Whether you are camping by a beach, actually camping on the soft white sands or simply heading to the beach for a vacation over summer, protection from the sun is an absolute must. Even if you are dead set on getting that tan in line, you still need to get shelter from the sun at times. I find the best pop up beach tents will be determined by your intention for the visit to the beach.
If you’re camping in the woods or staying at a resort, but will be hitting the sand and sea frequently, a pop up beach tent would be ideal. They are easy to set up, affordable and lightweight. So you can easily carry to and from your camp site/resort to the designated beach.
Whereas a beach cabana or shelter would be more appropriate for families spending the entire day on the beach, or even camping on the beach in an actual tent designed for beach camping. These types of beach tents are more heavy duty and can potentially stay up overnight if you’re camping on the sand.
So you can sleep in your regular tent and do activities under the beach shelter/cabana during the day which saves running sand in and out of your sleeping tent.
Quick Beach Tent Checklist
- Do you want a tent with a floor or one with open base so you can sit on the sand.
- Is the beach tent for a babies only or the whole family.
- How many people will be sitting under the tent at one time?. The size of the beach tent is of concern then.
- If you require a beach cabana or gazebo, think about getting one with a wall for wind and sand protection.
- Waterproof in case it rains?.
The following beach shade and shelter tents will cover a variety of style to suit both pop up dome beach tents for protecting you and your baby from the sun to the big family size beach tents. Starting with the smaller shade tents for the easy to set up and light to carry audience.
The Best Pop Up Beach Shelter
The Easy To Set Up Beach Tent By Pacific Breeze
What I like about the Pacific Breeze is that it is a very easy beach tent to pop up. There’s nothing worse than trying to fight the wind while trying to assemble a tent. Especially when you’re on the beach which is prone for gusty winds. So having the super quick assembly is very important to me.
While being quick to set up, it’s also quite light to carry if you need to walk far from the car to the beach. Weighing under 4.5 lbs it shouldn’t cause too many concerns, especially as it comes in a cool carry case. Which when folded down, this beach tent can fit into a suitcase quite easily. When folded down it measures 40″ long and 5 inches wide and high.
When set up the Pacific Breeze tent measures just over 47 inches. Which is not tall enough to stand under, but sufficient enough to sit back on a camp chair and relax by the beach without getting sun burned.
About This Pop Up UV Beach Tent
- This beach shelter can comfortably fit 2 adults along with coolers, and beach gear. Or one adult and 2 to 3 children. It’s certainly big enough for babies to lay down in the back of the tent.
- Excellent pop up UV beach tent.
- It is not enclosed as in it has no front privacy flap. So if you need a tent where little ones can’t escape, this is not the tent.
- Water resistant polyester UPF 50+ material with fiberglass poles which snap into position and get inserted through the outer mesh material.
- Large mesh storage pocket which runs along the top of the back wall. Great for storing sunscreen, keys and valuables that you don’t want to get wet or sandy.
- Either side has 2 large roll up windows which allow air to circulate on hot humid days. These windows can also let down for privacy and positioned with Velcro.
- Decent length of 87 inches and a depth of 47 inches. So you can sit in the back of the tent for complete protection from wind, sun and the rain.
- Set up is as simple as pulling on two drawstrings. See the set up video below.
Instant Family Beach Tent With Privacy
When taking the youngsters down to the beach for the day, the Easthills Outdoors pop up cabin like beach tent is a great choice. Big enough for 4 adults or 2 adults and 3 kids, this tent is the perfect family beach tent.
Whats awesome about this beach tent is that it features a front porch section. The porch alone comes out a further 53″. This is a great spot for shaking any sand off before entering the main shade area, or laying on without worrying up getting too much sand on you.
But when it comes time to change the kids into their swimmers, you can lift up this porch area and it zippers up to the main area of the tent. This completely encloses the tent. Let the windows covers down and no you and your kids have complete privacy to get changed on the middle of the beach. A very good feature.
Other Important Features
- Very large beach tent. Measures 99″ wide by 53″ deep with a height of 57″. Plus the front porch area.
- Very simple to set up. Just like the Pacific Breeze, this Easthills Outdoors beach tent uses just two draw strings to completely assemble the tent.
- Has great protection from string winds. It includes the normal beach pegs to stake down the tent but you can also use the included guy lines and additional stakes if needed.
- On each side are sand pockets which you fill with sand to weigh down the tent so it doesn’t fly away. With these pockets you just undo the Velcro and the sand falls out. No messy sand when it comes time to pack up.
- The porch area can be put up for privacy and also has a zippered door so that you can use this as a portable change room while camping if you desire.
- Comes with 4 storage pockets. These are two medium size mesh pockets on either side of the tent walls.
Overall It’s A Great Family Beach Tent
It’s hard to fault the design of the Easthills Outdoors model as it pretty much caters perfectly to small families. The 4 individual pockets are a great idea compared to just one large one and the zip up privacy wall is the icing on the cake.
Being able to tie down this beach tent with guy lines, stakes and sand pockets gives you that extra confidence to set this tent up on windy days. Whereas previously it was always hesitation which lead to not setting one up. The carry bag is great with its large handles. It’s feels like carrying a oversize camp chair. Very good value.
Best Pop Up Beach Cabana With Sand Pockets
The best pop up beach cabana tent is the EasyGo Cabana tent if you ask me. It’s visually appealing, easy to set up and can be used for numerous occasions.
Provided you have a bag of sand with you, the EasyGo can be set up practically anywhere; the beach, your backyard, at events, BBQs, picnics etc. It’s a great investment for family trips to the beach, but also suitable for the likes of engagement parties and birthday celebrations.
The EasyGo pop up cabana comes in a few colors, but my favorite is the brown leaves. It seems to suit every occasion.
Setting Up The Beach Cabana With Sand Pockets
While it may appear daunting due to the large size of this Cabana beach tent, it’s actual quite frightening how simple and quick it is to set up. Here’s how it’s done:
- Place the 2 inch wide center support pole firmly in the sand. Allow 6 foot of space around you.
- Next pop up the roof of the beach cabana like you would an umbrella.
- Attach the roof unto the center pole.
- Fill each of the four support sand pockets up with sand.
- Optional – Drive the included sand stakes into each corner for greater resistance against wind. For the most part wet sand in the pockets will do the trick.
- Enjoy your shade and own private space on the beach.
The Beach Cabana Doesn’t Come Easier
Simply put, the EasyGo is the best pop up beach cabana due to it’s very simple set up and durability to withstand wind. Wet sand and additional stakes make this a safe shade canopy to use just about anywhere.
It’s tall enough you can stand up underneath, unless you are super tall. This will also depend on how how you drive the center pole into the sand. Each of the 4 corner posts have storage pockets for keeping water bottles, sunscreen and even your portable music box if you desire.
Surprisingly lightweight (under 10 lbs) and packs down very compact into the handy carry case with strap. For a 6ft by 6ft beach cabana, I am very happy with the EasyGo.
Pop Up Beach Tent With Shade Awning
I particularly like this design by WildHorn because of the extra awning feature. Similar to the above Easthills Tent with the porch entry, but with this beach tent it has a awning for better sun protection. Any UV beach tent that provides additional shade is great for a family. This tent has a UPF 50+ rating.
The awning is held up by two very heavy duty poles which get submerged into the sand. On either side is a mesh mosquito netting. This awning also acts as a gateway between beach shelter and camping tent. By pulling down the awning, you can zip up the the awning to make it into a 4 person pop up tent suitable for camping.
Alternatively you can use it as a privacy room on the beach when getting changed. Just remember to roll down the 3 long horizontal windows.
Heavy Duty Instant Beach Tent
Of all the tents on this list, if you were thinking about using it for both camping and beach adventures, this WildHorn is the one. Here’s a little more about it.
- Features Ripstop polyester so that the tent doesn’t become prone to tears and holes.
- 56 ft2 of living space with a height of 4’8″.
- Waterproof tent.
- Tough 300D Oxford floors for greater durability when camping.
- Sand pockets to weight the tent down while on the beach.
- Packs down to fit in a compact carry bag.
- Lightweight and portable.
Stand Out Beach Tent
When you pop this tent up in mere seconds, you will be the stand out on the beach. Not too many other beach tents have a shaded awning attached to their tent. This feature alone makes the WildHorn a great investment. But not only for on the beach, but for your next camping trip.
Best Pop Up Beach Canopy
Similar to the beach cabana this pop up beach canopy is also quite tall and easy to set up. When you just need temporary protection from the sun and the wind, this LightSpeed Outdoors beach canopy is a good option.
There’s a few things that make the LightSpeed canopy one of the better models on the market. These are:
- Extra tall ceiling height of 6’4″. So most people can confidently stand under this shelter without hitting the ceiling.
- Comes with a wind barrier wall. As the beach can be a windy place, its always a good idea to have a side wall to stop the flow of wind. The wall also acts as a shade wall for increased protection from the sun. UPF50+ rated.
- Very easy to put up. While it looks complicated, it really isn’t. You can literally have it set up in under a minute.
To set up this Lightspeed beach gazebo style tent you need to first take it out of the carry bag. Grab the center plastic piece that is the center of the ceiling. Pull down on the drawstring and the canopy pops open.
From there you extend the poles on each of the legs and snap them into positions. Strap the material to the frame and you are good to enjoy the rest of the day on the beach. Place your gear in the 2 large storage pockets and race the kids into the water.
When it comes to packing it away, fold it down into the carry case. As it weighs just over 9 pounds, there shouldn’t be any issues getting it back to your car. Very light and compact beach canopy.
