Customer Reviews

Swiss Gear 10- by 10-Foot Smart Shade Canopy

5 star:		(63)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(16)

 

 

I ordered this canopy on May 1, 2009 and had been using it for less than a month. One of the cross bars bent at the end where it attaches to the next one. I called customer service twice on Monday to resolve the problem. Each time I was told someone would have to call me back. Wednesday, after no one had called, I called a third time. Customer service said that it "must have been the weather". They would not honor the "10 Year Warranty" and could not sell me a part to repair it. I liked the canopy, but apparently it is not very durable.

I attend a lot of outdoor dog agility trials during the year up here in the northeast. At dog shows it's always bring-your-own shade. I need something that is not too heavy to lug from the van, easy to setup and take down, shade me & the dogs from the sun and hold up to the elements (rain & wind).

I was replacing an old, heavy, EZ-Up after the canopy ripped and one of the release buttons "got lost" inside the leg.

I have used the Swiss Gear canopy 5 times now in intense sun, heavy rain, and LIGHT wind. It is very easy to setup and take down - love the fact that there are no steel buttons to push in (and pinch your fingers) when you are releasing the canopy downwards. The duffel bag is designed well and expands a little, making it easy to stuff the canopy back into it. (Note, like all canopies, it's still going to take 2 people to set it up and take it down.)

The coated canopy keeps the inside MUCH cooler than standard white canopies. I always use the guyouts to tiedown the canopy and stake down the legs - it has stood up well to light wind and heavy rain, but the steel frame doesn't seem sturdy enough to trust it in heavier winds. (The EZ-Up stood up well in high winds)

I think this is an excellent product for this price category. In this price range it seems to be better made and sturdier than most other "cheap" ones I see at the shows. If you don't mind looking like you're the first-aid station (the red cross) <g> - go for it!

I bought this item after reading user reviews about this and competitive products. We were planning a trip to Hart Mountain Wildlife Refuge in Oregon, and expected rain storms for several days. We wanted a shelter/canopy that would stand up to heavy rain and wind conditions. We were not disappointed. This canopy sheds rain like a duck's back.

In regard to setup. I set this up myself while my wife went to register the campsite. I had it up and was fastening the lanyards before she returned in only a few minutes. Although some of the reviews say not to attempt this by yourself, I found that I could walk from corner to corner, pulling the edges out until I had it expanded all the way. Also, the directions say to put the top on before fully expanding it. This is probably the better way to do it, but I found this unnecessary. I simply expanded it and then stretched the top on. This unit comes with pre-attached velcro tabs that securely attach the awning to the skeleton structure so that the wind does not rattle the awning. Very cool. One thing to remember is to attach the velcro tabs all around the inside before telescoping the legs up, otherwise you may not be able to reach the velcro tabs on the ceiling after it is fully up.

Another great thing about this design is that it comes with batwing lanyards at each corner with pre-attached cords. So it is easy to put the guy wires out for added security against the wind. Very convenient design.

We gave it a good test. It rained hard on and off for four days and this baby did not leak any water. After four days of rain, the only moisture I could find was a tiny bit on the name tag that is sewn through the canopy, and there the water wicked through, but did not drip at all.

The overall design is excellent. If you look closely, you will see many features that shout "good design" all over. I have been in product design for 20 years, so I know what is garbage and what has been thought through. This unit is well done.

The only things I would change are: (1) put rings on the ceiling for hanging wet clothing and towels (2) make the sides about two inches wider from top to bottom (all the awnings have this problem), (3) make the guy wire stakes with rings at the end instead of "nail heads," so you can pull them out easier, and (4) make the stuff sack 5% bigger. (Why don't outdoor gear manufacturers understand this?? Sheesh!)

Overall, highly recommended!

I bought this canopy mainly for use at dog shows. Another reviewer using their Swiss Gear in the same environment noted that, because of the Red Cross emblem, you may be mistaken for the first aid tent. Very true.

My purchase decision was based on generally good reviews and a few claims which seemed to set the Swiss Gear apart from its closest competitors:

"Easy-release buttons that don't pinch fingers" - It is true that the buttons won't pinch your fingers, but if you aren't careful about how you position your hands during set-up and take-down, the folding mechanism will just about slice them off. You will hopefully learn from the inevitable first experience, and you should strongly caution well-intentioned but inexperienced helpers.

"Slanted legs increase stability" - Possibly (see next point), but if you acquire the optional side curtains (and you will almost certainly want at least one), they are cut in such a way as to force you to straighten the legs in a way that feels "wrong".

"Batwings and guyouts for added stability in windy conditions" - Good idea, lacking on most comparable canopies. You will want to stake the unit in all but the gentlest conditions, as a sudden gust will induce lift-off. Some canopies have a pressure relief flap, allowing a gust to vent out the top. In a side-by-side comparison, those canopies performed better than the Swiss Gear in breezy conditions, without staking.

"Dual stabilizer arms in each corner provide added eave support" - I had hoped this meant that the frame of the Swiss Gear would be markedly better than the flimsy construction evident on competing units. It isn't. The frame construction is very similar to all the other low-cost canopies I've seen. It is a marvel of minimalist engineering, built just strong enough to survive the rigors of set-up and the ravages of gravity. There are many probable points of failure, and lack of caution during set-up, sudden weather conditions, or time will undoubtedly cause some marginal component to break earlier than you'd wish.

"Canopy is enhanced with a special fade- and UV-resistant coating to ensure durability" - The canopy is white, so I'm curious to know how fade resistance comes into play. The material does have a slightly reflective coating on one side, and the canopy is notably cooler in direct sun than many I've seen. Darker colors are popular with competing canopies, so the Swiss Gear's white top is an advantage anyway.

"Canopy packs in an expandable wheeled duffel bag" - True enough. The bag is identical to those supplied with competing canopies. They probably come from the same source, which means that the same engineering defect is present no matter which brand you buy. Thankfully, the bag has wheels. It also has a large pocket for storing the canopy fabric on the exterior. Unfortunately, this pocket is on the same side as the wheels. If you can picture it, this means that if you wheel the bag to a position and lay it down (it will only stand upright on a perfectly level surface), the bulging pocket causes the whole thing to roll over onto its back like a submissive dog. Cute, but it means that you have to perform a 40 lb dead lift to get it back onto its wheels. A simple design oversight, but very inconvenient when loading and unloading from the back of a van, for instance.

When I purchased this canopy, there was a shortage of the aforementioned optional side curtains. I waited 2 months to get mine. Besides not being compatible with the sloping legs, the curtains have a very fussy attachment system of tiny metal hooks and rings attached to elastic material. People who are good at threading sewing needles will think nothing of it, but the simple Velcro straps that the competition employs are much easier to use.

I'll give this product 4 stars and a slight advantage over its direct competition, which would get 3.5 stars. A 5 star rating is reserved for something like the "Fast Shade" canopy I saw at a recent dog show. It positively exuded quality, and at 3 times the price will probably last 10 times as long. They even solved the wheel/canopy pocket problem.

For our casual and careful use, I'm hopeful that the Swiss Gear will last a few years. If that's good enough for you, then it's a decent buy. For more rigorous use, prepare to spend a lot more.

I am extremely pleased with the 10 x 10' canopy I ordered from Swiss Gear. It is very easy to set up (can be done alone, but is much easier with two people). It is great quality and comes with the stakes if you are using it on grass. I recommend purchasing 4 cinderblocks to use at the corners if there are extreme winds. It comes in an attractive rolling, zippered bag and lifts right out. The actual canopy material is high grade and has 8 velcro straps for extra protection around the horizontal poles at the top, once the canopy is on. It is just as easy to disassemble and put back into the rolling bag. Price is great and I'll enjoy using it for years to come.

I bought this and used it once tailgating when the wind broke a cross brace. When I e-mailed the company to buy a replacement part, here was their response...

"I am sorry to hear about your canopy. Unfortunately we do not have replacement parts for that particular canopy. In fact, there aren't parts made for it at all. I am very sorry that the pieces broke. If there is anything else we can do to help you please let us know"

I will never buy another Swissgear or Wenger product again and suggest a Caravan Canopy or any other well made canopy that is stood behind by the company that makes it. Don't waste you money on this one!

Our club purchased two. Used each twice. Standing side by side, one frame broke under rain water. No wind mind you - just water that puddled on the canopy.

A call to Swiss Gear/Wenger revealed that there are no replacement parts available and that the advertised 10 year warranty excludes any kind of weather - like what else do you need these for.

Very disatisfied - and we are out $100+ on this piece of junk.

The tent is easy to put up and light enough for one person to easily carry it. Well, yes, it is a bit bulky, but all pop up tailgate canopies are...It is lighter than all the EZ-up tents we have.

We've been tailgating several years with 2 old EZups. The are heavier and a little hard to get to lock in position when raise the canopy on the legs. Three years ago we started looking for an additional tent. We got several off-brand ones around town that tore up after a few uses. One the locking buttons just fell out and got lost...and the leg followed soon after; another was a non-easy-up and had to be put together, which is not convenient. Last year, we gave in and bought an additional EZup, an Embassy II with duralast top. Well, it was so stiff that mid-way through this tailgate season, we ripped one of the support bars trying to lock the canopy in the open position. I'm not kidding - it took a ton of force to open it up. We were not "doing something wrong"; we are experienced with pop ups. Fed up, I looked to Amazon and read reviews. I am completely happy with this tent the two times we got to use it. It is more of a silverish tent than pure white, but we didn't have a problem with that.

The only downside to the tent is it does feel a tiny bit flimsier than EZups we have. However, it still seems sturdy enough. I'm not sure that it would stand up in high winds, but we don't tailgate in tornados. Also, we did not stake it, which would probably help some.

In summary, the price was right, amazon prime delivered on time, the tent is great.

This canopy is sturdy and well made. It is very easy to set up and take down. We have used it several times and it has work great. It keeps you out of the sun and rain, looks good and keeps you cool! With the wind shield in place it has been our favorite piece of event equipment.

So my last canopy died catastrophically in the wind. I was looking for a sturdier model to replace it. I picked this model largely on the reviews it received.

So far, the product I've used seems very different than the product in the reviews. The first time I set up the canopy, a lower leg section came free of the frame. Though it was an easy fix, it wasn't what I was hoping for out of a brand new product. Now, after about a week of casual use, there's a kink in one of the roof struts.

While I realize that $130 isn't a tremendous amount, I certainly expected to get more than a couple weeks out of a canopy. I'm very disappointed and would not recommend this canopy.