Rated 5 out of 5 by quiviran Great Shelter - Instructions Need Help
This is a great shelter. Looks to be solidly built, the clips that hold the fabric to the frame are substantial, a real plus. I set it up alone in about 20mph wind. After guying out the corner connectors, the shelter was steady in the breeze. No complaints.
I think some optimization of the sequence of assembly steps would make this a snap to set up. First time took about 20 minutes. As another reviewer noted, the last grommet on the center pole was tough, but once in place, the shelter was awesome, flexing with the wind until I got the guy lines in place, solid afterwards.
One surprise feature not mentioned in the description was a hook in the center of the canopy for a lantern (battery operated, of course). This is a real plus, in my opinion.
May 27, 2013
Rated 3 out of 5 by erinmkc Beautiful but not for the wind
If you want a nice shade with plenty of room, this is a beautiful, fantastic shelter. We set it up at the beach in Florida one morning and within 30 minutes, I had three people comment on how nice it was and ask where I got it from. However, after being set up for about 1 1/2 hours, the wind began to blow. It was a yellow (moderate wind) flag day at the beach. We tethered the shelter and staked it with chords and extra chords on the wind side. Unfortunately, the shelter was bent almost flat from the wind. People around us with beach umbrellas and even half domed tent shelters had no problem from the wind. We discovered that one of the fiber glass tent poles had splintered. I was so sorry to have to return the shelter but our main purpose for buying it was to use at the beach and for the majority of days, there is a moderate wind.
In conclusion, this is fantastic for use in a non-windy environment.
August 11, 2011
Rated 5 out of 5 by methodicalshopper works great!
The one con I had is the yellow stakes are too thick for staking the shelter down to the ground at a campsite.
Other than that we experienced heavy downpour and the shelter did not leak at all. All of our picnic table items were dry.
I love the compact size of it. We had an EZ-up and that thing was heavy, big and bulky.
The color is nice and bright.
I did need a helper just to hold up the sides when I put it together. Once I figured out how to put it together, it was a snap. And very easy to break down too.
August 2, 2011
Rated 1 out of 5 by VTShop Disappointing shelter
This shelter was hard to put up...we needed 3 people to do it. The sides come down too low and you have to continually duck under the shelter to get in. Also it is not waterproof. We
are planning on returning it ASAP.
July 8, 2011
Rated 4 out of 5 by SunlessinSeattle Looks Good
I just received my picnic shelter and I bought it having read several negative reviews in regard to the difficulty of setup and hard to understand instructions. I set it up in my back yard right away. I studied the instructions before taking it out of the bag and it seemed straight forward to me and it was. When I got to the center pole, I could NOT get it in the last grommet, even leaving the clips undone. I put it aside to wait for my husband to get home and help. In the meantime, I decided to try something different. I unclipped the clips on one of the peak poles on the side I was trying to attach the center grommet and took the peak pole out of the plastic intersection clip. I was then able to put the center pole in the last grommet and getting the peak pole back in the intersection clip was much easier than putting the center pole in. I then re clipped the peak clips and clipped the center pole clips. I will remember this trick for all setups in the future. Now, I live in Seattle so I just need to determine how waterproof it is and I might change my rating to 5 stars.
June 16, 2011
Rated 5 out of 5 by mommika Great Shelter
We just used this shelter over the picnic table while camping last weekend. Set up was very easy - it was up in 5-10 minutes. Lots of head room for walking around/under. We didn't have rain so can't review performance in weather.
June 9, 2011
Rated 2 out of 5 by SoloCamper85 Sun Buster
I'm a solo camper most times, and i purchased the sunbuster picnic shelter to use. The first time I went to put it together in my yard before a camping trip, it took both me and my mother to help me when putting in the center pole. After packing it away as per how it came and then opening it up in on my camping trip, I noticed holes in the fabric. Also, trying to put the center pole in this time as a solo camper did not happen. I had to ask the two men next door to put the center pole in and it took both of them to do so. When going to take down the sunbuster to pack away, it took me a half an hour (30 minutes) just to remove that center pole. I would not recommend this product to someone else and if it is possible I would like to return the product to the Colonie Center Store in Albany, NY, but know it maynot be possible due to ordering the product online during the camping sale promotion weekend in April.
June 1, 2011
Rated 4 out of 5 by OutOfDoorsOften Effective but not Easy
We did a trial set up (thank goodness!) before we take this shelter camping. I don't usually read directions but we did this time. I think it would be difficult to put together without another person. Once it was up, it was great and I think it will go together much easier the 2nd time. Oddly, we got two extra poles in the bag that are not referenced in the directions or list of pieces. Did this happen to anyone else?
June 1, 2011
Rated 4 out of 5 by SED16 Sunbuster Picnic Shelter
Pros: Stronger than usual pop-up shelter. Also, better sun coverage in early morning and later afternoon because of the panels. Not hard to put up after learning the procedure. Very small and light to transport. Cons: The assembly instructions are dismal and it took two reasonably intelligent college graduates over an hour to figure it out. Also, it definitely takes two people to assemble this shelter.
April 25, 2011
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