OT: Beach shades/tents/canopies

[18IsTheMan]

We'll be heading down to Myrtle here at the end of September. We currently have a small tent, but we'll have a couple more folks this time, so looking for something a little larger. Thankfully, after Labor Day, you can have the larger canopies and such. I've found standard beach umbrellas to be pretty much useless.

Anyone here ever use a Shibumi shade? They look pretty nice, but need a constant breeze to stay up, which concerns me slightly. I know there's pretty much a steady breeze on the beach, but don't want the shade flopping down if it ever lets up for a few seconds.

Alternatively looking at a Cool Cabana.

 

[KingWard]

Question is what is allowed in which municipality. There are restrictions in place at various Grand Strand municipalities last I checked.

 

[18IsTheMan]

Question is what is allowed in which municipality. There are restrictions in place at various Grand Strand municipalities last I checked.

We used one in the same area a couple years ago, so it should be fine.

 

[gamecocks94]

Bought a Shibumi last year and love it. I’ve heard the Neso tents are good as well.

 

[Still Cluckin]

The Shibami sales guy must live on IOP or Sullivans...beach covered with them this year.

 

[18IsTheMan]

Bought a Shibumi last year and love it. I’ve heard the Neso tents are good as well.

You ever have any issues with the Shibumi if the wind dies down?

 

[ceed]

You ever have any issues with the Shibumi if the wind dies down?

We had two beach vacations this year, one with a Shibumi and one with a Neso. Some folks that set up beside us every day had a Cool Cabana.

Shibumi - Sets up very quickly and only needs a slight breeze to keep going. The large one is enough for a family to use. The biggest con for these is that they get noisy when the wind picks up and even with normal wind there is a consistent background flapping sound. I also doubt the durability of them long term. Think a flag fraying from flapping hard in the breeze for a long time. One other thing is you have to adjust them to the wind is more or less blowing into the shade directly. Because of this you end up with your Shibumi set up perpendicular to the ocean if the breeze is coming down the beach rather than from the water. They are also way overpriced in my opinion. It's a sheet of parachute material and a single collapsible pole. $190 for mini or $270 for full size.

Neso - Set up is more involved. Must fill the bags with sand, dig a hole for them and anchor the corners. Once we had ours set up how we wanted it, we didn't have to adjust throughout the day. Does not rely on wind, and handled the wind picking up pretty well. Only issue was when a storm blew through the tent was catching too much wind to we took it down. Also the anchors bags are going to be covered in sand after every use, but it's the beach. You can buy extra poles if you want a 4 pole, canopy style, set up. Cost is about half of the Shibumi. Ranges from $100 for smallest to $160 for the largest option.

Cool Cabana - Similar set up time to Neso. Probably a bit faster since it's really a square umbrella with anchored conrners. Very sturdy. The same storm that caused us to put down our Neso and made the Shibumis sound like someone was cracking bullwhips at lightspeed didn't have any effect on our neighbors' Cool Cabana. Packed up, it is bulkier than the other two, but still not particularly large. Also you have a center pole unlike the others. Price comes in between the other two options at $160 for smaller size and $200 for largest.

In my opinion, the Shibumi is over-rated and over-priced unless you prioritize a fast setup and pack-up over absolutely everything. I expect them to get really really popular then die off a bit unless some Chinese brands start pumping them out at lower prices. The Neso put out a nice footprint of shade and packed up nicely, but could be a bit frustrating to set up the first time or two. Cool Cabana was very sturdy, but is the largest of the three when packed up. Since I didn't actually use the Cool Cabana myself I'm going to suggest the largest Neso.

If you do get a Neso, make sure you bury the sand anchors once you've filled them and pull the corners tight.

 

[USCBatgirl21]

We used one in the same area a couple years ago, so it should be fine.

You should probably still double check. Ordinances change yearly.

 

[gamecocks94]

You ever have any issues with the Shibumi if the wind dies down?

I’ve yet to have an issue with there not being a strong enough breeze. Some people will complain about the flapping noise it makes, but I actually kind of enjoy it. You you hear that, you know you’re at the beach and not at work

 

[18IsTheMan]

Well, I ended up going with the Shibumi. It was a good choice, I think. Setup on the first day took me a few minutes to get just the right angle for the wind, but then it was great. It was pretty windy the first day, so it was flapping a good bit, but the amount of shade it provides is nuts. One day the wind was kind of inconsistent so it would fall down a bit, but never for long, and I just moved my chair to side that was shaded anyway. Overall, I give it a B+. The downside is if there is a lack of wind, which was never a prolonged problem for us. Also, if the wind is changing directions every few minutes, it can be challenging, but with as much shade as the Shibumi provides, even if one side blows in a bit, you've still got tons of shade. The upside, is setup and breakdown is ridiculously easy and the amount of shade is crazy. We had 3 adults and we had space to have a table and stretch out and be totally shaded. I did not envy the folks trying to cram into the small shade of a regular beach umbrella.