How to Choose the Perfect Canopy Tent

From backyard picnics to garden weddings, a canopy tent can play a crucial role in any gathering. This holds especially true for outdoor sports events. Canopy tents provide shade and temporary shelter to spectators and athletes, making watching a car race or a golf game more comfortable.

When organizing a sports event, paying attention to every detail of the logistics is important. So when it comes to canopy tents, what exactly should you look for? Before purchasing that tent you’ve been eyeing on, reevaluate these factors that make for a perfect canopy tent.

Size

How many people are you expecting? How big is your event? Consider the scope of your event to identify the size and quantity of the tents you need. Standard canopy sizes range from small sizes as 5×5 and 8×8 perfect for one-table booths, to most commonly used 10×10 or 15×15, up to large sizes such as 20×40 and 40×40 ideal for car show displays.

Type

After identifying the size, you will have an idea of what type fits your event. There are three popular types of canopy tents. The instant or pop-up, the frame tents, and the pole tents. The pop-up tents are easiest to use. It’s portable and compact so it’s best for travelling. It requires no tools for set-up and can be assembled by one person. It’s also the most inexpensive type.

The frame tents are perfect for small to medium sized events. It can provide short-term shelter or temporary car port so you can trust its durability for a good while. It’s not however reliable for poor weather condition. It’s still easy to set up but would require more people since it’s larger.

The most expensive type of tent is the pole tent. You can very well use this for large sports events where some spectators watch outside the actual field. It requires custom tensions and once put up, you can expect its reliability.

Frame

Choosing the right frame for your selected type is more than aesthetics. Always look at the frame’s weight, sturdiness, and even its leg angle. A straight angle leg is more stable and could save up space than a slant angle leg. For the material, choose between aluminum and steel. Aluminum is lightweight so it’s easy to pack from venue to venue. It’s resistant to rust and corrosion. However, aluminum easily bends so it can be inappropriate for windy days. Steel on the other hand is cheaper and has more strength. But it’s challenging to transport and is susceptible to rust.

Top

Sport events usually make attractive statements through colorful and customized canopy tent tops. But even this should be carefully chosen. You want it to be durable, water resistant, and fire-retardant. Look at the material’s denier or the density of the fabric. The higher the denier, the tougher the material is. Polyester is a common tent top material. It’s resilient, water-resistant but not water-proof. Polyethylene, another popular material, is durable, UV resistant, and waterproof and can withstand elements. Vinyl has all these qualities, plus it’s the most long-lasting. Likewise, take into consideration how often you have to put up the tent. Lastly, be wise with the color. Light color does not absorb heat but can easily show stains, while dark color hides stains but can bring temperature up.