This is a genius idea. We bought this umbrella, plus an extra shade panel, to bring to a fairly windy beach. We also had a beach tent and a Sport-Brella. Here is how the three compared:
1. Beach tent - for a windy beach, this is our hands-down favorite. Once you put your stuff and a few chairs inside, it's not going to blow away. The model we have has windows on all sides, so the tent tends to stay pretty cool. It takes a little bit more effort and time to put up vs. an umbrella, and some days we just didn't feel like going through the hassle. Putting up a tent with 1 person can be a little challenging, especially on windy days.
2. The Solar Eclipz. This was super-easy to install. (We also bought an anchor to hold in place - essential on this beach, where we usually see an umbrella or two blow away each year.) The SPF protection was great - it actually felt chilly under the umbrella at times (the temp was 75-80 degrees). On non-windy days, the panels where phenomenal.
On windy days, though, the panels were a pain -- lots of flapping. Granted, this could have been "user error." The flaps are easily adjustable so you can make them longer/shorter as needed. Maybe the flapping would have stopped if I had had the patience to keep fiddling with them.
Note, somewhere on Amazon (or maybe it was in the directions) I saw instructions to place 2 panels opposite each other in windy conditions to balance the pull on the umbrella. Doing so did help with the umbrella leaning a bit; however, it also meant that one flap was being blown toward us as we sat under the umbrella.
This umbrella was also nice and lightweight, making it easy for the kids to carry.
3. To me, the Sport-Brella looked perfectly designed to fly away in a stiff breeze. Yet it didn't. It also seemed to be more sturdy - with metal parts vs. heavy plastic, as on the Solar Eclipz. It seemed to be a bit harder to drive the pole into the sand at an angle vs. drilling it in as with the Solar Eclipz.
Bottom line, I'd definitely recommend this product for all but the windiest beaches.
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