7 Best Beach Tent

Tell me what beach sun tent you choose, and I will tell you how much you'll enjoy your time on the shore. Knowing that there are plenty of options out there won’t help you much. After all, there are also just as many details that can make or break your getaway.

For once, you should avoid tents that are difficult to pack, carry, or set up. At the same time, beware of the models that are too small or not sturdy enough for wind. But there are many other aspects to take into account when looking for tents for the beach.

Features and specs are just as important as the design. And so, we’ve compiled a thorough list that will help you choose wisely. If anything, keep in mind that even the most beautiful shade tents for beach can prove useless unless they fit your needs and expectations.

Throughout this guide, you’ll encounter some of the make-it-or-break-it points for a beach shelter. And you’ll also get the chance to take a closer look at the 7 best beach tent options currently on the market.

In the end, you should be able to make a perfect choice. Do you think you’ll share our opinion on the winning product?

A beach shade tent should be lightweight, roomy, and easy to handle. Sun, wind, and water resistance are also important features to have at hand. But other than that, there isn’t a right or wrong choice. The best beach sun shade is the one that would genuinely fit your camping style, preferences, and needs.

Below, we will highlight 9 main categories of features you might want to consider. We will discuss them in subsections and give you specific examples as taken out from the reviews of the best portable beach tent models we could find.

By going through all this valuable information, you’ll get a clearer picture of what you need. Let’s dive in!

Size

Without a doubt, the best beach sun shade must offer shade to everyone joining you! And so, size translates into how many people will fit inside. But, also, into the comfort that they will enjoy. 

Can you sit up? Can you bring in the beach chairs? Do you have to sit on the floor so that you won’t hit the top with your head? What is the peak height, and how much floor space do you have?

Large Beach Tents

Large beach tents are usually family tents. They should easily accommodate three to four persons. And beach chairs fitting in shouldn’t be a luxury, either. If you can find a beach shelter with, let’s say, a 7-feet peak height, it is undoubtedly well worth your attention.

Small Beach Tents

Small beach tents are more like for one, maximum two persons. Height won’t necessarily be a problem. But you must expect for a tighter floor space. And as you’ll see below, the type of beach shade tent can also play a significant role in how it is designed and sized.

Type

There are many different types, from one-to-two-person umbrella-style models to larger shade tents for beach or pop up tents. A simple classification would sum it up to canopy, cabana, and pop up tents. But go ahead and take a look at the following subtypes. For inspiration, and just so you can better pinpoint what it is that you need.

Beach Tent Canopy

A canopy is rather a tent frame than an actual beach sun tent. You get a structure and a cover to protect you from the sun. And that may be everything you need. Do not worry, it can still collapse to a portable size. 

Such a model has the advantage that it usually offers you a more generous peak height. Also, depending on the design, you can have two or even three full, mesh, or semi-transparent walls.

Pop Up Beach Tents

A pop up product is one of your best beach tent options. You simply unpack it, set it down, and watch it pop up into a full-sized tent. More often than not, it comes sized for two persons. But you will find versions to accommodate more than that.

Just so you know, this type of portable beach tent can be a breeze to set up, but a pain to take down. It takes a learning curve for the latter.

Baby Beach Tent

Heading to the beach with children might require a special setting. Depending on the children’s ages, you could look for general baby beach tents, but also for a toddler beach tent, or an infant beach tent.

A baby beach tent can be any small shade tent. Usually, you’ll find a three-sided tent with a large frontal opening, and you’ll consider it perfect to protect your baby. If you have a toddler or an older infant, any larger tent where you can put in a small inflatable pool and some toys will work well.

Family Beach Tents

Family beach tents can mean anything, from one family to another. Extra-large versions are usually labeled as such. If it’s just you and your spouse, a two-person tent can be your best family beach tent. Long story short, most products tagged as family tents should comfortably accommodate 3-4 persons.

Dog Beach Tent

Dog beach tents are usually made of weather-resistant materials and feature a pop-up design. As much as people want to spoil their pooches, nobody wants to spend extra time setting up a dog tent. So, just focus on the dimensions, because they do come in all sizes. The pop-up, fold-flat design should be a part of the offer.

Weather Conditions

The best beach sun shade must offer you UV and wind protection. You’re expecting weather to be sunny and occasionally windy, so you want top protection against these conditions. You cannot expect it to stand up under heavy rain, but it is certainly a big winner if it does.

UV Protection

Some tents for the beach are made of UV protected materials. Others are just treated with some UV blocking chemicals. With an SPF protection of 30+, sometimes even 50+, you can expect to benefit from some kind of UV protection.

An SPF30+ will block about 96% of the radiation, whereas an SPF50+ will block around 98%. So, the difference isn’t that big, and there is certainly no beach tent with 100% UV protection out there. As a special tip, the darker the tent’s color, the more UV rays it will absorb.

Wind

Most shade tents for the beach are designed to repel wind, to some extent. The average products won’t put much emphasis on it, however. This means that a tent that truly withstands wind should offer protection from winds of at least 20 mph.

This capacity depends on the strength of the fabric. But, also, on how you secure the tent and what type of structure it has.

Weight

The bigger your beach sun tent, the heavier you can expect it to be. The extra fabric is just one reason for it. But you can also blame it on the structure, the additional stakes, the larger carry bag, and so on. Some portable beach tents out there weigh less than 3 pounds. Others go well over 8 pounds. Lots of options, so to say.

Lightweight

Want to get the best beach tent size without compromising on a lightweight design? There is a winning combo: breathable polyester with fiberglass frame. The frame is sturdy but flexible and lightweight. The fabric is super lightweight and water-repellent. Such a structure could weigh around 4 pounds.

Pricing Range

Just like with any other camping equipment, there’s a wide range of prices you get to choose from. Contrary to your expectations, a cheap beach tent can still offer you plenty of the options we discussed above. Sometimes, the brand will raise the price tag more than you’d want, but that’s something you would expect.

For your reference, the pricing range for a two-person beach tent can go from $30 to over $100. Usually, a $50 product isn’t necessarily a cheap beach tent. Still, it is certainly one that packs lots of valuable features. And if you’re getting this price after a discount, you have even more reasons to look into it!

Beach Tent Stakes

You’d think it cannot possibly be too complicated to secure a beach shelter. But if it’s your first experience of this kind, you should know that regular stakes won’t do well in sand. They move and your tent can even be blown away. So, you’d have to use special beach tent stakes.

Those are custom sand tent stakes and may come in more or less different designs. Some stakes look like screws, but that detail isn’t mandatory. What matters is that they are long and thick enough, because you want heavy-duty stakes.