Nothing’s better than the summer sun—unless you’re trying to protect your skin or stay cool. But when you’re at the beach, family picnic, and campsite, shade is often in short supply. Rather than haul a heavy—and inefficient—beach umbrella on your next summer trip, consider a sunshade. We’ll help you find the best beach canopy for you, that will keep you cool, and help protect you and your family from the sun’s harmful UV rays.
IN A HURRY? HERE’S OUR TOP PICKS…
Today’s beach canopies and sunshades combine all the technology you find in modern camping tents: lightweight materials, easy set-up, and durable design. Here are our top picks for your next sunny-day adventure:
ZiggyShade Family Beach Sunshade
Australians know a thing or two about beach life, which is why you can trust this Australian-designed sunshade. Made from stretchy Lycra material, this simple shade looks like a large sail that’s staked to the ground. It’s available in three sizes (standard, family, and jumbo) and set up is easy.
- BEACH TENT POP-UP FOR ALL OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES - Relax comfortably on the beach, this Sun shelter includes a huge sunshade canopy, anchors, and aluminum poles for quick and easy setup by the lake, in the park or spending time with family or friends outdoors
- ENHANCED OUTDOOR UPF 50+ SUN COVERAGE - Designed with water-resistant fabric our Lycra sun tent for the beach offers advanced sun protection and air flow to help you stay cool while better protecting your skin from harsh UV rays. Perfect for kids & adults
- SIMPLE QUICK & EASY SET UP IS ALL PART OF THE FUN - Set up your own pop up beach tent sun shelter in the backyard, or on your favorite sandy spot in minutes. Our foldable, reinforced poles, in-ground stakes, and fillable sandbag anchors keep our beach cabana secured
- TRAVEL-READY STORAGE BAG FOR DAY TRIPS - Great for use almost anywhere, grass, sand or camping terrain. Our outdoor sun shade includes an easy-carry storage bag with a cooler pouch to keep your beach canopy sun shelter pop safe and organized
- THREE SIZES FOR COUPLES, FAMILIES & EVENTS - ZiggyShade beach shade comes in Standard (4-person), Family (6-person), and Jumbo (8-person) for small day trips or family beach parties. Each storage bag has pockets for storing a water bottle or snacks
Otenik Beach Sunshade
Speaking of sunny locales, this particular sunshade is made in Florida. Like its Australian counterpart, the Otenik Beach Sunshade is made from stretchy fabric (“Eurojersey” instead of Lycra) and benefits from a simple design. Bonus: It’s available in 22 colors.
- LIGHTWEIGHT ~ only 4 to 5 lbs, depending on size.
- UPF 50 ~ made from eco-friendly, industry-leading Italian sport fabric "Eurojersey Sensitive".
- SIMPLICITY & VERSATILITY ~ setup at the beach, while tailgating, in your backyard, camping or on any outdoor adventure! Setup takes mere minutes, and can be done by one person.
- ADJUSTABLE ~ easily move the poles to change the angle of the shade, as the sun moves. Works well with the wind, when setup correctly.
- QUALITY & INTEGRITY~ our customer service and quality is unparalleled. We do not take shortcuts, and do not produce these sunshades in China. Our original design will not disappoint!
Big Agnes Three Forks Canopy Tent
This canopy offers a familiar tent silhouette but without the walls. Unlike many other sunshades, its material is 100% waterproof so it’ll stand up to a brief shower or two. This model also gives you the option of adding a wall (for a windbreak or additional shade) but it must be purchased separately.
- Wall panel may be attached to either side wall with toggles to block prevailing wind or sun or may be removed to create four open sides
- Two open side walls
- Sunshade or group shelter
- Two large entry points
Coleman Canopy Tent
If you’re looking for a shade that’s fit for a picnic or campsite, Coleman’s Canopy Tent offers plenty of space and stability. Despite its size, it offers easy set-up. It comes with a wheeled carrying case so it’s not the best beach option but just fine for family picnics and camp-outs.
- SUN PROTECTION: UVGuard material offers UPF 50 plus sun protection
- QUICK SETUP: In as fast as 3 minutes
- 1-PIECE FRAME: Folds down for compact storage
- COMFORT GRIP: Locks shelter into place for pinch-free pole extending
- BUILT TO LAST: Double-thick fabric stands up to the elements season after season; ground stakes and pre-attached guy lines withstand strong winds
Oileus Super Big Canopy Tent
With its low-profile design, Oileus’s canopy provides both overhead and side protection from the sun. When you’re ready to go, it folds up into a convenient carrying case that weights only 6 pounds.
- Easy Setup and Portable - This instant beach tent features automatic patented pop up mechanism, makes it fast and easy to take down and fold back in under 30 seconds. Light weight at 4 lbs, packs down to 32" x 5" for easy carrying and storage
- Strong and Durable - Umbrella rated 3000mm PU coating by newest breathable 210T polyester, anti 99% harmful UV, durable floor made of 150D PE; thick 8.5mm fiberglass poles for added stability with stakes and guy rope.
- Luxurious Space - XL Large size: 92" x 45" x 45" providing generous space for upto ( 2 adults with 2 kids ). Spacious design provides more comfortable cooling shade and easily to relax inside.
- New Design - Featuring an awning for extra shade, 2 windows for maximum ventilation and air circulation; providing a spacious interior shelter and has internal pocket to store personal items.
Kelty Noah's Tarp Sun Shelter
Kelty’s minimalist sun shelter scores high ratings among backpackers and beach-goers. It’s waterproof so it’ll keep you dry and offers a few different configurations for set-up.
- Highly versatile, minimalist Noah's tarp is ideal for day & night use, protect your squad from the elements at your camping trip or sporting event
- Features: convenient roll-top carrying bag, fully seam tapped construction, attached guyline with storage pockets
- Seasons: Day Use, Capacity: 4-8 Person
- Dimensions: Size (L x W x H) 144 x 144 in, Floor 144 ft, Packed Size 12 x 10 x 3 in, Packed Weight 2 lbs 9 oz, Minimum Weight 2 lbs 3 oz
WolfWise Portable Beach Canopy
If you’re looking for something beyond the basics, this model from WolfWise is a perfect tent/shade hybrid with its extendable floor and full walls. The perfect portable cabana.
- UPF 50+ & Water Repellent: The tent bottom is made of PE cloth to make it more wear-resistant. The main fabric is polyester with 50+ UV protection grade, making it block up to 98% of the sun’s harmful UV rays. The water repellent fabric will keep you dry and relaxed in rainy days.
- Sand Bag In 4 Corners: This beach tent is designed with four sandbags in four corners to enhance its stability. The extra four stakes and windropes fasten the tent to protect it from being blown down by the breeze, which has stronger windproof function.
- Natural Ventilation & Extendable Floor: The beach tent features 3 high-density mesh windows combined with extendable floor to deliver 360-degree ventilation, and keep the inside cool. Through the windows, you can enjoy the beautiful beach scenery with your family or entertain the children freely on a delightful summer afternoon.
- Spacious Space: The open size is 82.7” x 45.3” x 49.2” (L x W x H) with a 45.3” front porch, which comfortably fits 2-3 people. And it is designed with internal pockets to store some small items such as phone, key, towel and so on. It provides an ideal shade for your when it has a moment of rest in the middle of the soccer game or baseball game.
- Foldable & Lightweight:Ultra-lightweight construction allows for easy transportation with an included carrying bag. Weighing just 4 pounds and it can be folded to a compact size of 17.3” x 4.7” x 4.7”(L x W x H). You can put it in a suitcase or backpack. And you don’t need to worry that it’s too big to take away when traveling by plane.
Lightspeed Outdoors Beach Shelter
This lightweight beach shelter offers plenty of room to stand and includes a detachable shade wall that can be moved to any of the shelter’s four sides.
- Easy to set up - Patented bottom-pull hub system for ultra-quick set up. Telescoping adjustable fiberglass poles offer generous head room up to 6’4”.
- Stays put - Asymmetrical pole configuration, attached guylines, and 4 detachable sand bags give the Tall Canopy excellent stability on windy days. (We highly recommend to use the sand bags and guylines to maximize its stability during those windy days. See Video for instruction.)
- Tons of shade - The detachable shade wall can be moved to any of the 4 sides to provide additional shade or wind protection where you need it with UPF 50+ protection.
- Super spacious - Provides substantial space with a 7.8' x 7.8' x 6.4’ footprint. Perfect for full size beach chairs, over tables, and standing under to watch the game.
- Take anywhere - Easy to pack up and transport in zippered carry bag. Weighs just over 9 lbs.
Lightspeed Outdoors Beach Shelter
This 4-person pop-up cabana brings the comfort of a resort to any spot on the beach. Plus, its fabric offers SPF 50+ sun protection.
- 【Large Space】Oversized Design, 20% Bigger than competitors'. Pop-up Beach Tent size: 78.7 X 47.2 X 51.2 inch (L X W X H), very spacious for 3~4 people, the best choice for family sun shelter. The new frame is steel wire, more solid and lightweight than the old version-fiberglass frame, making the beach tent stably stand by itself and keep shape after a long time of use. Weight: 2.4 LB.
- 【Windproof】Comprehensive wind design, 4 built-in sand pockets, 4 detachable sandbags, and 6 fixed tent pegs to keep the sun shade tent against strong wind. Also with 4 extra wind ropes, the pop-up beach tent will be more stable on a windy day.
- 【Instant pop-up Design and ventilated】Just throw out your instant setup beach tent, it will pop up automatically in seconds. 3-side widened mesh windows provide excellent ventilation, enabling you to enjoy the sea breeze. The pop-up beach tent comes in a portable carrying bag so you can easily fold it up and take it away.
- 【UV Protection and Versatile】The pop-up shelter tent are made of 190T Silver Coated fabric, Anti-UV, UPF 50+, which will protect your family from harmful sun rays. This beach tent also can be used as a canopy, beach cabana, beach umbrella, or sun tent. Sun protection for all-day shade at park, beach, lake, fishing, sporting event or just relaxing in the backyard.
- 【What you get】Beach tent x 1; Tent Peg x 6; Ropes x 4; Carry bag x 1; Detachable sand bag x 4. If you meet any quality issue about our tent, please contact us and we will give positive solutions within 24 hours, 100% money refund or replacement is guaranteed, your satisfaction is our target!
Clam Outdoors Quick-Set Shelter
This rugged shelter from Clam Outdoors is a great option for a camping weekend or overland adventure. In addition to its water-resistant roof, it has mesh screen sides for keeping the bugs at bay.
- Lightweight, portable 11.5 x 11.5-foot pop-up 6-sided canopy designed to provide shelter and protection from the elements while outdoors; Accommodates up to 8 people or spacious enough to fit a picnic table plus a few camping chairs; Color: Green
- Set-up inner dimensions measure 11.5 feet across and 7.5 feet at center height; Hub-to-hub measures 140 inches long and 140 inches wide; Packed size measures 8 inches long by 8 inches wide by 6 feet tall; Weight: 37 pounds
- Includes 7 tent stakes, 5 tie-down ropes, and an over-sized carry bag that's ideal for repacking; Built-in corner grommets for staking down from the inside; Hub pull straps for easy set-up and I-bolts to secure external tie-down straps
- No-see-um mesh screen and extra-wide skirt to keep bugs out; Ideal for camping, picnics, and sporting events
- Pop-up canopy shelter takes only 45 seconds to set up with no assembly required; 210 denier Poly-Oxford fabric and roof with taped seams make the canopy stylish and protective; Extra-large, flex-tested 11mm fiberglass poles provide stability
