[Edited on 8/6/14 to add: I continue to love this thing. I've used it while camping as a personal port-a-potty for my daughter who has a digestive disorder and the bathroom was going to be too far away. A bucket, plastic bag, and some kitty litter was perfect. I do recommend emptying it each time if you do this. I also took it to a water park and a pool recently. My kids were able to change right there next to our chairs and tables both times without having to change in a messy bathroom or changing room. The park was both a water park and amusement park. Each kid changed multiple times. Easy and convenient! I took it to the beach and had the kids change from suits into wet suits without having to do the towel thing. LOVE the convenience of this thing.]
I love this thing. It was on the lower-end of the price spectrum for this kind of item. And the #1 complaint wasn't its construction or sturdiness. The #1 complaint was folding it back up. I have used pop-up hampers for a long time and have had various kids' play structures that function similarly. So I figured I would be better at folding it up than your average buyer. Yes, I was being overly confident.
As I was unpacking it the first time I paid close attention to how it unfolded so I could refold it (turns out it doesn't work that way). Then when I tried to fold it according to the printed instructions I thought, "Uh oh... all those reviews were right. This thing is a beast to fold! I didn't want to force it because that will bend the metal frame. So I turned to YouTube. I found a video titled "Folding the Privacy Pop Up Tent" posted by PrivacyPopUpTent (I used to have a link to the video, but it got stripped out). The guy is great. But I still had a hard time doing it. His shelter top was bending over nicely as he folded. Mine stayed rigid. I couldn't figure out why. I found other written instructions (which were more confusing than the box). I refolded the shelter to see if I had the "wrong side" out. Nope. Didn't matter. I went back to the video and really looked at where he was holding it and what side he had up. Finally I figured out my mistake. I was holding the shelter too far up from the base. Once I pulled my hands down to the bottom wide edge (not up along the sides at all) I discovered the top of my tent would fold down toward the ground on its own with little to no effort on my part. Once that happens it's easy to follow the rest of the video and fold it up and get it back in its case.
Other than that it's nice sized for adults, is fairly sturdy with tie-downs, the fabric is light-weight but strong, and it goes up quickly and comes down with minimal fuss. It's going to be nice to have something to change in at the beach. But I might take it out every now and then and remind myself how to fold it... ;-)
| Brand | Matter Of Time, Inc |
|---|---|
| Material | Polyester |
| Color | GREEN |
| Item Weight | 5 Pounds |
| Frame Material | Stainless Steel |
| Closure Type | Strap,Zipper |
| Pole Material Type | Stainless Steel |
| Item Package Dimensions L x W x H | 37.2 x 29.02 x 2.99 inches |
| Package Weight | 3.49 Kilograms |
| Item Dimensions LxWxH | 21.5 x 21.5 x 2.5 inches |
| Brand Name | Matter Of Time, Inc |
| Manufacturer | Matter Of Time, Inc |
| Part Number | PPU |
| Size | 71" H x 44" D x 44" W |
