The Best Beach Umbrella Is Not Actually an Umbrella

I’ve worked for Wirecutter for nearly a decade in various capacities, writing about everything from travel backpacks and luggage to camping stoves, road-trip gear, and car-camping tents. (This guide builds on earlier work by Eve O’Neill and Abi Smigel Mullens.)

• I currently live on the North Shore of Oahu. And I’ve spent a large amount of time at the beach working on our guide to the best beach and surf gear.
• For this guide we’re incorporating a trend we’ve seen on the beaches in Hawaii and along the East Coast: families replacing the awkward beach umbrella with larger, more-functional sun shelters.
• We looked at sun shelter reviews published in Good Housekeeping, Outdoor Geeky, Travel + Leisure, and TripSavvy.
• Like all Wirecutter journalists, I review and test products with complete editorial independence. I’m never made aware of any business implications of my editorial recommendations. Read more about our editorial standards.

If you’re seeking protection from the sun while you’re at the beach, consider a sunshade. It serves the same function as a beach umbrella, yet it’s also much easier to pack and carry to and from the beach—especially if you’re juggling lots of gear and young children.

Although our two main picks provide more than enough shade for one or two people, the primary purpose of a sunshade is to provide cover for families or large groups. For just one or two people heading to a more-crowded beach, we’ve also included two umbrellas and one beach tent.

Best for…

The best sunshade for maximum protection

Sun Ninja Beach Tent 4 Person

When you have plenty of space on the beach, this stretchable spandex canopy is easy to set up, and it provides great sun protection in variable winds. However, it commands a fairly large chunk of the beach, so it might annoy your neighbors.

$130 from Amazon

$130 from Walmart

The Sun Ninja Beach Tent 4 Person is an expanse of sun-resistant (UPF 50+) spandex that stretches from its sand-ballasted corners across four vertical aluminum-tube poles, providing enough shade for four adults. Several other companies make shades similar to this model, but the Sun Ninja Beach Tent is our pick for the following reasons.

It’s simple to set up. One or two people should be able to set up the whole thing in less than five minutes, with most of that time spent filling the corners with sand and making sure you’ve found the right amount of tension to balance the tent against the wind. Many comparable models we tested use complicated ropes to connect the sand ballasts to the main fabric; in the Sun Ninja tent, the canopy and the sand ballasts are all part of one sewn-together piece of spandex. Compared with the competition, this simple design saves a ton of time and hassle during setup and breakdown.

It works in both calm and breezy conditions. Rather than fighting high winds the way an umbrella must, in our tests the Sun Ninja tent simply twisted and shrugged off everything but the strongest gusts—particularly those over 15 mph—without complaint. In higher winds, though, the tent can start to feel unstable or even collapse. In that case, you may prefer some of our other choices below. Other similar shades come with frustratingly meager aluminum tubes, whereas the Sun Ninja tent has four aluminum poles that are sturdy enough to support the tent when it’s facing the wind.

It gives you plenty of shade but also provides great views. The four-person tent covers a 7.5-by-7-foot area, and it has a ceiling height of about 5 feet, depending on how deeply you bury the support poles. (Sun Ninja also makes a larger, eight-person tent that shades a 10-by-10-foot area, but we haven’t tested that model.) If you’ve never used a shelter like this on the beach, the amount of shade it provides can feel like a luxury. The tent creates a wonderfully peaceful sense of being protected, but it doesn’t obscure the beach around you, unlike some pop-up shelters, including the Old Bahama Bay. One tester described the effect as “romantic.”

It’s easy to carry. Packed up, the Sun Ninja tent weighs 5.25 pounds, and it fits inside a carrying case that’s about 18 inches tall and 7 inches in diameter (roughly the size of a small wastepaper basket). It’s easy to sling over one shoulder while you tend to other things, such as wrangling kids or the assorted bric-a-brac one might bring to the beach.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

The Sun Ninja tent will not last forever. Constant exposure to the sun will, over time, break down the spandex cover. The Sun Ninja tent has a one-year warranty—standard for shades of this type—but we’ve found some noticeable stretch in the material after three years of near-constant use in Hawaii. If you go to the beach only a few times each summer you probably won’t notice too much. However, if you go to the beach frequently or year-round in places such as Florida, you may prefer our more robust picks down below.

It takes up a lot of space. The arms of the Sun Ninja tTent stretch considerably farther than the 7.5-by-7-foot patch of shade it creates—about another 3 feet in each direction; on a crowded beach, this is both a hassle and an unwelcome intrusion for others

It offers no storage. Unlike some more-traditional shelters, the Sun Ninja tent does not have additional pockets or corners for you to tuck your valuables in, especially when it’s set up in a four-pole position. (If you erect it as a kind of lean-to, it could potentially provide some corners where you could hide your gear.) Generally speaking, you are more exposed within tents like this.

Best for…

The best sunshade for a simple setup

Shibumi Shade Classic With Quiet Canopy

With a beguiling, minimal design, this shade offers easy and quick setup for one person. As long as a steady wind blows, the fabric floats above you, providing enough sun coverage for six people without buckling or collapsing.

$295 from Amazon

If your favorite beach provides steady offshore breezes—or even umbrella-tumbling gusts—the Shibumi Shade Classic With Quiet Canopy is a natural choice. (Shibumi also makes the Shade Mini With Quiet Canopy. The Mini is built to the same standards as our main Shibumi pick, but it’s more suitable for one or two people.)

Its beauty is in its simplicity. Once you’ve set up the shade, you may find it hard to believe that the concept didn’t come around sooner. The Shibumi Shade consists of only three pieces: a roughly 16-by-8-foot rectangle of UPF 30+ parachute fabric, an arc of linked aluminum-tubing segments (much like those of a tent pole), and a sand anchor that doubles as a carrying case. When the sun is high, it provides an impressive amount of shade—roughly a 15-by-10-foot patch, enough for six people and their gear—without taking up a lot of extra space on the beach. The entire thing, poles included, weighs less than 4 pounds (3.75 pounds, according to our testing). And it slings onto your back in a stuff sack about the size of a FedEx tube or a portable umbrella (26 by 4 by 4 inches).

It’s incredibly easy to set up. One person can set up the Shibumi Shade in under two minutes. You simply unfold, connect, and lay out the 25 feet of aluminum tubing on the beach; thread the pole through the front of the parachute fabric; and secure the front two corners with the provided straps. Next, you insert the tube ends into the sand in a pleasant arc, making sure the front of the fabric faces into the wind. Lastly, you lay the stuff sack out in front of the pole, fully extending the guyline, and fill it with sand so it acts as an anchor against the wind.

The Wind Assist (a $30 add-on if you buy it separately but it’s now bundled with new canopies) fixes the only drawback of this design, which was what to do when the wind dies down. With two extra sand anchors that bite into the corners of the Shibumi, you can stretch out the shade when there is no wind or roughly direct the shade to stay put when fighting slight cross breezes (as we often have in Hawaii).

It’s made with superb materials. The aluminum tube is engineered to withstand extreme tension for significant periods of time. We tested the Shibumi Shade in breezes as light as 3 mph and in steady, sand-blasting winds around 25 mph (though Shibumi doesn’t recommend using the shelter in winds exceeding 20 mph), and the shade worked perfectly. However, if you dare to face stronger winds, the Shibumi Shade gets louder. It’s unavoidable—like a flag snapping in the wind. But most of the time, when the sea breezes remain below 10 mph, the feeling of being under this shade is like lying under the gentle undulation of a sheet as it silently floats above your head: wonderfully dreamlike.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

It requires wind. If we have to name a flaw, it’s that in order for the Shibumi Shade to work, it needs some wind—no matter how light—moving in a steady direction, such as what you find on most US coastlines.

It offers no storage. As with the Sun Ninja tent, with the Shibumi Shade there’s no spot to hide your valuables.

It has no formal warranty. Shibumi, a small company in North Carolina, offers a satisfaction guarantee rather than a warranty. But after talking with the founder, we’re comfortable with Shibumi’s level of commitment to its customers.

Best for…

The best umbrella for traditionalists

Coolibar 6 Foot Intego Beach Umbrella

This lightweight umbrella is made of higher-quality materials than cheaper models. It’s a good choice if you don’t want extra straps and flaps, or if your chosen beach allows only traditional umbrellas.

$109 from Amazon

If you must have a regular beach umbrella without extra straps and flaps, we recommend the Coolibar 6 Foot Intego Beach Umbrella.

It’s a classic umbrella with modern touches. The umbrella weighs just 4 pounds, and it folds into a slim nylon bag that’s portable and effortless. The canopy is 6 feet wide, so it provides a small amount of shade for two people, no more. The base of the Coolibar includes a screw-like point, for easy drilling into loose or wet sand.

It’s stronger than most umbrellas. The ribs in the canopy are made of fiberglass, instead of the flimsy plastic found on cheaper models. As a result, in our tests the Coolibar Intego umbrella held steady in high winds, while the Tommy Bahama and Rio Brands umbrellas flopped around helplessly. Beyond the stronger ribs, the shaft and tilt mechanism are made of metal instead of plastic—another big upgrade over cheaper models. Even the two plastic parts (the latch that holds the two sections of the pole together and the central housing for the ribs) are of higher quality than those used in other options. The canopy itself has a reflective layer on the outside, plus a wind vent to deflect the sun and wind.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

It doesn’t have an integrated anchor system. Against high wind, you bury it deep, facing into the wind, and hope it doesn’t come loose. If you frequent beaches with very high winds, you may prefer the BeachBUB, below.

The height is not adjustable. Once you lock the two halves of the pole together, the only way to adjust the height is to twist the pole deeper into the sand.

Best for…

The best umbrella for high wind

BeachBUB All-In-One Beach Umbrella System

This umbrella has the best built-in anchor system we’ve come across. While it will inevitably fail in high winds, it will never fly away from you.

$158 from Amazon

$169 from Walmart

The BeachBUB All-in-One Beach Umbrella System is a little tricky to set up, but the extra effort may be worth it if you visit beaches that have sustained winds or ones that don’t allow sunshades.

It’s anchored to withstand high winds. To set up the BeachBUB, you lay a triangular tarp onto the sand. Then you push the umbrella pole into the sand through a hole in the tarp’s center, up to a marked depth. Next you fill the tarp with sand and lift and hook it to the main pole with three grommets. In the end, it looks something like a sand filled pyramid at the base of your umbrella. Yet any upward force of the umbrella puts more tension onto this tarp, since it’s weighed down with sand, anchoring the entire thing into place.

It’s very strong. Of course, none of that would be worth anything if the umbrella itself were cheaply made or prone to other failures. Thankfully, the BeachBUB is neither of those things. And that’s why it has been a staff favorite for years on the beaches of New Jersey. In a wind test against sustained 17 mph winds, the BeachBUB barely twitched. The umbrella is quite large, measuring 7.5 feet across, with a thick-walled, nearly 2-millimeter aluminum pole and fiberglass ribs. The umbrella and its included accessories are easy to pack away into a 4-foot-long shoulder bag.

A bit of editorial openness here: while I try to approach everything we test with an open mind, I wanted to dislike this umbrella. It comes in a huge carrying case, like carrying around ski equipment, and feels heavy. Once you’ve pulled out all the pieces the extra complexity of setting up the umbrella feels a little cumbersome until you get used to it. And it all just feels like so much overkill. That said, for solo trips to the beach this is fast becoming my favorite pick. It’s just so incredibly solid: it’s simply one less thing to worry about.

It has a long warranty. BeachBUB protects everything with a 10-year warranty.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

The anchor’s bulky. One potential downside to the BeachBUB, however, is the space the anchoring system takes up. Depending on the angle of the sun, it may sit right in the middle of your limited shade.

It’s hard to reposition. The BeachBUB also prefers to stand upright, rather than at an angle, and once you’ve set it up, adjusting the position is onerous at best. It’s a trade-off, of sorts, and the extra security means sacrificing some positioning against the sun. BeachBUB makes a SunVisor attachment to mitigate some of the issues when the sun is at a steep angle, and we’re currently testing it.

It’s heavy. Quality components translate to extra weight. The entire umbrella weighs about 9 pounds.

Best for…

The best beach shelter for those with small children

Old Bahama Bay Pop Up Beach Tent

For some people, especially those with small children, it’s best to have a more-sheltered canopy that’s easy to set up. This tent is a perfect solution—but you need to weigh it down if you’re in the wind.

$70 from Amazon

After 10 hours of research and several years of testing seven tent-style canopies, we think the Old Bahama Bay Pop Up Beach Tent is the quickest and easiest to assemble.

It’s quick to assemble (though there’s a little learning curve and it does not like the wind). The Old Bahama Bay pops out into a large airy cube, about 2 yards square. Compared with the floating, dreamy feeling of lying under the Sun Ninja Beach Tent or the Shibumi Shade, sitting under the Old Bahama Bay is more like sitting in a beach cabana.

Putting the Old Bahama Bay tent together is as simple as pulling it out of the bag, shaking it loose, and letting the framing of the tent find its natural form. The cube comes with guylines for extra support. But without very strong sand anchors, these guylines alone aren’t going to keep the cube on the ground; for that you’ll need to add extra weight in the base of the tent. (Bags filled with beach gear or a cooler will help!) There are also small pockets in the tent’s corners that you can fill with sand, to provide some ballast.

It offers plenty of privacy and protection. Once unfurled, the UPF 50+ recycled-polyurethane canopy provides ample shade and shelter for two people to sit in or for a baby to play in, while also giving some privacy and sense of shelter. Unlike our other picks, the Old Bahama also incorporates a nylon floor, which parents may especially appreciate.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

This pick is not for the wind. The guylines are there, but we’ve found they aren’t worth too much when the gusts start to hit what is essentially a giant framed-in sail.

It probably won’t last. It’s less expensive than our other picks, but the Old Bahama Bay tent is not a buy-it-for-life item. It’s protected by a blink-and-you-missed-it 30-day warranty—not even long enough to protect the tent for an entire summer. That said, for the price, we think it’s relatively robust, as long as you don’t tear it or let it get swept up in the wind.

If the Old Bahama Bay Pop Up is unavailable: Consider the Sport-Brella Premiere XL. The Sport-Brella Premiere is, essentially, a regular umbrella tipped onto its side, and it offers more shelter than a regular umbrella. Though the difference in design isn’t too dramatic (part of the canopy rests on the sand, as opposed to the whole thing staying hoisted above you), the difference in performance is significant. In our testing, thanks to its three ground contacts and to its lower center of gravity compared with that of lofty umbrellas, the Sport-Brella Premiere stood firmly anchored in coastal winds. It’s also cheaper than our umbrella picks. However, at 9 pounds, the steel-and-fabric Sport-Brella Premiere is more than twice as heavy as a standard beach umbrella. And, unlike the Old Bahama Bay Pop Up, it has no floor.

Beach canopies, sunshades, sun awnings, and beach tents all showed up when we searched for and compared reviews for any of those terms (it seems that no one can quite agree on what to call this type of shelter). We considered anything that blocked the sun from our skin, including many models we’ve come across while combing the beaches in Hawaii, California, and the Northeast.

A good shade or umbrella should do the following:

• It should block the sun.
• It should be able to withstand the wind.
• It should be easy to carry and set up.
• And it should last a few summer seasons, at the very least!

Initial testing for the larger sunshades in this guide, the Sun Ninja Beach Tent and the Shibumi Shade, took place on the beaches of Oahu. We tested each shade’s wind tolerance, and we evaluated how easy it was to set up and take down each model in different conditions. Beyond that, we looked closely at the quality of the materials—particularly the quality of any metal poles included with the shades, as well as of the fabric stitching.

Our testing for sun canopies and umbrellas took place in Northern California, New Jersey, and Oahu. This is the testing that led us to recommend the Coolibar Intego, the BeachBUB, and the Old Bahama Bay.

Sunshades

Unlike the Sun Ninja Beach Tent, which uses the same stretchable fabric of its canopy as it does for its sand anchors, the Neso Grande Sunshade uses grommets and rope to connect its canopy to the sand anchors. This design is a touch more useful when you’re setting up the shelter in dirt and on dry land, but it’s also much more difficult and prone to tangling during setup.

You can find several Amazon-only brands selling Neso knockoffs for $40 or $50 less. And though we’ve occasionally found diamonds among such off-brand models, we don’t recommend them. Their reviews seem cooked, and the materials in the Alpha Camp UPF 50+ Beach Shade Tent, for one, were of particularly poor quality. The similar Umardoo Family Beach Tent is better than the Alpha Camp model, but our complaints still apply: The cheaper cost was apparent in the Umardoo tent’s materials and construction.

Beach umbrellas

The Tommy Bahama and Rio Brands traditional beach umbrellas we tested cost less than our Coolibar Intego pick. But they use flimsy plastic for their canopies’ ribs and for their shaft-and-tilt mechanisms, in contrast with the Coolibar umbrella’s use of fiberglass and metal.

This article was edited by Ria Misra and Christine Ryan.