7 Best Beach Tents and Beach Canopies for Escaping the Summer Sun in 2023

By Tyler Chin

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Your job might not be beach, but that shouldn't stop you from heading out to enjoy the sand between your toes. And thankfully the best beach tents exist to protect you from the sun’s harmful rays, because you’re not made of plastic like Ken. You already know you have to pack your sunscreen, swim trunks, and towels on your next beach outing, but a tent is a whole ‘nother level of investment and we’re here to tell you that they're well worth it.

These crafty little huts offer you a little oasis in the middle of miles of scorching sand and respite from direct sun exposure, which can lead to the development of skin cancer, eye damage, and accelerate the rate that your skin ages—plus, most importantly, kill your vibe on an otherwise blissful beach day. Ever tried and failed to lodge your beach umbrella in the sand only to have it flap away in the breeze, nearly impaling a fellow beach-goer? Never again. A beach tent is the most luxurious way to plant your flag on a prime strip of beach, and not think about the blazing sun for a couple hours.

Want to dive head first into beach tents? Here, our top picks so you can enjoy your beach day and not worry about burning up.

Some beaches—like those in New York and New Jersey—ban people from erecting tents, which makes sense considering the problem of overcrowded beaches. So just make sure you do some research in advance to make sure you’re actually allowed to pitch a tent, or that the one you have is at least small enough to not piss off your fellow beachgoers. And the next time you’re hitting the beach, come prepared with one of these, the best beach tents we could find, from small domes for one or two people to the truly extra beach canopies for protecting your whole crew from the sun's glare.

Pacific Breeze Beach Tent

Amazon

Dimensions: 86.6 x 49.2 x 47.2 inchesWeight: 4.5 poundsCapacity: Two to three people Sun protection: UPF 50+

All that separates you from a fun day at the beach and a bad burn after a couple hours in the sun is a $60 Pacific Breeze beach tent. Its lightweight construction and carrying case make it easy to haul from the parking lot to the prime real estate by the shoreline. The polyester construction of the tent is rated at UPF 50+, and besides being a barrier between you and the sun, it's also water-repellent (save for the mesh windows, which offer a nice little breeze) and windproof.

Pitching the tent is crazy easy, with Amazon reviewers noting, “you literally take it out and set up with a pull of the strings. [It's] easy to take down too.” And for a nice added touch, the inside of the tent features a storage pocket to keep your essentials on hand. For those looking to size up, Pacific Breeze also offers this beach tent in an extra-large option (which retails around $78) with enough room for you and around three of your closest homies. That's not including the addition of an extendable floor (because not everyone loves sand).

Shibumi Shade

Shibumi

Dimensions: ‎27.0 x 4.0 x 4.0 inchesWeight: 4.0 poundsCapacity: Three to six peopleSun protection: UPF 50+

Beach Ken would love the Shibumi Shade, a fairly expensive beach canopy that's best for those who spend a lot of time soaking up the sun. The waterproof fabric is rated at UPF 50+, offering a ginormous amount of shade that can house up to six people (or more, uh, depending on how close you all are). Setting up the shade is fairly easy, so much so that one person can do all the work with minimal effort. All it really takes is snapping some poles together, filling the sand bag to provide weight, and connecting everything together. The Shade stays shady by harnessing the power of the wind to stay overtop, and it's been designed to be as quiet as possible because the constant sound of wind rustling fabric is more annoying than you'd think.

Coleman Beach Shade Canopy

Amazon

Dimensions: 40.8 inches x 40.8 inches x 5.0 inchesWeight: 3 poundsCapacity: One to two peopleSun protection: UPF 50+

Coleman is the go-to brand for most people heading out on an outdoor adventure. Its Beach Shade canopy is a tad small, but for the price, it's great for couples or individuals looking to enjoy the beach on their own. Its compact size also means it collapses into a very small package, about the size of an extra-large thermos.

Anchored by three sandbags and seven stakes, the tent is able to withstand pretty gusty winds. One reviewer writes, “The tent does come with everything you need to securely setup at beach in a windy environment. I just did it again yesterday with consistent 16+ mph winds coming off the water for five-plus hours.” The extended floor that juts out past the canopy lets you sprawl out without getting your legs in the sand, and that floor actually zips up to create a fully enclosed space.

Neso 1 Sunshade

REI

Dimensions: 20.0 x 3.5 x 3.5 inchesWeight: 4.1 pounds Capacity: Two to four peopleSun protection: UPF 50+

The Neso 1 Sunshade looks a lot like those jelly hands from your youth, except this canopy actually serves a purpose—to protect you from the sun (duh). This canopy is crafted from four-way stretch nylon and Lycra and offers bountiful protection from the sun. While the canopy is easy to set up, some people have said that it's somewhat difficult to erect when it's windy out—and that it can be pretty wobbly when there is a strong gust of wind. But one reviewer writes, “It was a bit of a learning curve at first to set it up but the key is to bury the weights in the sand. Once you set it up correctly it can withstand a gust of ocean wind. It’s worth every penny!”

Oileus 4-Person Beach Tent

Wayfair

Dimensions: 45.0 x 92.0 x 45.0Weight: 5.5 pounds Capacity: Four peopleSun protection: UPF50+

Easy to set up and ready to withstand the sun, rain, and wind, this Oileus beach tent is an excellent option for a perfect nuclear family (uh, or any other group of four people). It's a lot like the Pacific Breeze beach tent, our top pick overall, but it's cheaper than that brand's extra-large option and this one also includes an extendable floor. The beach tent includes 10 stakes and eight sand bags so you can make sure this stays put, and the protruding floor can be turned upward to make the tent fully enclosed from a windy sandstorm. It packs away easilyy and doesn't weigh too much so it won't bog down your carrying load.

Sport-Brella Premiere XL Umbrella shelter

Amazon

Dimensions: 61.0 x 4.4 x 2.8Weight: 9.0 poundsCapacity: Three to four peopleSun protection: UPF 50+

Know how to use an umbrella? Then you'll love the ease of setting up Sport-Brella's umbrella shelter. Essentially like a tilted umbrella with extra side flaps, the Premiere umbrella shelter is a worthwhile purchase that can more easily skirt the whole tent ban because of its unique design. It's on the heavier side thanks to its steel pole, which also makes it more sturdy and stable for those unexpected blasts of wind. Still, it's best to make sure you use the additional stakes and sandbags included with your haul to keep the setup grounded. And unlike other beach tents with mesh windows, this one offers two zippered windows so you can make it fully waterproof if it rains or keep it unzipped to let those breach breezes through.

Sun Ninja Pop Up Beach Tent

Amazon

Dimensions: 17.8 x 7.5 x 7.5 inchesWeight: 8.0 pounds Capacity: Four, six, or eight people, depending on sizeSun protection: UPF 50+

You're at the beach to chill and not to spend all your time figuring out how the hell your beach tent fits together. For people who want the easiest setup imaginable, the Sun Ninja's pop-up beach tent truly lives up to the name. After you fill the four corners with weights, just stick a few poles in the four corners of the canopy and dig it into the sand (made even easier thanks to an included shovel), and prop up the canopy. The Sun Ninja is available in three sizes, which can accommodate up to eight people. The flexibility of the Sun Ninja's material, a water-resistant spandex, keeps it stable against the wind, while offering all of the UPF 50+ sun protection you need. This thing does take up a lot of space, with even the smallest size taking up a fairly large footprint, so be sure to hit the beach early so you don't struggle to find a place to park your circus tent of a canopy on a crowded strip of sand.