Made in the shade: 12 easy beach tents your whole family will love

With over 6,900 reviews on Amazon and a near 5-star rating, this beach tent is the best of the best. It’s the fastest & easiest option that we’ve come across to set up and take down. Its roomy interior offers fantastic UPF 50+ sun protection, and it weights only 4.5 lbs and folds down to a convenient carrying size. It even comes with a carrying case, sand pockets & stakes for extra stabilization, and a one-year warranty.

Reviewers say: “We purchased this for a beach trip with our twins. I can’t say enough about this tent! It was easy to set up & take down each day by myself…with 9 month old twins in tow! The sand easily brushed off and it provided a large space for playing, naps, snacks, and keeping items for the day. We had it set up on a few very windy days and it stayed put – no problem. The sand pockets are very effective and easy to use. As a bonus-it matched our beach blanket perfectly!”-Nicole

Veer’s adventure-ready gear makes it not just easy, but enjoyable to bring kids along for the ride. It started with the ultimate stroller wagon which makes getting to the beach a breeze. Once you’re there? The Family Basecamp has you covered. A family-sized version of the brilliant pop-open play yard, Family Basecamp looks cool and keeps you cool–thanks to a white, sun-reflective fabric and three windows with both screen and solid panels. The portable and lightweight shelter offers 50 UPF+ sun protection along with resistance should a shower pass through. There’s plenty of space for two adults and a few kiddos along with all the gear!

Starts at $379 (with optional sand mat add on!)

This baby beach tent isn’t just Amazon’s top choice–it also comes with its very own built-in pool. Need we say more?! It pops up automatically, making setup a breeze, and provides great sun protection for your little one with the added bonus of her very own place to cool down and splash. It comes in a 21″ transport bag and works best for children under 3 years old.

Reviewers say: “I am thrilled with this purchase and so are our kids! It can take some practice to get the folding up right/ get it imprinted on your muscle memory, but that’s such a small downside. The zipper seems like it might be slightly fragile, but especially for the cost of the item I wasn’t expecting the highest end/ durability. It is so super convenient in it folds up/ stores flat, is so light weight & allows great airflow, I love that it has a carrying bag with handles, and the option for a little baby pool is perfect. We probably use it without digging out a pool hole more often – so just as a shade canopy/ tent. We use it in our back yard, at the park, on beach vacations, for picnics – etc. It’s everything I wanted for my 8 week old and has been great for my 21 month old and slightly less active 35 month old twin. Love love love. Wish we had gotten it sooner.”- Mom of 4 under 3

This self-expanding tent is perfect for setting up a shady spot for little ones to play and relax. It’s only 2.2 lbs and folds down easily, so it’s perfect to stash in your beach bag before you head out for the day. It folds back up quickly, as well, so you won’t have to worry about fumbling with it while you’re trying to get your family home for the day.

Reviewers say: “I cannot believe I did not have this sooner. This has made taking the kids to the beach so much easier. It is lightweight, fits in my bag, opens and closes in seconds. MUST have.”- Courtney

If you’re looking for a tent and a beach umbrella all in one, this XL option is the way to go. It features a 9-foot UPF 50+ canopy that’s supported by steel ribs and wind gust relief vents, so it’s sure to withstand gusty days on the beach. We also love the extra details like oversized storage pockets and side flaps for full sun protection. It does weigh a bit more than the beach tents on our list, but at 9 lbs., we didn’t find it to be a challenge to carry.

Reviewers say: “We recently took this on a trip to Destin and we loved it. We set it up a few times and it’s very easy to do. We assembled it on the beach in just a few minutes. Lots of cover and shade, the windows are great. We fit two large chairs and a cooler underneath this. It could easily fit 2 adults and 1 child comfortably. Just be sure if it’s breezy to open the windows so you allow wind to pass through.”- Austin Williams

Looking for a beach tent that will fit the whole fam? It only weights 8.5 lbs., but this huge tent will provide all the shade you need for a cool day at the beach. A built-in zipper door provides privacy if need and takes about 60 seconds to put up.

Reviewers say: “This is probably the best purchase I have made for our baby/family! It’s super easy to use, and carry. Many small sun tents are easy to set up but impossible to pack – Not this one! Even I can do it 🙂 We love this for the beach, ball game sand even just hanging in the back yard. Mom likes her privacy when nursing and this is a perfect space for us to hang out and be a part of the fun and offers the privacy when we need it.”- Alyssa

We love this extremely portable, easy set-up play tent for a cool spot for babies & toddlers to catch some shade. It fits easily into the included travel bag, and its pop up design makes setup quick & easy as well. It even comes with tie down pegs and sand pockets for those windy beach days.

The clean, simple design and extra-large mesh window make this beach tent one of our faves. (The fact that it weighs only 2.5 lbs helps, too!) We love the simple setup and take down, portable travel bag, and great sun protection.

Reviewers say: “This could be the best purchase we have bought for the grand children’s visit. Then when they left we took it with us to the beach and used it for us and a friend who didn’t want a lot of sun because of her fair skin. It really was cool sitting in a beach chair under it. And the mesh all around the bottom gives plenty of air flow! We will likely always have one of these moving forward and it is lightweight and portable. Wise purchase for all!!
I wanted to add to this 1 year later!! This is a great company that backs their product. We had one of the plastic pieces snap on us this year when we were folding it up. I contacted Alvantor and sent them pics and they sent a replacement piece out to us. If you are looking for a sun tent for kids or adults…this is the company to buy from!! They stand behind their products and we appreciate that!!” Sheila Bernard

Operated by an easy-to-use side-pull hub system, this is one of the best beach tents we’ve tried in terms of setup. (And most attractive to boot!) It features three windows for awesome ventilation and an overhanging canopy that creates a “porch” for even more shaded area. You can even clip up the front porch for privacy, making it the perfect spot for breastfeeding or your little one’s nap.

Reviewers say: “This is by far the best beach accessory we have. It is super lightweight, easy to carry and even easier to set up. We would recommend this to anyone looking for an easy shade option for the beach.”- L. Williams

Last but certainly not least, this four-person pop-up tent makes a great beach shelter and can even be used for camping in clear weather. It features easy setup, two doors & two windows for ventilation, and folds down to an easy-carry 31″ diameter ring weighing in at only 5 lbs.

Reviewers say: “I bought this tent for my day care children to play in. I have owned many fold up forts/toys in the past, so I already knew how to fold them. This one folds into a large disk, hula hoop sized, no smaller. It fits easily in the trunk. My day care children love this thing and we have taken it on many excursions. I decided to buy this tent for each family for Christmas this year. Super excited to hear about all their adventures.”- Tracey M.

A tent alternative that’s become super popular over the last couple summers, the Sun Ninja isn’t the fastest to set up, but once you do, it might be your new favorite. The cabana-style shade holds up to impressive winds and given its design, weighs in under eight pounds. The only consideration is that the overall footprint is larger than most, so be sure to check with your beach destination’s regulations to be sure it’s allowed.

Reviewers say: “We have 4 little kids and I (dad) am the pack mule for the family. This made the load of things we took to the beach soooo much lighter weight than taking a metal framed 10×10 pop up canopy. Having the pockets to fill with sand attached to stretchy canvas was a lot easier than having to adjust a rope with stakes.
The bag is very compact and nice quality. The little shovel it came with was made with thick plastic. While the canopy was set up I just put it all in one of the sand pockets to store it. All 6 of us were able to benefit from its shade (in chairs). We even expanded it by using two sun ninjas with 6 poles and overlapped them in the middle! Which was great because our beach group was 18 people.”- Jeremiah Miller

If you’ve got little ones and are in need of containment as much as you are shade, the innovative Pop N’ Go Playpen from The California Beach Co. is the way to go. With mesh panels all the way around and at the top, it’s breezy and cool and ideal for keeping bugs at bay. Pop the UPF shade over the top and it’s ready to keep the rays out too. The portable design is super easy to set up (the supports stay in place when it’s stowed so no need to insert and take them out every time) and packs into a convenient carry bag for transport.

Reviewers say: “Keeps the bugs out! Baby loved having the space to roam and enjoy the sunshine. Very easy to set up -literally just pops open! Comes with stakes to secure into the ground or sand. Also comes with a top attachment for extra shade. I was worried it might get muggy inside the tent, but there is great ventilation and baby stayed cool as a cucumber. This thing is going to be great for the beach and all the sunny days ahead. Tempted to buy two; one for home and another for travel. Highly recommend.”- Sam