The best beach tents for wind and sun protection can make the difference between a fun-filled outing and a beach day gone wrong. When it comes to your family, your priority is safety. It’s crucial to keep them safe from the elements so that you can relax and enjoy your beach day too. The right beach tent will do that, acting as a barrier from the hot sun and salty wind, so that you and your children’s skin has ample protection.
Our reviews will focus on a few options for the best beach tents for wind and sun protection for the whole family. We’ll also give you some tips on what to look for when shopping for a good beach tent for the summer.
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Editor Favorites: Our Top Beach Tent Reviews
We aim to make your beach tent shopping as easy as possible by bringing you these reviews of some of the best beach tents for the whole family to enjoy. Our reviews focus on tents in a variety of sizes, from compact to extra-large, so that you can find the right one for your family.
Pacific Breeze Easy Setup Beach Tent Review
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The Pacific Breeze Easy Setup Beach Tent is a large tent designed to fit a small family or a few children. Despite its large size and durable setup, the tent will only add an extra 4.5 lbs. onto your beach gear weight.
This lightweight tent has a breathable polyester outside that provides an excellent barrier between the wind, sun, rain, and anything else the beach may throw at you yet keeps the overall tent portable. The polyester itself is breathable, but you’ll also have a window on each side of the tent that you can open for better air circulation.
Inside, you’ll find a durable floor to keep sand and insects off the skin and some mesh pockets to store all your beach goodies, like shoes, sunscreen, and toys. The tent comes with stakes and sand pockets to keep it in place so that you can focus on enjoying your beach day.
Pros:
- Folds down to 40-inches in length and fits into an included carrying case with handle
- Takes only a few minutes to assemble and disassemble, and you can do it solo
- Strong support poles can stand up to heavy winds
Cons:
- Can be difficult to disassemble in windy conditions
- May not have adequate ventilation when tent has several small kids or a couple of adults inside
Verdict:
Overall, this tent could meet the needs of a small family who intends to use it mostly for small children and storing belongings. The easy-to-setup design lets you spend more time on the beach enjoying your day instead of assembling a tent.
Lightspeed Outdoors Quick Cabana Beach Tent Review
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The Lightspeed Outdoors Quick Cabana Beach Tent claims that it’s one of the fastest on the market to set up, thanks to its up and down compression design that works with you during assembly and disassembly.
This tent has a large, open front that allows plenty of airflow into the tent while still keeping harsh wind and hot sun rays out. Three side windows can open or close as you need them to for extra airflow, or let a little bit of sunshine in.
Durable flooring keeps hot sand off your skin as you lay or play in the tent. You’ll even get an extra 4-feet of flooring that extends out from the tent, which is perfect for anyone who wants to sunbathe or have a clean spot over the sand to each lunch.
Pros:
- Comes with an oversized carrying bag that allows you to store the tent easily, even after it’s been used
- Excellent design for ventilation
- UPF 50+ sun protection
- Folds down to 43-inches and is just over 6 lbs. for easy carrying
- Built-in poles offer a no-assembly, pop-up design
- Extended floor can act as a privacy “door” for a quick clothing change
Cons:
- A bit on the small side; may be best suited for a couple of small children
- May not stand up to high winds
Verdict:
This Lightspeed tent could be a good option for beach-goers who want the quickest assembly possible without sacrificing portability and protection. With UPF 50+ sun protection and excellent ventilation design, this tent can keep the sun rays out while letting the beach breeze in for comfort.
Coleman DayTripper Beach Shade Review
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The Coleman DayTripper Beach Shade offers a cozy place of protection for babies and small children to enjoy their beach day safely. This tent folds into an incredibly compact size that makes it simple to carry to and from the beach. This tent will take a little more work to get set up than others, but one person should be able to handle the job.
Parents will appreciate a couple of handy features this tent offers, like a drying line for wet clothes to dry off before getting back into the car. You’ll also find storage pockets inside the tent to keep belongings from getting lost during your beach trip.
Pros:
- Includes a dry line to hang your wet clothes out to dry
- UPF 50+ sun protection
- Large, zippered back window for excellent ventilation
- Extended floor doubles as a privacy cover for changing
- Includes ground stakes to keep the tent anchored
Cons:
- Big kids and adults will likely feel cramped in this tent
- Not the quickest to assemble and disassemble
Verdict:
The Coleman DayTripper Beach Shade is geared toward families with small children who need a small, cozy place to get some sun, wind, and sand protection for the majority of their beach day. But, parents can enjoy the tent, too, with the extended floor that they can use to place their beach chairs or enjoy a picnic lunch on the beach. This isn’t the easiest tent to set up at first, but once you do it a few times, you’ll likely become a bit faster with the process.
FiveJoy Instant Pop-Up Cabana Beach Tent Review
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The FiveJoy Instant Pop-Up Cabana Beach Tent may be tiny, but it’s a tough little tent that may be the perfect option for parents who want a safe place for young children to play or nap on the beach. The water-resistant fabric keeps the tent lightweight, but also helps it stand up to the wind and water mist that inevitably come with a day at the beach.
Two side windows stretch the full width of the sides to offer plenty of airflow through the tent, preventing little ones from overheating. The tent material is thick enough to provide a barrier from gusting wind and also has a coating of UV protection from the sun’s rays.
Pros:
- Sand pockets and included anchors keep this small tent in place, even in high winds
- Easy-to-clean surface
- Simple assembly with a pop-up design
- Excellent design for ventilation
Cons:
- May be difficult to fold back to original size for convenient storage and portability
- May not be the best option for families who want to enjoy the tent together
Verdict:
This FiveJoy beach tent may be best-suited for families with babies or a couple of small kids who need a cozy shelter from the sun. Although it’s small, this tent remains sturdy in high wind and stays put with a helpful anchor design and some sandbags for weight. You might have to get some practice folding the tent back up, but you’ll likely find that it opens and sets up incredibly easily.
WhiteFang Deluxe XL Pop Up Beach Tent Sun
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The WhiteFang Deluxe XL Pop Up Beach Tent Sun is a massive tent that the whole family can fit inside. This durable tent isn’t only for beach use; it could even work as a camping tent or a shelter for a day of sporting events.
This WhiteFang tent comes with five sandbags to keep the tent weighted during windy conditions. Plus, the fiberglass pole system is sturdy enough to withstand wind and prevents the tent from twisting or falling, yet lightweight enough to keep the tent light when you need to carry it.
You’ll get some extra footage from the extended floor, which also doubles as a privacy cover if you’re changing inside the tent. And, you’ll have plenty of ventilation from windows that can open and close when you need them.
Pros:
- Handy storage pockets for phones, shoes, sunscreen, and more
- Flame-resistant material
- Rust-free zipper
- Automatic pop-up design makes setup simple and fast
- UPF 50+ and waterproof material
Cons:
- May be too large for parents who only want a tent for small kids to use
- Fabric itself isn’t breathable
Verdict:
If you’re looking for a large tent that the family can enjoy together, this is probably your best bet. The tent is large enough to fit a couple of adults and their smaller children, plus the extended floor gives you even more room for some extra people or belongings outside the tent.
Despite its large size, this tent opens and folds easily to a convenient size for transport, making it an all-around family-friendly tent for frequent beachgoers or travelers.
Why Beach Tents Are Important for Your Family
Whether you want a shady spot for your family to relax during a sports outing, or you’ll be spending the day in the hot sun at the beach, the right beach tent will protect you and your family from the elements. Applying sunscreen is an excellent start for protecting kids against the sun’s harsh rays. But, what about wind, insects, and heat exhaustion?
The best beach tent for wind and sun can provide the perfect barrier between your family and the sun, wind, and creepy crawlies that inevitably inhabit the beach. Babies have especially sensitive skin, so you should take extra measures to keep it safe during your day of fun in the sun. The best beach tent for babies will have plenty of ventilation to keep baby cool, while also protecting her skin from wind and sun exposure.
Choosing the Right Beach Tent
Not sure how to choose the best beach tent for wind and sun protection? Here are a few important things to look for that should help you find the best tent for your family’s needs.
Floor Protection
Most people think of a beach tent as being solely for sun and wind protection. Although it can protect you from the hot sun and intense wind, a beach tent can, just as importantly, protect you from bugs and the hot sand.
Some tents don’t come with a floor, and instead just give you overhead and side protection. However, these types of tents won’t keep bugs out, nor can they prevent burns and abrasions from the sand. You might consider looking for a tent that protects all the way around with a durable bottom to keep as much sand and insects out as possible, especially if a baby or toddler will be occupying it.
Ample Ventilation
You want to keep most of the wind away from your family inside your beach tent. But, it’s crucial to look for a tent that offers some airflow, or you could risk overheating on a hot day.
A proper beach tent will have mesh screens on the sides that you can leave open for some extra air or cover when the sun or wind on that side of the tent is too intense. There should be plenty of options to help you control how much sun and air to let in.
Try to look for a tent that doesn’t have vents on the top, which could prevent adequate protection from the sun. You might also want to consider whether a tent has a large front opening, allowing for plenty of airflow to get into the tent as the sides block the wind.
Ease of Assembly
How easy is a tent to set up? The last thing you want to do on your beach day is to spend an hour setting up your tent, regardless of how helpful it is in other ways. A beach tent should be easy enough to put together that one person can do it solo, without requiring extra tools to do it.
Some low-quality tents can be challenging to put together and disassemble, with several parts that need to be screwed together before creating a tent. High-quality tents often have a pop-up assembly feature that lets you assemble the tent in a couple of minutes and disassemble it just as quickly.
Portability
You’ll be toting your beach tent back and forth to the beach and along the beach as you find the perfect spot for your beach day. Therefore, you’ll want a lightweight option that won’t add several extra pounds when you already have your arms full of other beach gear.
First, look at the size of the tent. You might be considering one that’s far too big for what you need. Go with the smallest size to fit your needs as a family, and you’ll automatically have less weight and bulk to carry.
Then, consider a tent with an innovative design that folds down to a small size that you can place in a carrying bag. Pop-up tents usually have very portable features, but there are also other easy-to-assemble tents that can fold down to a small size for excellent portability.
Sturdiness
Finally, your tent is only as good as its ability to protect you and your family. If your tent is so lightweight or flimsy that it can’t stand upright in a gust of wind, then it’s not going to protect your family well.
Unfortunately, many of the less expensive options don’t provide the sturdiness you need to rely on your tent to hold its shape and stay in place on a long beach day. You might need to spend a little more to ensure adequate protection for your family in this area.
Your tent should have an excellent staking system to keep it anchored securely in the sand. Some tents have pockets on them that you can fill with sand or rocks to help hold it down. You should also ensure that the tent has a sturdy structure with ample supports that won’t bend, twist, or fall in high winds.
Wrap-Up: Find the Right Beach Tent for Your Family’s Next Beach Trip
The right beach tent can give you and your family peace of mind knowing that you’re all protected from intense sun rays, wind, and sand. A beach day should be the perfect time for relaxing and having fun with your family, and your beach tent should take worry off your shoulders.
Our beach tent reviews showcase a few of the best options to meet the needs of most families, whether you’d like a tent for your baby or small children or one that can fit several members of your family and belongings inside. A helpful tent should be portable, sturdy, easy to put together and take apart, have adequate sun, wind, and sand protection, and offer plenty of airflow to prevent overheating.
We hope our reviews helped guide you in the right direction toward choosing your perfect beach tent so that you can let the tent do the hard work while you enjoy your time in the sun.