this tarp weight added in. It condenses down to a thin pipe for transport. Assembly in less than 5 mins. *ALWAYS face the wind!! If not, the wind will push your tarp sides down. Once you get the wind, the tarp opens up like a kite and is a thing of beauty.PEOPLE AROUND YOU WILL BE JEALOUS.I saw it on the beach and bought it on the spot. I’ve only had it a week, and people have asked where to get it-Ant and Erica

Pros and Cons review. First I love the fact that it weighs next to nothing to carry to the beach. Setup is easy and takes about 5-8 minutes with two people. Most of that time is filling up the sandbags. I got the large version and because the sandbags have to be spread out pretty far for the tent to be tight, it takes up a lot of space. This can be good and bad on a semi busy beach like in OCNJ. I got some dirty looks because our bags were so far spread out and taking up what looks like more space then it should for our shade. But... the good thing is it creates a nice space for you and your family that people have to walk around and not kick sand on your stuff when they are walking by. Again double edge sword. As far as the tent itself as long as the wind is blowing toward the front where the poles stand it works great. When the wind shifts you need to move poles so they are always facing into the headwind. It took me a few days to figure this out, but when I did it worked great. It was the only sail shade type tent on the beach that made it easy to see when you were coming back in from the water, or walking back from the shore house with more supplies. Overall I love it and would recommend it for something different on the beach. I do like the square canopy types but after all the research I did this seemed like a better choice for longevity. Read so many bad reviews on the canopies breaking in high winds and the mechanism failing after just a few uses. This tent works well in high winds, and even if it does fall over, there is nothing to break, you just have to put it back up, and make adjustments to the poles. It is very sand resistant and shakes off the sand and goes back in the carry bag very easily. Overall great product. A little pricey, but you get what you pay for and the material is very high quality. I expect it will last many summers on the beach.