Tripod Shelter

To anyone who complained about how difficult it is to set up, Eagle Scout or not, I can only say that you're not doing it the right way. Or you're too weak to do it. Either way, if it's done right, it's no harder than tying boots snugly.Hint: when you're ready to bow the 1st pole, set the ferruled end on the ground, vertically between your feet while you're standing up and making sure no dirt can fill it (I set it on a sandal instead of right on the dirt). Pull the fabric down systematically, until the ring passes the ferruled end. Grab the fabric and the pole about 2-3 inches from the end with one hand like you're choking it, making sure the fabric does not slide out again. Lift the pole off the ground so you can see what you're doing. With the other hand, slide the pin into the pole. It's that easy. Repeat the process for the 2nd and 3rd poles.It took me less than 20 minutes from start to finish, all by myself. The key is to plant the ferruled end of the pole securely on the ground while you work the fabric with both of your free hands.It's the best shade I've ever bought. The other shade that I own, a 10'x10' type, weighs 50 lbs and is quite large in a package, compared to this 11-lbs shade that fits in a small nylon sack. The 2008 model comes with heavy-duty poles which is an improvement to the smaller diameter poles of the earlier model. There is no way these poles will split, unlike the earlier version, as reported by some.

If you're used to setting up tents then this is a no brainer. The hard part to setup is finding a second person to assist. It does take a lot of muscle to get the poles set up, so expect onlookers seeing you struggle a bit. Despite the initial effort is was well worth it. The shelter provided a lot of shade on the beach with nice head room as well as withstanding slight wind gusts. Breakdown proved much easier. My poles did come with the bungee cord broken and I had to replace it myself.

We recently went on a two-week vacation camping on North Padre Island off of Texas. We purchased this product a few days before in order to have something to shield us from the sun, obviously.We arrived late and only had about an hour and a half to set up camp before the sun set, so we had to assemble this in a hurry. It was difficult to do, but mostly because of the strong winds that were blowing in off the ocean. The design is more or less simple and I think it wouldn't have been nearly as difficult to assemble without those winds. As it was, it took up maybe 45 minutes to set up. In additional to the built-in sand ballasts, I had to create anchors buried in the sand, attached to the shelter using parachute line, to make sure the thing wouldn't blow over in the wind.Well, the wind off North Padre Island seldom stops. Of the ten days we were there, it probably was windless for maybe only two or three of those days. The rest of the time we, and the shelter, were subjected to a steady 20 to 25 miles an hour wind, day and night.After only two days of this constant wind, our shelter literally began coming apart at the seams (see photos if I can figure out how to upload them). The fabric tore away from itself along the seams producing large holes. The shelter began to bend over, and later we discovered that the poles themselves were actually bent by the wind (to be more precise, the metal connectors that attached the poles together were the things that bent).I wondered if I had just set up the shelter in a bad way, since it was acting as more or less a parachute to the wind. I figured maybe I should have set it up so that it faced the wind more aerodynamically. But then my wife pointed out that--how would that be possible? With the wind shifting direction every few hours, you'd have to keep digging up the anchors and shifting the shelter around. That's not going to happen.Other than this major issue, otherwise I liked the shelter. It provided very good protection from the sun, and the design is very clever and aesthetically pleasing. We received many compliments on it.Unfortunately to claim that "The tripod shelter is easily erected, durable, and stands up to even the strongest winds," as the description does, is just not correct.Was considering returning this but probably not worth the effort.In sum, we got maybe 2 or 3 days' use out of this before it began to destruct. We tossed it into the dumpster on our way out off the beach, on our way home.

We bought this shelter because it would be a small package. Wanted to keep out of the sun while at the beach. We took the advice offered by others to set it up in the yard before taking it out anywhere. We found it pretty difficult to set up, but once set up, it worked pretty well. And actually, it's pretty cool-looking.Fast forward to the first time at the beach. My wife and daughter were alone, trying to set it up with some light wind. They had a difficult time and it took a couple of men on the beach to help them set it up. Since it looked a little fragile in the wind, they took it down at the end of the day. When I came a few days later, I helped to set it up, but it was difficult in any wind at all. Once the wind got to about 10 mph or so, the shelter would lean precipitously, even with sand anchoring the three legs.It's good for a sunny, no-wind day, but when the wind picks up at all, stick with your four-legged, heavy, large tent.

The first time I used the shelter, it was very difficult to set up. Luckily 2 more people helped the already 3 people setting it up. The second time was much easier, probably because it had stretched out a bit. however, one of the pole snapped about an hour after setting it up. There was very little wind, not sure what caused it to break.

Lightweight, packs small, not very big but perfect for the two of us!