ALPS Mountaineering Tri-Awning, Sage, 15-Feet x 15-Feet x 15-Feet

I think this is the best shade tent ever!!! I read all the reviews before buying and I have found that it exceeded my expectations. I used it for music festival camping and it did great. I had many people stop by and ask where I got it. The triangle shade flap is able to be clipped onto two of the three sides. Made it easy to move the shade from morning to afternoon sun. We had wind one day. With the flap in place, the wind pushed on the tent and it started to lean. When I removed the flap the wind passed through easily. I didn't use the tie downs, but can see where this would make it super steady in the wind.I am a big guy, so I was able to put the tent up myself. I can see where some people would need help getting the pole into the hole. The tension is pretty tough. Like with all my other tents, Went to Walmart and bought the stronger tent stakes. I do this for all my tents. The stakes that come with tents are a joke. Overall, I love my new shade tent!

I purchased one of these in 2013 and used it infrequently at the beach, it held up pretty well and performed well. One of the sections of one of the poles split, so I bought a second Tri-Awning and also a shock-corded pole repair kit. I tried several times to use the new one but it was a little different and I could never seem to get it to work in even the slightest breeze. It would move alarmingly and buck and careen around in such a way as to be completely useless. I chased it down the beach on more than one occasion and just ended up taking it apart and putting it away each time I tried to use it. I resolved to learn how better to secure it and reasoned that I must be doing something differently from the times I'd previously used the one I bought in 2013. One difference I noticed right away was that the new one lacks a loop in the inside center by which the whole thing can be anchored to a sand anchor or heavy object. Just recently, I was trying to repair the old 2013 Tri-Awning pole but ran out of time and so I pulled out the newer Tri-Awning and was going to just use one of its poles with the old awning when I discovered that the poles are not the same diameter. The newer ones are thinner and THAT explains why I could never get the new one to function usefully on the beach.

Pros:- Fairly easy to assemble. Possible with one adult, but easier with two.- Adjustable height based on where you stake the legs.- Decent amount of shade- Poles stood up to being flexed on a windy beach. (We didn't stake it out with cord, only at the 3 feet, so it bent quite a bit in the wind.)Cons:- Substandard construction for outdoor gear IMO. One of the grommets wasn't fastened properly, so the pole end wouldn't fit through it. When I finally worked on the grommet to widen it and forced it on, the grommet ripped out when disassembling.- The geometry of this shade doesn't stand up to wind in the beach. It is too much like a kite when the wind hits the side or gets up under it. I will probably return this and look at a Sport-brella XL. Saw these sitting quite well in the wind on our beach with comfortable people inside, without the need for added guy lines.

I used this awning on a recent car camping trip with a friend. We each nosed one tent into the side openings (as shown in the photo) and left the high opening in front as our entry/exit point, making a nice little common space (or a really big vestibule for my REI Quarter Dome backpacking tent!). The awning was plenty high for an average-sized woman to move around in; a tall man would have to duck a bit, but then how much walking around would you plan to do once you are under there? One day it rained quite a bit: the awning did not leak and the water did not soak through even though it took until the next afternoon to fully dry. The awning is large and so two of the poles are quite long, but I found it straightforward to set up/take down, even when I tried it on my own. The poles are quite heavy duty and each pole is shock-corded together. They had a tendency to disconnect while I was putting them into/out of the pole sleeves, but it was a simple matter to connect them again. I am a bit concerned about whether the poles will eventually tear through the fabric at the end of each pole pocket, since I could see the fabric was quite stressed there when the awning was up. It would have been nicer if those parts of the awning had been reinforced or made of heavier fabric. The awning packs easily into its own carrying bag, which has handles, and is reasonably lightweight (for car camping, not for backpacking). I am very pleased with my purchase, I think it is good value for the price, and I look forward to using it again.

Took this bad boy to Death Valley where shade is practically nonexistent. There was a lot of wind in the evening. We used hard core stakes and it did just fine. We also faced it away from the wind (with the triangle attachment in place), so that helped the wind pass over it instead of through it.Setup was super easy, didn't bother reading in the instructions. Can assemble it on my own but two people is quicker. Despite what I read in some reviews, the quality and durability wasn't concerning. While we've only used it on one trip so far, I'm surprised to hear others had it rip on them. I imagine this shelter can last for years of camping trips if taken good care of. The triangular attachment can be put on either of two sides (on side is taller than the other two), which was nice. The height change is a handy feature as well. Packs up small, and is easy to get back into the bag.Only room for improvement?1) Would love it if there was a second triangular attachment. Although it might create too much of a sail in wind, in no wind situations it would be a nice option.2) Would be great if there was a loop to hang a lantern from in the center!Usually go on at least three camping trips a year—will update this review if anything notable happens.