This review is all my own. I bought this tent and am writing a review without compensation or consideration. (I’m actually writing this because I already convinced 8 of my friends to buy one without any of us actually trying it out first so I needed to make sure it actually worked before I end up with 8 former friends!)
For a beach tent, it’s a very simple yet genius design. It’s made up of a large, very stretchy nylon/lycra sheet with bags at the ends for tying to fences at the park, pinning down with stakes or filling with sand at the beach. It’s propped up with collapsible aluminum poles, similar to the ones you get with camping tents.
The hardest part about this tent is the first-time set up. I wish I had taken a before picture because when I asked Sebbie what she thought when I first put it up, she said, “pretty ridiculous”. Lucy said, “looks flat.” And they were both right. Even the tourists next to us laughed as I clumsily tried to hold up the poles to keep it from turning into a suffocating neoprene blanket or a giant wind sail.
But I slowly figured out the trick is to lay it completely flat, stretch out the strings as far as possible, fill the bags as much as you can – you won’t believe how much you can fit until you squish it all in, then put up the poles. You need to put the poles facing the wind – even if that means your tent is facing sideways from the ocean. Try to also put the poles at the farthest corners of the tent. You also want to make sure the fabric is really stretched out. Any part sagging will make it collapse even with the slightest breeze.
When I put it away, instead of using the bag it came with, I ball it up and put it in a small shopping bag.
Overall, I really like it. It is everything I bought it for – it weighs less than 4lbs (it fit right in my suitcase!) and is much more open and inviting for others to join us than a normal beach umbrella. It’s not a good wind block (in fact, it’s actually the opposite), but I like that it IS waterproof, has SPF blocking, and is machine washable.
It’s a little pricey, so I’m hoping it stands up to wear and tear. We are daily beach-goers and after a few uses, I probably won’t be able to live without it.
I’m pretty sure my friends will still like me after this purchase too.
If you want one, you can go straight through their website at http://www.nesotents.com . Use the coupon code PUPUKEAROAD and get 10% off!
This is how NOT to set up the tent. I laugh everytime I look at it.
I packed all of this in my suitcase.
Correct set-up – into the wind.
Mini neso. I’ve spent a fortune on these tents but in the long run a lot less than on beach umbrellas which break after a couple uses.
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