In recent years, portable canopies have become very easy to use and affordable, making them a popular option for many. It is a great way to add a shaded area for outdoor get-togethers, helpful when you have a yard sale, useful for businesses at outdoor events, and canopies are also an inexpensive way to add a deck awning.

Portable canopies can be found at Wal-Mart, usually in the camping or outdoor department. Home Depot and other home improvement stores also sell a variety of portable canopies for any budget. The standard size of portable canopy 10’ x 10’, but 10’ x 12’ canopies are available, too.

The canopies come in standard colors like green, white, gray, blue, black, or red. It’s not uncommon to find one with the logo of your favorite sports team. The average price for a portable canopy is usually right around $100 each. I recommend purchasing one that comes in its own bag. Most do, but double check to be sure it’s included in the price. Many of the bags have wheels and a handle, which makes them even more convenient to use.

You seldom need tools to erect these types of tents. They are easy to set up and it usually takes about 15 minutes. The entire frame top is often one piece and you simply spread it apart. After opening it up, you attach the canopy top to the frame top. When you are shopping for your canopy, make sure you understand how the top attaches and that you’ll be able to do by yourself. After the top is on, you attach the legs to the frame. The legs are adjustable and snap together. You can increase the tent height in increments. One person can usually put up the canopy alone. If you’re vertically challenged, you’ll probably need help setting it up, although in a pinch, you can use a ladder.

On calm days, the canopy doesn’t usually need to be tied down. Bricks, concrete blocks, or some other heavy material will do the trick to keep it from blowing away. In severe winds, it is usually best to take the canopy down and store it indoors.

To take the tent down, you lower the legs & remove them from the top frame. You don’t have to take the canvas top off. Just fold the frame together with the canopy still attached. It will fit back into most bags all in one piece. This will save you time when you set your portable canopy up again.

Your canopy top can be pressure-washed to keep it looking like new. And ff you want to turn your canopy into a gazebo, mosquito nettings and sides are available at many stores along with canopies. The sizes are usually standard and fit most portable canopies. Whether it is for shade or shelter from the rain, you’ll get a lot of use out of the portable canopy.

If you were to go to a craft show and ask every vendor there which brand of popup tent they were using, you would find that the majority tell you they are using the E-Z UP Tent. It is by far the most popular canopy tent for art/craft shows. The folks who do this for a living swear by it because, like the name says, it really is easy to set up. If you are doing shows by yourself, this could very well be the single most important reason to get one. No one wants to be still struggling to get their tent up when the gates open and the customers start showing up. And you don’t want to be the last one there, trying to get your tent down, packed and stuffed back in your vehicle.

The E-Z UP Tent packs down compactly in a roller back, which makes it easy to transport, especially at the end of a long day on your feet. The E-Z UP company sells several different models, so be sure you read the specs on each one so you can choose the one that is perfect for you and your personal situation. Sometimes, the cheapest model is not always the best bargain. If it doesn’t fit your needs or you can’t put it up and take it down by yourself, you have just wasted your money.

Details to consider before you make a purchase:

Size Matters
Most craft show booths are 10 feet by 10 feet. Not surprisingly, the 10 x 10 canopy is by far the most popular size.

Look At The Frame Shape
While most of the E-Z UP Models have straight legs, the two cheapest models have angled legs. The E-Z UP Dome II is 10’ x 10’ at the base of the legs, but 7’9” x 7’9” at the top. This is important to know ahead of time, especially if you will be placing tables around the perimeter of your space. It seems like a small amount, but when you are putting your entire inventory in a 10 x 10 space, you need every inch you can get.

Which Color Do You Need
Many craft shows specify a WHITE tent. And even if they don’t, colored tents can reflect on the items underneath, giving them a strange blue or red cast. Also, colored tents will be much darker inside than the white ones.

Do You Want Side Walls
The E-Z UP Express II is the only model that comes with side walls. This is one of the reasons that this model is their most popular for folks who will be setting up at outdoor craft shows. The walls can define your space, making it appear more like a store. They can provide more shade on sunny days, and protect you from rain and wind. Side walls can also serve as a theft deterrent, keeping thieves from walking between booths and snatching things off of the outside edges of your tables while you are looking the other way. This is much more important if you work alone and don’t have an extra set of eyes to watch the entire booth while you wait on customers.

Wheeled Carrying Case
Canopy tents can weigh anywhere from 50 to 125 pounds. Fortunately, many models now come with wheels on their carrying cases to make lugging them from the car to the show area a bit easier.

Be Sure You Are Getting The E-Z Up Brand
Because of their popularity, many of the cheaper made canopy tents will use a play on words or different spellings to make you think you are getting the E-Z UP brand.  EZ setup and Easy Up are two of the most common versions used on the imitation tents.

Unless you live near a Sam’s Club, or another store that carries the E-Z UP line of popup tents, you may find your best bargain online. Some places offer free shipping, and even for those that don’t, many times you’ll find that the total price, including shipping, is less than it would cost you to drive to the dealer nearest you, purchase your tent, and drive back home.

Before you make your final decision, spend a little time online, researching all of the different models and options available. Your E-Z UP popup tent will last you many seasons, so you want to get the one that best meets your needs.

Here are some ideas to get you started:

Warm weather is here, and summer is just around the corner. We all want to get out of the house and soak up the sun’s rays. We want to steer clear of sun damage to the skin and take our shade along with us wherever we go. The ideal back yard accessory is a 10’ x 10’ gazebo or portable canopy, for shade and protection from direct sunlight and rain. They are great for cookouts. They can be shield a hot tub from the sun or shelter it in the winter. You can put them up over your car and wax it in the shade. Moving beyond the home, these portable canopies can be taken to the beach. You have seen them used as tents at craft shows.
You need to know how you intend to use an outdoor gazebo, because usage will influence what you buy. You can spend anywhere from under $100 to $3,000 and more, depending on the materials for the frame, the fabrics selected for the cover and whether the sides will be protected as well.

A sturdy frame is important in any portable shelter. Steel is the strongest, but aluminum is lighter. This is a factor in how much carrying around you will do. The metal should not be flimsy. It’s a good thing if the frame has been treated for rust resistance. There should be enough joints so that it unfolds and folds up quickly, easily, with precision. In a standing position, the frame should feel firm and locked into position. Joints which cross the frame are a good defense against collapse.

The fabrics that cover a portable canopy or gazebo should be of good quality in order to withstand the wear and tear of weather. The best canopies have fabrics which are heavy, like sail cloth, UV resistant, mold resistant and fade resistant. Chances are that if you buy yours from a big box store at a good price, it will come with covering made of poly-vinyl. It is entirely possible that after a year, you find yourself with a frame that’s just fine and a need to replace the covering that the elements broke down. Take heart, for there are companies that specialize in replacing the covers. This is a good question to pose when buying a portable gazebo that you expect to last for years. The answer received, however, might not be the same when the time to replace comes.

Gazebos can come with lots of features, like privacy panels, mosquito netting, tie-backs and zippered doorways and side panels. Your transportable outdoor shelter can be plain or fancy, and offer everything from almost total exposure to complete shelter.
You get what you pay for. If you want permanence, the extra money for quality will pay off. Do shop online to find what is out there. Some of the top manufacturers in the portable canopy market include Coleman, DC America, E Z Up, but there are many more. Let the shopping begin.