Canopies

[donna]

Okay, I've been doing shows on the road for many years.  I have used ez ups, KD, and lite dome.  I have an ez up that leaks which was purchased about 8 years ago ....so we bought a Lite Dome which was purchased about 6 years ago.  The Lite Dome we have not been crazy about for several reasons (price/ouch, set up time, heavy).  We are thinking about replacing it because I swear the heavy top shrank...it has been a struggling match to pull it down over the framework each time to get it snapped...hubby has to hang on it to get it snapped.  Currently we are dealing with Lite Dome on this....it is going to cost us to get it fixed.  Oh, and it is splitting at all four corners...no wonder it is so tight.  Also, I cannot set up this behemoth by myself.

We are considering EZ up again due to its EZ set up. Anyone have one of the better models of this and do you know what it is called? Does it leak?   I've seen many a cheap one turned into sculptures when the wind took over.

Or any recommendations?  Price?

Donna

[BlissDesigns]

I was very disappointed with my EZ-up after the first rain, when I found out it was water RESISTANT - not water proof. I clip plastic to the top if rain is in the forecast.  Good luck.

[BarbaraM]

I bought an expensive EZ up and for some reason the top is all sticking together and now
I notice the black tabs that holds the bolts are coming off.

[artchain]

I have not found EZ-up to be particularly easy to set up.  I've seen pictures in their ads of a smiling girl in a bikini standing next to an EZ up.  I've never been able to put the thing up with one person - but I admit I have not gotten a girl in a bikini to try, so maybe that's the trick.

[Nature artist]

Don't go with an EZup - they are an EZ down.  They are the ones I see at shows that get bent up in knots during wind/thunderstorms.  IT is because they are made of aluminum and the "canvas" is cheap too.  I have had MANY problems with an EZ-Up that only lasted 1 MONTH.  I bit the bullet and bought a Fluorish Trimline and it was the best investment EVER.  It is an investment, but if you think about it in a way that you put $25-$50 towards it every show and it pays for itself in no time.  It is made of very sturdy metal - steel and heavy nylon canvas.  The design is amazing - water doesn't collect - just sheets right down.  It is super sturdy - I even bought the stay-bars which helps stabilize the legs and was evident the first time I used it.  There was a horrendous thunderstorm that hit right during pack up - got my stuff in the car but left the canopy up.  My husband and I stood underneath it doing a happy dance while so many others were struggling to get theirs down in the rain or trying to figure out what to do with their wrecked canopy.  What I like the most about it is I breathed a huge sigh of relief when I got it - I learned I could set it up by myself in about 40 mins. - it is a bit heavy, but comes apart in sections which makes it easy and provide a great video on how to put it up.  I also feel like it adds "insurance" to my display and my work - never will I have to worry again about what will happen to my canopy if I encounter another storm.  Lastly, you get noticed more - people seem to buy from you more because it is different and ritzy, opens it up and seems roomier, and again is very stable. 

I am not paid to say these things, but it took me several months to convince myself this is the best one to get and now very thankful I did with the only regret being I wish I put the money I spent in the EZ-up into the Trimine. 

Michelle
www.bythebaybotanicals.com

[VT Exhibitor]

There are cheap EZ UPs, (Sam's club specials at $199) and GOOD EZ UPs.

The cheap canopies are perfect for the beginner who really doesn't know whether or not they actually want to do this. So it's a small investment. And these are the most common canopies out there today. And you get what you pay for.

And you'll pay for the good ones. They have a 70 pound frame and a heavy waterproof top. A true professional model. And they list for $700.

The secret is the frame. The cheap ones will indeed twist in a windstorm. And they will even break if the user doesn't learn how to set it up at home first before doing a show. They're thin wall aluminum, not 18 gage steel.

I have a very early version of the steel framed canopy. Mine's a KD and I bought it in 1987. For $700. The frame weighs 50 pounds and doesn't go anywhere in a storm!

I'm on my second top and I'm about to buy my third. A good waterproof top is only $200. So in my opinion, if your EZ UP frame is good, get a new top! And also a 10x10 white tarp to make a "ceiling" under the mechanism. It keeps the heat "upstairs" so you stay cooler, and any wind goes right through instead of lifting it up.

Now I have a question.  I do many shows outdoors in summer, and I see canopies with weights only. I can see this if the show is on asphalt, but when a show is on grass? Why? Weights don't do diddly in a windstorm!

And here I come with four 10" spikes and hammer them at the corners, and three dog stakes too. One at the center of the three sides. I just lash the dog stakes to the scissors because they're steel and won't snap.

My canopy has survived gale force winds coming off the ocean in Gloucester, MA, while other canopies and Flourishes were flying by. So I guess you can have a great canopy, but unless it's secured to the ground properly, it makes no difference.

[VT Exhibitor]

SHOW UPDATE

We did a show in Hampton Falls, NH this past wekend. Saturday was rain all day. So we battened down the hatches because the Weather channel called for 20 MPH gusts overnight.

Well, it got a lot windier than that! The promoter tried calling me on my cell at the hotel but I turned off the phone. I arrived Sunday morning to find carnage. There were "tornadic" winds overnight, and my canopy was upside down in the aisle in front of my booth with four legs sticking up like a puppy wanting it's belly rubbed. This is first time this happened where it actually blew over. Upon inspection, I saw the canopy was in one piece and only needed to be uprighted.  The winds took out spikes at all four corners, in the middle of the two sides, as well as the dog stake in the back. But the canopy survived! I had a slightly bent leg. Needless to say the cheap canopies were crumpled and laying all over. Even a brand new Craft Hut was twisted up and ruined.

So here we have destruction. What caused it to some canopies and not others? Well, some lowered their canopies down Saturday night, which  prevented the wind from moving them, and cheap as well as good canopies were completely spared. Like a fool, I didn't lower mine.

But what caused my canopy to move? The SIDES! Sides can act just like a sail on a boat in the wind. You have a 10 foot wide by 7 foot tall wall of material.  Because the wind was still going pretty good with 40 mph gusts on Sunday, I took my sides off and had no problems during the day. Others who kept their sides up still had problems. Next to me was an exhibitor with the PVC pipes filled with cement. His canopy still was lifted off the ground.

So now I know that I will lower my canopy at night if there's the chance of wind, and will remove the sides during the day if it's windy. Even a cheap canopy will survive by doing this.

[New Mexico]

Bought two Quck Shade Commercial canopies from Home Depot for $200 each. Made of steel with two vents in the roof and aluminex coating in the top canopy. Very nice shade. We are happy now. We use these for our day shows (no overnight or weekends).

For overnight/weekend shows, we have a 10x20 heavy duty green top canopy from Shelter logic. Round pipe throughout and we've added sand inside each of the legs for additional weight. Took the green top to a local upholstery shop and added vents and corner reinforcements. Even with all that sand, we stake our corners down with steel rods. We also carry liability insurance.

Over 30 years, we've seen it all (like many of you) and as a result, believe that any pop-up style tent from any manufacturer is never going to take the weather conditions here in New Mexico.

We do see more vendors lowering their tents at night. They seem to know something. However, not every vendor wants to expose their goods like that.

[VT Exhibitor]

You lost me when you said "expose their goods".  By lowering the canopy, all we do is lower it to the point where the legs are telescoped all the way down. So the legs are maybe 4 feet high. And the sides still are on, just shorter. So nobody's work is exposed at all.

[artchain]

For overnight/weekend shows, we have a 10x20 heavy duty green top canopy from Shelter logic.

Just saw your mention of a green canopy.  I've seen a lot of show promoters that require white canopies, and for that reason I always advise people who are buying to get white.

Just wondering if others have encountered this as well?