Scooping sand into the pockets is tedious and annoying, but only has to happen once and doesn’t take too long. Specially with the kids lending a hand. I can see the plastic end of the center stake already wearing down after only two days of being hammered down into the sand. But it’s easy enough to get in place.
Fun fact, not all beaches allow “canopy” or “cabana” style structures. We found out after set up that this was not allowed. To my surprise we were able to pour a little sand into the storage pockets near the corners and fold up the straps. The weight of the sand and the center stake kept the awning up and just worked like a giant umbrella. It jiggled in the wind a bit, and did make me nervous but lasted 8 hours without issue.
Would buy again, but would love a simpler/faster set up. I might use prefilled sand bags next time. Assuming I’m at a beach that allows the canopy to be set up as designed.
