Customer Reviews

Coleman Road Trip Beach Shade

5 star:		(70)
4 star:		(35)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

We used our beach shelter today for the first time in San Diego, CA - had a few people actually stop and ask us where we got it. We didn't see another one (or any other type of beach tent) on the beach at all!

Like the other reviews stated, it was easy to set up and easy to break down. Not as easy as popping up an umbrella, which is probably why there weren't any on the beach. I would say it took the two of us about 12 minutes to set up and about as much to break down (where an umbrella takes about 30 seconds) - next time it'll be quicker I'm sure, but even so it's well worth the small effort.

The front zippered flap that folds out and lays flat does indeed have two spikes to hold it. I wonder if the other reviewer just got shorted. I can see also that the metal spikes could be easily lost in the sand, I'm sure our local REI can hook us up with some heavy duty plastic versions.

Something not mentioned is that the mesh bag that the tent comes in has hooks built into it so that you can clip it to the inside top of the tent and use it as a pouch to store stuff off the ground. Very handy!

We have two of those "Rio" brand beach chairs and were able to both sit inside the tent when we wanted to be in the shade.

I looked at several different tents, and most of them cost twice as much. This tent was indeed a bargain and I highly recommend it.

We ordered this cabana because we wanted something to protect our 1 year old from the sun at the beach, with more coverage than an umbrella. We've used this once at the beach so far, and it seems to do the job pretty well. It's pretty easy to set up, though not as easy as the pop-up versions -- but those usually cost significantly more. It's very lightweight, too. My husband, my baby, and I fit comfortably under the shade in sitting positions, and could stretch out with our legs sticking out, too, with minimal sun exposure.

Some criticisms: 1) I think they should include two more stakes for the "door" so you can secure it in the down position. 2) It would be better if there were some smaller "windows" higher up, other than the rear window/door. The way it is now, you only get air flow by opening the rear window/door, and in certain conditions, this would significantly reduce your shade area in the cabana. 3) When at the beach, it's a little tough to fold up the fabric properly without trapping sand in it. Beaches are usually fairly breezy, and if you try to fold it from being flattened on the ground (as is the proper way), the flapping fabric and blowing sand is quite annoying.

In short, if you don't want to spend twice as much money for the pop-up, spring type, then this should suit you just fine.

I took this shelter on our beach vacation and I couldn't have lived without it. It sets up easily and breaks down just as easy. I have a 7 month old and he pretty much lived in there while we were at the beach. I love the privacy door for nursing. The older kids did a quick change too! It also has a back window/door that can either be a screen or a wide open door for air to pass through. On hot days at the beach it was a nice option to leave the door open to get a breeze. The only drawback is it comes with stainless steel stakes which I find to be useless at the beach. I have already lost a few in the sand. If it came with the plastic camping ones I think that would be a better fit. I definitely recommend this product.

I camp a lot and this shelter makes tent #6 for me. After reading all the great reviews, I purchased this in order to have our infant on the beach. I don't know what Coleman was thinking. The sleeves that you insert the fiberglass "poles" in to are made of a weak mesh. The metal tips on the poles ripped through the mesh the first time I set this up on the beach, and only continued to rip as the vacation went on. Forget about setting it up in wind. I'm disappointed with the product.

I purchased the Coleman Road Trip Beach Shade at Amazon prior to a family spring-break beach trip to Naples, FL. At the same time, I purchased the Sport-brella XL from Amazon. I used both on the trip.

The primary benefit to the Beach Shade is that it packs up into a very small package. I haven't measured, but I would guess that it is 18 inches long (and only 6 inches tall / deep). It has a convenient handle to carry and weighs a few pounds (lighter than the beach chairs). The Beach Shade is a very good tent design and provides good shade at the beach. There are three collapsable poles that you need to push through sleeves in the tent. Once accomplished, the tent is up. Then, you have to anchor the tent with the stakes and / or sand bags. This tent is a piece of cake to setup with TWO people; it takes us about 15 minutes. It would challenging for one person to set this up-- especially if it was windy. When anchored properly, the tent isn't going anywhere. We used it on a windy day with no problem.

Advantage over Sport-brella
(1) More shade for a longer period-- given the "tent" design.
(2) Small size when packed up.
(3) Has a floor so you are not sitting in sand. The floor extends to the front of the tent.
(4) Can close front and use as "changing room."

Disadvantage over Sport-brella
(1) Harder to install than Sport-brella. Better to have two people install.
(2) Inside of tent gets hot.

Criticisms:

(1). Although it creates adequate shade, the inside of the tent gets pretty HOT. It was 85-90 degrees Farenheit at the beach. We needed to open the rear window in order to stand it-- which takes away from the shade. (We had no such problem with the sport-brella, but the Coleman is more of a tent).
(2). Rear window has open, 1/2 open, and closed. Given the heat issue, it would nice to have other options-- especially given that you must open the window due to heat.
(3). It would be really nice to have some smaller side or top windows like the Sport-brella.

Bottom line. I will definitely use the Beach Shade again. Our family requires two "cabanas," so we can use both the Sport-brella and the Beach Shade. If you only need one, I recommend the Sport-brella-- unless (1) you require the smaller size when packed up or (2) the ability to use it as a quick changing-room is appealing.

Think of it as 1/2 a dome tent. Its a pretty decent setup and well made...maybe not completely beach ready tho.

Sand in the shock poles can make it next to impossible to take apart at the end of the day and the whole thing doesnt drain sand_at_all. Get ready to do a lot of shaking.

If you plan to be on the beach for the entire day, its a great shelter to bring along. If you're going down for a few hours, just bring an umbrealla. This would be a little too much effort to put up and tear down.

Living in South Florida, the beachese are a part of life. With two little ones (2 and 5) and another on the way, the sun is a problem. This beach shelter is the solution.

First of all, I have to say this gets four stars instead of five for one simple reason-- the first time we tried this was a mess-- a comedic typical mess in retrospect but not a fun one on the hot sand under a hot sun with a 5 year old itching for the water and a 2 year old hating being on the sand and being hot. It also didn't help I was 8 months pregnant and my husband had to pretty much do it on his own with only guidance from me. I think the problem for us was we got confused between the window and the door. My husband got really frustrated and gave up on the thing. I calmly sat and looked the directions over, and played with the flapping fabric while he coated the kids in sunblock and realized our mistake. Once we figured that we had gotten things mixed up, it was up in about five minutes. And that is not an exagerration. The other mistake we made was we used the stakes instead of the sand bag method. Although the stakes worked for most of the tent, there was one corner that kept coming up and when I read through the instructions and saw the sand bag section, I fixed it and that was the end of that. Take down was really simple. The beach experience was awesome. My daughter and I spent most of the time in the comfy shade with the wind blowing through. I put up the wet clothes on the line inside, and hung up the bag with stuff in it. This shelter is a MUST even if you don't have little ones. It keeps your things out of sight, cool, and comfy. I am really glad we got it and that we stuck it out through the first attempt at set up.

This is an excellent beach shelter at a great price! We are a family of 6 and this shelter did the job! It is easy to spot on a busy beach. It holds up great in the wind when sand bags are used (we found wet sand works best). Our baby slept great protected from wind, sand and sun! It can be a little tricky putting it up in wind and hot sand, but took only about 5 minutes, once we knew what we were doing. (You might want to take a dry run at putting it together before you are standing on the beach trying to keep track of all your children! :) If you are looking for something more than an umbrella to set up "home base" at the beach, pool, park etc., then this is a great item!

Not too difficult to put up after a little practice. Gave the shade that I was looking for but second use, shock cord broke on main pole. Warranty should cover this but a hassle to send back after only 2 uses.

Did the job of protecting mom & baby from sun. Lots of room. Easy set-up/take-down (we had two people to set it up while mom held the baby - might be a little hard with only one - no harder then other tents?). Light weight and small; easy to transport and store. Sand in zipper bags put inside the sand bags was a good tip I got. Back door was great cross vent (we only unzipped it a bit so we got the breeze but no sun). The one day it was very windy we struggled a bit, but putting friends beach bags inside the corners of the tent helped and they were glad to store their stuff in our tent. A 3-4" paint brush works great for sweeping out the tent while you're in it (or sweeping off your feet before going in).