Adventure Canopies Kayak Sun Shade - 10 Foot & Larger Single Person Kayaks

First, the only con: It doesn't come in orange.Bought two of these in blue and one in yellow.I was a bit concerned about the material before ordering.I had read a bunch of reviews, between this one and another sun shade.The other had the option to fold back out of the way when not wanted/needed. But this seemed to be a nightmare waiting to happen and a solution to a problem we hadn't found yet. (How would you reach 10' behind you to pull up the shade again, while in the kayake.)So we decided to go with these.I contacted the vender and asked a few questions about the material, they promptly and politely answered every question I had with the answers I was expecting. I had hoped for an SPF rating, but they didn't have one. And were up front to give that answer (kudos for honesty).We decided to go with the heavier material. You can see some small speckles of light through the material. It is cloth after all. But it is very strong material.I saw no flaws in the craftsmanship. Stitches seem clean/strong/straight. (Not like the 'stuff' from across the globe.) This stuff is made in America. And it shows it proudly. Not just with a tag on the back, but in the quality. (I wouldn't be writing such a long review if it wasn't worth it.)They are stronger than I expected. Our first time out with the kayaks after installing them we were caught in a thunder storm and down pour on the Coal River. Although they didn't do anything to protect our legs, they did keep our upper body dry. Rain did not penetrate the material at all. It has some kind of water proof coating that repels water. Water beading after the storm was still good on the material. We did not have any problems with the canopies popping out of place or causing the kayaks to pull. We paddled at least 2 miles in rain, my head never got wet.The install took about 45 minutes on the first kayak, as I was being cautious as to where I would mount them.I am a man, and I admit, I used the instructions (Mostly). The instructions seemed odd at first, but once I realized what they were getting at, made sense. Follow the guild as to which end to start with. I did not use a drill to drill holes first. I wanted the plastic to retain as much gurth around the screw as possible. So I used an electric screw gun (on low/med speed), to screw the stainless screws into place. Apply a fair pressure to the screws and do not over tighten. Don't be afraid to turn the chuck down, but don't let the chuck ratchet more than a couple clicks. Doing so could cause the holes to tear out. The supplied hardware is stainless. The screws are just the right length to get the job done, but not stick way into the hull of the boat and be a concern. There is no backer inside for the screws to go into. So if you plan to stuff a wet bag into the hull, you might want to make a backer plate or screw thread/point caps.Unfolding the canopies for the first time is awkward as you don't know how it's really supposed to go together.Don't be afraid of it. It is strong. When you get to the center cross bar, slide one T into place, then the other. After that, then stretch it wide and force one end of the cross member into a T. Then force the other.Suggestion: I removed the back flat strap buckles and fed the strap through the flat slot of the T connectors. Then I re-installed the buckles. This forces the canopy to stay square on the frame.This can be a one man/woman install job. But it is a lot easier with two.Sizing was spot on, using the sizing chart.We installed one onto each of the following model kayaks.Pelican 10'Old Town Vaper 10 Placed the back holders to the sides of the storage space, I used some bulk 5/32" bungy cord to make a loop from the top back of the canopy to the rear carry handle, this holds the canopy legs into the holders, which are nearly facing straight up on the back. This is a design issue with the Vaper, not the canopy. This forms a V shape from the handle to the top sides of the back of the canopy.Old Town Lune 111 (This is an older Lune, with a very long opening. No problems) I plan to do the same bungy cord strap on the back of this kayak as well.The bungy cord I used is just bulk bungy on a roll I bought 500' off amazon a couple years ago. threaded it through the top of the canopy behind where your head will be. tied an 8-on-a-bite on each end, and used a 1$ carebeaner to latch it to the handle. This puts downward pressure into the sockets.The kit came with extra parts to adjust the length of the rod legs for different kayak lengths. I did not have to use them. But they were well packaged, appreciated, and cut and sanded well on the ends. Again, good craftsmanship.Care: Make sure you rinse them off and leave them out to dry before packing them away. Given the quality, I expect these to last us many years.They are a bit expensive. (try buying three of them at once.). But they do a great job shading and keeping us cooler on the water.

I actually reversed it on my kayak so my dog had all the shade.

This is my third purchase of Adventure Canopy, now every family member has a kayak canopy. I have fair skin and my family is prone to skin cancer, so this is a God send. I'm able to stay out on the lake longer than I normally would. It's also nice to just sit back and relax without getting overheated by the sun beating down.

I’ve been looking for shade protection in my kayak for several years. All of the other sunshades that I have been looking at seemed very flimsy and didn’t seem to get very good reviews. When I came across the Adventure Canopy, it seemed to be better than anything else I had seen. I decided to pull the trigger and buy it. I have a lot of accessories on my kayak, but by far this is the best accessory that I have ever purchased for my kayak. The quality in the service have been nothing but top-notch.

I really like the simplicity of this shade, that you can pack it up quickly and stow it in your kayak. Once you've installed the permanent fixtures both front and rear, putting this thing on takes about 60 seconds. I like the quality of the fiberglass rods and their connectors, not some cheap aluminum tubing, but heavy duty fiberglass rods that can take the flex of high winds.I will say that the paper instructions that come with this could use some updating, but these days most folks turn to YouTube, where you'll find great instructions on how to install this. It took me about 30 minutes, but that was because I like the confidence to commit to drilling into my kayak, so I probably watched the YouTube instructions 20 times before I committed to it. However, if you mess up, and need to move the permanent feet backwards or forwards, the worst of it is you may have to fill two little tiny screw holes with silicone, and then you are right as rain.I also appreciated that the package came with rod extenders, just in case your kayak or your height required a little bit more to the flexible rods. Well considered and well thought out, and that's one of the reasons I like this rig so much.

I've seen the question asked "Is this canopy worth it? It's almost as much as my kayak!" Here's my answer:1. The quality of the workmanship and the fact that it's made in the USA - makes this canopy worth the price!2. The amazing, considerate, extreme customer service from the seller - makes this canopy worth the price!3. The sturdy, yet lightweight materials, smart design, convenient carrying case, ease of install/removal - makes this canopy worth the price!4. The exceptional shade it provides, tripling the time we can spend on the kayak and making that time more enjoyable - makes this canopy worth the price!It's true what they say: "you get what you pay for." This time, it's possible, we got just a tiny bit more. :-)

Easy to install. Works great for rain and sun. Felt sorry for all the people on the river that didnt have one.Got caught in a severe thunderstorm. A tornado touched down nearby. Wind blew the canopy off. It was so strong almost flipped my boat. So understandable. The front tie downs held up. Had to ferry across the river in a strong current to get out and take shelter. The cover was actually under the boat in the current. But stayed with me becausw of the tie downs. Got to the bank pulled it out of the water. My girlfriend and I used it as a shelter from the wind and torrential rain. Saved our butts basically. Just glad I had it!