Superior Sun Protection: Ultra Lightweight 7' Beach Umbrella & Sunshield - Blocks 99% UVA/UVB, Doubles Your Shade and Keeps You Cooler!

This is a genius idea. We bought this umbrella, plus an extra shade panel, to bring to a fairly windy beach. We also had a beach tent and a Sport-Brella. Here is how the three compared:1. Beach tent - for a windy beach, this is our hands-down favorite. Once you put your stuff and a few chairs inside, it's not going to blow away. The model we have has windows on all sides, so the tent tends to stay pretty cool. It takes a little bit more effort and time to put up vs. an umbrella, and some days we just didn't feel like going through the hassle. Putting up a tent with 1 person can be a little challenging, especially on windy days.2. The Solar Eclipz. This was super-easy to install. (We also bought an anchor to hold in place - essential on this beach, where we usually see an umbrella or two blow away each year.) The SPF protection was great - it actually felt chilly under the umbrella at times (the temp was 75-80 degrees). On non-windy days, the panels where phenomenal.On windy days, though, the panels were a pain -- lots of flapping. Granted, this could have been "user error." The flaps are easily adjustable so you can make them longer/shorter as needed. Maybe the flapping would have stopped if I had had the patience to keep fiddling with them.Note, somewhere on Amazon (or maybe it was in the directions) I saw instructions to place 2 panels opposite each other in windy conditions to balance the pull on the umbrella. Doing so did help with the umbrella leaning a bit; however, it also meant that one flap was being blown toward us as we sat under the umbrella.This umbrella was also nice and lightweight, making it easy for the kids to carry.3. To me, the Sport-Brella looked perfectly designed to fly away in a stiff breeze. Yet it didn't. It also seemed to be more sturdy - with metal parts vs. heavy plastic, as on the Solar Eclipz. It seemed to be a bit harder to drive the pole into the sand at an angle vs. drilling it in as with the Solar Eclipz.Bottom line, I'd definitely recommend this product for all but the windiest beaches.

One thing you learn rapidly by using Amazon is that they have a fairly short return period....sometimes 30 days is simply not long enough to really understand a product, especially one like this beach shelter that you may only use once or twice in the 30 days. Our experience with this product is that its really extremely lightweight, which is appreciated.....but in fact after using it 10 or 15 times, we have found it has disadvantages not initially noticeable. The flap that is attached with velcro to provide more shade works like a "sail" to make it very prone to wind displacement. We use the screw-in type of sand brace, but even that is not enough if its mildly windy. Nothing is more fun on a hot day than chasing down a wildly careening tent in a crowd of sun bathers! It provides good shade for one person on a calm day...if you try to get 2 beach chairs in its shaded area, you will be really tight, and as the sun moves you will always have an arm or a leg in direct sunlight. One always wishes that you could give 5 stars to these smaller companies in order to help them, but the consumer must always come first. I would return the shelter to Amazon, but of course my 30 day time period has just run out. Perhaps we may put gentle pressure on our friends at Amazon to extend their return period for products which are normally not used on a daily basis.

I bought this umbrella for my wife because of the SPF protection it provides. However, it has a number of shortcomings and I question whether it will last the summer. While it is indeed lightweight, the fact that the spines are plastic or something similar rather than metal led to one of them splitting the first weekend we used it. I had to tape that spine and am hoping it holds up. The extra wind barrier is helpful, but unfortunately I think the additional pressure it put on the umbrella was one of the factors that cause the spine to split. In addition, the top section of the pole can slide all the way down the lower section even when it's locked becuase there's no notch to prevent it from sliding down. On top of that, the locking mechanism itself came out of the pole when I was setting it up for day. Bottom line, I'd look for an umbrella that's more durable, which is what I'm probably going to have to do at the end of this summer.

The umbrella is a basic beach umbrella, nothing too special. I bought it for the 50 spf. You'll need the extra piece to set it in the sand. The end of the stick is pointy, so it will probably be to use in the garden or at a soccer game.Pros- has plenty of room underneath it's shade, could easily fit 2 adults in beach chairs and a decent size cooler comfortably.Cons- I have yet to use the sun shade, but not for lack of trying. I have 2 shades (I purchased an extra because I can not be in the sun for extended periods of time but still love the beach) and it has been too windy. I've tried tilting the umbrella, playing around with directions, nothing seems to work. I'm pretty disappointed, since that is the reason I bought this one instead of a regular umbrella without the sun shade, but I will keep trying.

This can sometimes be really hard to set up at the beach if there is any wind, The sun protector extender is very lightweight and when there is wind it wants to fly everywhere instead of of simply being tied to the ground. It needs some weights at the bottom of the extender. We eventually got it to work, and when the wind is completely calm it's easy to use, but it's not always a perfect world. However I like how it compacts down and has a cover, making it easy to load and haul around.

The fabric is very good and doesn't let the sun go through it. it doesn't wait much so is good to Carry around. Nevertheless, I think the aluminum at the bottom should be a little more stronger, because it bends easily if it is windy and the beach anchor is tight around it. So basically, I only use it if it is not very windy.