All,

I seem to be the only person baking in the sun at car shows in the summer---everyone else brings a pop-up canopy.

The ones that I have looked at are 10'x10' and only collapse to 5' long--too big for my trunk.

What are you all using? Is 8x8 better? What is the best deal on these?

Thanks,
Brent

There are so many available, the "EZ-Up" seems to be popular but I think they are a solid material. The ones that are woven allow beter ventlation but be sure to get one that has a high UV rating. Often I see them near cars without being staked down or held down with weights. We use 4 large bleach bottles filled with sand. I would hate to see the wind come up and toss one into a car or cars...

I got ours from overstock.com it fits in the back of my trunk easily. about 8'x8' but has pull apart legs which helps it stay small in the box. I think its a coleman. definately keep away from cars or tie down as Dennis said. But they sure save the day for me, I cant tolerate much direct sun. :)

I bought one from Gander Mountain, it is their brand, Guide Series. A few things I like about it. The legs come straight down not on an angle like most, so in tight spaces it takes up less space. And the legs have holes to stake it into the ground. Also, it came standard with a screen for all 4 sides and walls for 2 sides. These can roll up into the top when not in use. But they are nice when it starts to rain, you can roll down the wall on two sides and get some extra coverage.

The down side it that it is heaver then most. My guess is that the legs are a little more reinforced since they aren't set at an angle when it is up. I don't know the exact length when it is packed up my guess would be a little less then 4feet in length.

Good post.. every time i go to a show now i keep saying.. I gotta get one of those. Then i forget about it till the next time im at a show...at which time i say, "Im such an idiot for not having one of those" :(

sams club is a great place to grab an ez-up, and they usually come with side panels as well as sand bags & spikes for turf.

After years of racing and being in wind storms and rain storms it always seemed the Ez Up was the best, and of course , the most costly . I have not had to use one in about 7 or 8 years so there may be a better product out there now .. We used 5 gallon fuel jugs filled with water with our tie down straps to hold them in place.

Here is a photo from me racing in Mexico in 1996 and I can also say that they withstand severe sunshine and can handle the wieght of 30 or so Corona bottles and at least two or three empty bottles of Patron

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/ChevyThunder/Ensenada%20GP%201996/th_ens.jpg (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/ChevyThunder/Ensenada%20GP%201996/ens.jpg)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/ChevyThunder/Ensenada%20GP%201996/th_enspts.jpg (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/ChevyThunder/Ensenada%20GP%201996/enspts.jpg)

canopies do not belong at car shows!! we were at a show last year that was being held in an asphalt parking area-no way to stake anything down-some idiot in a vette next to us set one up and left his car all day-never even usedthe thing.needless to say a gust of wind promptly planted the thing on top of my wifes 02 vert. luckily the top was down and did minimal damage to the passenger side door(was able to buff it out). car club offered to pay for the damage but i let it go and did it myself. the wife on the other hand was rather hard to live with for the next month!! she also wants to kill the vette owner,and she's usually the quiet shy type. We no longer attend shows that allow canopies unless they are in areas that can be anchored down and are attended to constantly. So please guys if you have em watch em-theres way to many nice paint jobs on camaros to ruined by these things.

I understand the feedback on canopies that are not tied down. At our show this past weekend occasionally folks would frantically grab their canopies as wind gusts blew across the lot. I could see where an unattended one would cause some problems.

How do you all fit these in the trunk? The 10x10's are 5' long folded up...

I understand the feedback on canopies that are not tied down. At our show this past weekend occasionally folks would frantically grab their canopies as wind gusts blew across the lot. I could see where an unattended one would cause some problems.

How do you all fit these in the trunk? The 10x10's are 5' long folded up...

I have a 10x10( never measured it closed up though) and it fits in the trunk with 4 fold up chairs, cooler etc... just have to be creative I guess!

Mine folds up to about 4' long, pipes pull apart and store in seperate bag, plastic manifold and corners in another bag, vinyl in another bag. It all fits in the wayyyy back of my trunk behind the spare tire on the ledge under the speakers. :)

Timely post. LB and I are looking into a 10x10 EZ-UP for $60. We want to build a water mister for his marching band and hang it in the canopy. I'll remember the secure the legs thing.

We raced motocross weekly for 8+ years and have dealt with some pretty good storms/ wind and never had a problem with a properly secured E-Z UP.

I have seen twice where the canopies have damaged cars. We were in a grass field one time and the wind caught one very quickly. It launched it about 50 feet straight up in the air and when it landed one of the legs hit the center of a hood. That was a mess.

Another time one blew real hard into the trunk lid of an old coupe and buckled the trunk lid. The owner of the canopy counted out 100 dollar bills until the owner of the car was satisfied he had enough to cover the cost of repairs.

We have one but I do not take it to the shows.

Ah...something that I know quite a bit about...

First of all...EZ-up is a brand name for their pop up tent. EZ-up tends to be more expensive...and that doesn't necessarily mean the best made :noway: WWW.ezup.com (http://www.ezup.com)

Depending on your budget...there are better alternatives out there...
www.eps-doublet.com (http://www.eps-doublet.com) sells to a lot of the commercial crowd

www.visualimpactpro.com (http://www.visualimpactpro.com) is in Ca. and does a lot of the motocross related printed canopies.

Real EZ-ups 10x10 straight (not splayed) legs are $129 on sale at EZ-up and are constructed of steel. The plastics used in the bracing becomes very brittle after 2 years or so.

If you want something that will last a lot longer (and will be easier to carry) get a unit with a frame made out of aluminum...and instead of the plastic bracing, get the bracing that is a fiberglass composite.

Also...as far as replacement parts go for the pop ups...EZ-up has parts that will only fit their canopies (proprietary)...while EPS-Doublet, Norstar, and visual impact all can share replacement pieces. It's something to consider when purchasing a pop up.

I just got through ordering 11 10x20, 11 10x10's and 2 15x15's all with full wall enclosures (for security at night). I thought I had some pics at home of the finished products. I will post them tomorrow.

BTW, you can buy sand bag weights that are used specifically for pop ups...but if you are going to be in windy conditions...5 gallon fuel jugs filled with water are the only way to go (you can dump the water when you are done...and make them easy to carry).:beers:


By the way...I do have a pic of the truck that was just bought for work use... :)

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b156/lotsayenkopics/ridenowtruck.jpg

Here is a pic of one of the pop ups that we bought.

We ordered from Visual Impact promotions...and couldn't be happier!

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b156/lotsayenkopics/aaaaaaaaaaaacanopysample.jpg

I picked up a no-name brand 10x10 at Home Depot for $59. It has a vented top which lets most wind gust escape. Even so I still weight it down.

Here is the newest one that came in today. Keep in mind...printed canopies like this aren't cheap. They are over $800...but they last way longer than the $50 ones. You get what you pay for!

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b156/lotsayenkopics/tn_DSCF0004.jpg

here are some ideas and package deals :)

canopy deals http://www.canopymax.com/

The shows I go to I haven't seen any canopies. The cars are way too close together to get one in there. I like to sit behind my car/cars at shows. Maybe if you wanted to sit away from the cars you'd be able to det one up. I have a 10x10 EZ-UP and it works great. Sets up and down easily and even fits in it's storage bad with minimal effort. Would be nice at a show, but no room.

I found the perfect canopy (for me) at Pep Boys for $69. It is aluminum and weighs 17 lbs vice 40 lbs. The legs are adjstable and it is 48" once folded--easily fitting into my trunk.

It has 8 stake holes to secure it and I will put weights on the legs as well. If wind picks up--I will collapse it. It has a wind vent that should help some as well.

Thanks for all the input.

The 10x10 seems REALLY BIG. I don't know how it would fit behind a car at a show...