5 Tips for Buying an Outdoor Canopy Tent
Ah, the great outdoors. Sometimes it’s truly great — sometimes it’s nothing more than a great hassle. Pouring rain, howling winds, excessive sunlight, and other natural phenomena can make being outside less-than-desirable. If you’re hosting an outdoor event, you want to be sure to properly prepare for these weather patterns with temporary shelter. Whether you’re hosting a wedding or welcome-home party, street fair or music festival, you need an outdoor canopy tent (or several) to keep your patrons, employees, and possessions protected. In this guide, our event experts at Extreme Canopy cover 5 tips for choosing the right outdoor canopy tent for your needs. Get equipped using our guide, and shop for your outdoor even essentials with our team today!
1. Know What Kind of Weather You’re Up Against
When shopping for temporary shelter for your next outdoor event, your first consideration should be the climate. What kind of weather will you be going up against? Will you face heavy winds? A high chance of rain? Will cold air be your biggest enemy, or will that title go to excessive sunlight? Knowing your forecast can help you pick the perfect outdoor canopy tent for your needs. If high winds and rain are forecasted, you’ll want to choose something with a water-resistant roof and a rust-resistant frame. You may also want to invest in sides, side covers, flooring, and gutters to better manage any unwanted wind or water that comes your way. If sunlight is your biggest worry, a tent with a UV-resistant fabric roof is your best bet. Again, sides are a good idea, as they can provide shade from all angles. Before buying your tent, research your climate and check your forecast ahead of your next outdoor event to ensure that you are adequately prepared.
2. Sort Out Your Size Requirements
When it comes to events tents of all kinds, size matters. Naturally, bigger tents have more space and can accommodate more people and possessions. However, they are also typically costlier and more time- and labor-consuming to set up. On the other end of the spectrum, smaller tents have less square footage and volume, which limits them in terms of shelter. However, smaller tents are also easier to transport and typically easier to set up, making them the clear choice for sports teams, vendor booths, and other small outdoor organizations. Make a guestlist, take inventory, and consider any other space-related needs you might have to choose the right-sized outdoor canopy tent for you.
3. Assess Your Location – Where Will You Be Setting Up?
With climate covered and size sorted out, it’s time to assess your location with a careful eye. What kind of terrain will you be dealing with? Will you have to travel a great distance to get there? Will you have a team to help you set up? Will you be competing with other tents and or booths for attention? Asking and answering these questions about your location will help you sort out which event canopy tent is right for you. Sometimes, bigger is better. Sometimes it isn’t. If conditions are mild and competition is stiff, you may want to choose a larger tent to catch eyes. If the terrain is tougher to navigate, travel times are longer, and your “team” is really just one or two people, it may be wiser to choose a more portable or flexible option, such as an instant canopy or inflatable tent. Assess these location-related factors and more to narrow your search and land on the right canopy tent for your outdoor needs.
4. Shop for Quality (and Custom Options)
Though neither first nor last on our list, quality is perhaps the most important factor to consider when choosing an outdoor canopy tent. Start your search by finding reputable retailers selling only highly-reviewed tents. Even better, buy from the tent manufactures themselves for better prices, wider selections, and service from experts. Aside from positive reviews, look for high-quality materials, robust feature lists, and strong warranties. If you are interested in customization, custom options are essential. At Extreme Canopy, we offer custom tent manufacturing for large event tents and inflatable tents. We also offer custom printing for all tent models in our inventory. Order with us to have your chosen colors, text, logos, and even photographs printed on your tent’s roofs and sides.
5. Carefully Consider Your Outdoor Canopy Tent Options
With the above factors in mind, it’s time to start shopping for your outdoor canopy tent. Here are some of the top types of outdoor canopy tents used recreationally and commercially. Follow the links below to learn more about each.
Instant Canopies
Affordable. Easy-to-use. No assembly required. If these are qualities you want to see in your outdoor tent, an instant canopy is a great choice. Also called “pop-up tents,” instant canopies feature expandable frames with four height-adjustable legs. They don’t need to be put together, rather simply expanded. They are also easy to fold back up and carry from location to location.
Inflatable Tents
Another portable and easy-to-set-up type of outdoor tent is the inflatable tent. Relatively new to the tent market, inflatable tents use pressurized air instead of rigid materials to stand up straight. Thus, they do not have a frame at all. This makes them incredibly packable. It also allows them to be manufactured in a wide range of creative shapes. Inflatable tents are also very easy to set up. Simply turn on the included electric pump and let it do the work. The teardown is the same. Turn off the pump and watch your inflatable tent take care of teardown for you.
Star Tents
Searching for a canopy tent with a different shape? After inflatable tents, star tents are an excellent choice. As their name suggests, star tents feature a star-like shape created by their center pole(s) and their extending fabric sides which are staked into the ground in a star-like configuration. Star tents add unique style and excellent space efficiency to outdoor events, as their sides can be staked at varying lengths from their center pole(s) to create bigger or smaller spaces.
Event Tents
Last on our list are large events such as pavilion tents, pinnacle marquees, and modular crest event tents — great for outdoor events that need more volume and square footage. Both pavilion tents and pinnacle marquees share much of their frame structure with instant canopies, though these tents each feature more spacious roof areas. Crest event tents utilize modular bays to add length and coverage; they can be ordered at virtually any size.
Conquer the Great Outdoors with an Outdoor Canopy Tent from Extreme Canopy
If you are hosting an outdoor event, you need an outdoor canopy tent to keep your people and your possessions protected. You finished the guide, now it’s time to shop. Here at Extreme Canopy, we carry an excellent selection of outdoor canopy tent products designed for events and climates of all kinds. Designed and manufactured by our team of in-house engineers, our industry-leading tents feature excellent durability, reliable functionality, and unparalleled performance overall. Contact us to learn more about the many outdoor event tents in our inventory, and be sure to check out the many great flags, banners, and other outdoor event essentials we carry. Find the perfect solutions for your next outdoor event right here.