Best Beach Canopy for Your Day in the Sun

A beach canopy should be portable and easy to setup and take down, ideally by one person. It should be constructed of sturdy materials, provide UPF 50+ protection, and be steady enough to withstand some wind. All of the canopies on this list have UPF 50+ protection, though you should always wear sunscreen, even when you’re under a canopy or in the shade.

That last criterion—steadiness—is why we took three popular beach canopies to Long Beach, N.Y., on a windy April morning to put them to the test. While the maximum wind speed reached 22 miles per hour that day, which is considered a “fresh breeze” but feels a little more aggressive than that sweet term, we set up the CoolCabanas CoolCabana 5, the Shibumi Shade Classic, and the Sun Ninja.

To better assess their portability, we also weighed each canopy in its carrying bag with all of the accessories you’ll need, and some of our weights differed from those provided by the companies. Spoiler alert: We kind of loved each of them, but one was our top choice.