If you head to any well-trafficked beach, you're sure to see many beach canopies and tents dotting the shoreline. Beach canopies are just as portable and convenient as traditional beach umbrellas, while offering a lot more shade and sun protection — and to more people at once.

If you ask us, you should always bring your own canopy to the beach. First and foremost, it’s crucial to have some physical protection from damaging sun rays. In addition, features like storage pockets, privacy walls, and rain covers take the comfort and convenience of your oceanside stay to a new level.

Spending a day at the beach with your toes in the sand sounds idyllic, but things can quickly go from pleasant to blistering if you don’t have any shade available. But don’t worry—we tested the best beach tents and canopies, so you can relax and enjoy watching the waves crash on the sand all day long without worrying about getting sunburn.

One of my earliest beach memories is the sight of my father chasing a large, colorful umbrella down the sands on a particularly windy day on the Maine coast.I’m sure I’m not the only beachgoer who has witnessed umbrellas uprooting and tumbling into sunbathing neighbors despite all efforts.

As the temperature gets warmer and UV rays get stronger, you may want to consider grabbing a high-quality beach tent or canopy to keep your shoreline trip worry-free.“Beach tents and canopies are much more versatile than your standard beach umbrella,” says Kyle Ogilvie, marketing manager at Kelty Pack. Canopies and tents often provide significantly more shade, and many can be modified with ease depending on the angle of the sun.”

Okay, it’s not that I never liked going to the beach, but more that going to the beach has always been somewhat of a to-do for me. As a pale brunette descended from the shtetlach of Eastern Europe, going to the beach has long meant dutifully smothering myself in SPF 50 every other hour, getting a mix of sand and suntan lotion all over my Us Weekly, and then getting that same mix of sand and suntan lotion in my Sabra hummus snack pack. I am one of those people, I think, who just does not love baking in the sun. I have a hard time falling asleep on a towel. I get lightheaded. I often think I’m getting heatstroke. So for a long time, before every Rockaways excursion, I’d remember at the last minute that this was the case, and rush to Rite Aid to buy some crappy umbrella — only to have it flip inside out and break 15 minutes into the day, or blow away and nearly impale a nearby toddler’s eye.

They say life’s a beach, and it can be … until you get a sunburn. Then life can be pure misery and the beach the most painful, last place you want to be. Sure, beach towels and beach chairs are great for a while but if you truly want to maximize your day, you’ll need to have a little more shelter from the sun’s draining, potentially harmful rays (maybe even a place to safely catch a few Z’s). A tent can provide shelter from the sun and a comfy place to lounge—you just need to take into consideration the size of your beach crew, how much set-up time you need, and your favorite beach activities when deciding what type of sun shelter or shade canopy you’ll need. With that firmly in mind, here are our suggestions for the best beach tent.

What to Expect selects products based on real-life testing conducted by staff, contributors and members our user community, as well as independent research and expert feedback; learn more about our review process. Prices and details are accurate as of the published date. We may earn commissions from shopping links.

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