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:

When you first start looking at 10 x 10 Gazebos, it is easy to become confused by all of the different choices you have when it comes to the metal framework. Every company will tell you that theirs is the best. If you spend some time educating yourself about the different types of materials available beforehand, you’ll be better equipped to evaluate the statements made about each individual model, and make an informed choice.

One of the first decisions you’ll need to make is which of these is most important to you: price, design, or durability. You are not going to get the most beautiful design, or the strongest metal for the lowest price. How and where you are going to use your gazebo should play a big part in making this decision. If you are using it temporarily, you probably won’t care about the strength of the metal. If you need it to last many, many years, you should be willing to pay more for the higher quality.

Traditional gazebos are made of wood. Besides being heavy and expensive, wood gazebos need considerably more maintenance than those with a metal frame. They will need to either be made from a rot-resistant type of wood or treated on a regular basis. Most wooden gazebos are built in place and are difficult to move, so you’ll need to be certain you’ve got it where you want it before you begin building.

Aluminum is one of the most common metals used in gazebo frames. It is approximately 45% lighter in weight than steel. It is often used for portable gazebos, but can also be found in ones that are intended for permanent use, too. Most of the folding tents you’ll find on the market today will have aluminum frames because of the strength to weight ratio. Aluminum is resistant to rust, another point in its favor. Aluminum can also be powder coated, which I’ll expand on in a moment.

Steel is the second most common material for metal framed gazebos. It also can be powder coated to enhance its looks and durability, however if the powder coating is damaged, the exposed metal can begin to rust fairly quickly. Because steel is so much heavier, it is perceived to be much more durable. It is most often used for gazebos that will be put in one place and seldom, or never, moved again.

Before powder coating was invented, wrought iron was used when you wanted your gazebo frame to be both decorative and strong. With wrought iron, a gazebo builder could achieve shapes and designs that just weren’t practical, or even possible in other metals. Wrought iron is stronger and more resistant to rust than steel, but also much heavier. Wrought iron framework in gazebos today is mostly limited to the more expensive varieties.

Now to understand powder coating. A piece of metal is electrostatically charged, then a fine dry powder is sprayed over the entire surface, being careful to coat every nook and cranny evenly. The metal is then placed in an oven, where the thermoplastic particles of the powder melt together to form a thick, dense skin covering the entire piece. This coating is typically as thick as two heavy coats of regular liquid paint, but much more durable. The powder is available in numerous colors, some with flecks of other colors mixed in for contrast, others are bright, bold primary colors.

In addition to making the metal framework of your 10 x 10 Gazebo more colorful and decorative, powder coating adds strength and greater resistance to rust, corrosion, and other weather-related conditions that occur whenever metal is exposed to the elements for long periods. So, if you are looking at either aluminum or steel for your gazebo frame, try to find one in your budget range that is powder coated so you can enjoy your gazebo for years to come.