User Review: Kelty Sunshade

Kelty Sunshade
Above: The current Sunshade, which may differ slightly from the version reviewed.

Reviewed June 22, 2007 by Rex

Rating:
Design: Freestanding dome style shelter with lots of points to secure the shelter.
Sleeps: 3
Ease of Setup: Very easy for one or two people
Weight: 11 lbs. 12 oz.
Price Paid: $150

This Shelter should be considered an all around shelter for a variety of activities such as outdoor parties, camping, at the beach, or ANY event where you want dependable shelter. I have used mine as a shelter over picnic tables while car camping with the family several times. I have the large shelter. Kelty makes a medium and a large.

The large shelter I have comfortably housed 6 people in a very hard rain in the Great Smokey Mountains National Park at our campground. We all sat at the picnic table with the shelter over us, and because of the shelter going so low to the ground around the legs, kept all of us very dry, even in some slight blowing rain. I would call it ideally suited for the beach, since it covers so much shelter around the supporting legs that will counter the sun's rays.

While using it for camping over a picnic table, it is a little cumbersome to climb up underneath it to sit at the picnic table, but again, when rain moves in, this is a blessing. You are protected more! It is designed extremely well and thats mainly why it hasn't changed in years. When anchored well, it sheds wind extremely well. As one of the other reviews states about this product, moving the legs out or in will affect the height. That is a very nice feature. There are many ways to secure the shelter to the ground, including the use of points for using sand bags (beach use).

The only slight negative things that might be worth mentioning is that it is a little overpriced in my opinion. The quality is first class but again, for the amount of materials you are actually purchasing, it is high priced. Also, Kelty provides large plastic stakes with the shelter, but as the other review stated, they are weak and can break over time. You can simply buy some more like them or purchase real metal stakes that will hold up better. There is no question though that with a little care, it should last you a lifetime of multipurpose needs. ANYTIME you want shelter from the sun and/or rain, this shelter we fit the bill very well.

Note-This item is way too heavy for kayak or canoe camping, rafting, or anything where weight is an issue in my opinion. The poles are very heavy and sturdy! Use this shelter when the car or truck is nearby, in my opinion.

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