Customer Reviews

Skincom Solartent Premium

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I bought this tent because I wanted to have something that I could take with me on trips. It was important to me that it be light and small enough to pack in a suitcase. This fit both those requirements. I used it at the beach. It was awesome for sun coverage for two, using beach chairs. The design is great because it allows you to still see all around, unlike some of the other beach tents. Also, its adjustable shade allows you to slowly slide the shade so that you get coverage as the sun makes its way across the sky. I've been thinking about getting a second one, so that I could 'camel-back' them together for an even larger shade area.

This failure of a claimed swiss (student) engineering design is a disaster from setting up to withstanding the lightest breeze. Not easy to setup. Actually had to look at the manual several times before it made sense. The structure collapsed a dozen times on my kids even after trying to weigh it down with sand. The pegs are no use for the beach. It mentions about digging a hole in the sand to bury the posts. Buy this if you want to be laughing spectacle at your local beach.
I always wonder why the only 5* rating is so over the top biased.

We purchased this product for our yearly family trip to upstate new york. At the time of purchase there were no reviews, and I should have taken that as a sign but I decided to give it a shot instead, after all it was a reputable company and had won two awards. We mainly purchased this item because one of our family members in in a wheelchair and cannot step into most of the other solar tents on the market, we also have a toddler who we didn't want to get sun burned. It was stylish, compact, flat, easy to transfer to and the fact that you can rotate the shade to block the sun over the course of the day we thought was an awesome feature.

Reality:

We had previously set it up in our family room in under 10 minutes but didn't think that it would take us so long outside. The idea is great in theory, it worked fabulous in our family room where there was absolutely no wind and no sand to stake it into. My hubby and I sat under it and envisioned how trendy we would look laying out reading our kindle and drinking our adult lemonade* wink* Once we got to the "beach" (it was a manmade lake for heaven's sakes) and tried to set the tent up, we knew we were in trouble! It took 2 grown men and myself (26 yr old petite female) over 40 minutes to set this up, and even then two of the plastic discs that keep the stakes in the sand actually cracked. Putting sand in the little sand bags did nothing, and we got creative and placed anything we could find to try to keep this tent from flying away. It was such a spectacle to see, and after the initial embarrassment of attempting to set it up, we had to contend with physically holding the tent still when a slight breeze came along. What happened you might ask yourself, the answer is wind. This tent can't handle even the slightest wind, it sways back and forth at even the most minimal amount of wind.

Again we were in a man made lake with a light breeze. We are from NJ and if this tent couldn't handle the breeze in a manmade swimming hole there is no way it would survive in the NJ shore or any beach I've set foot on from here to Florida.

Amazon gladly issued us a refund and we were even more glad to see that piece of plastic gone. Overall please save yourself the hassle, yes it looks cool at first glance but you aren't going to look cool acting a fool trying keep the tent from flying away.

This Solartent works great at blocking the sun while allowing good ventilation to keep you cool. It is one of the few tents I have seen that easily allow you to move its top portion to follow the sun. It also seems to hold up well in windy conditions. Most times I could set it up and take it down in about 15 minutes. While it is expensive, I think this tent is made of quality components and is worth the price.

Love the concept: lite weight, adjustable shade
Downside: cumbersome to assemble. Decade- old engineering

Product is of good quality and looks like it will last through many seasons....PROBLEM--We ordered a blue and were sent a cream. Could not contact shipper as our order number was not in the system. Amazon needs to enter data faster. We still want a blue cover....not the cream!!!