First-Up 10' x 10' Canopy 4.5 5 512 596
While it lasted...it worked great..until Owned this item for over a year, and up until our last use it was a fantastic product.The last time I put it up I noticed a severe crack in one of the plastic joints that joins the metal folding arms. I then checked the others and every single plastic joint was on the verge of disintegrating. The product has either been in the garage or in my van its entire life so I am not sure what caused the sudden deterioration.It is possible I just have a bum unit, but everyone should keep an eye out for it. 06/24/2010
High wind and still standing I was a little reluctant to buy this product after reading some of the reviews regarding wind resistance. However I decided to give it a try and I am glad I did. We just returned from a 9 day camping trip to AirVenture 2010 at Oshkosh, Wisconsin and true to form had a squall line move through on I believe Tue or Wed night (hard to keep track of time when camping). The storm produced reported 60 to 70 mile per hour winds and very heavy rain for over an hour. The next morning I was half way expecting the canopy to be in Michigan somewhere but low and behold there it was just like when I put it up. One recommendation I will make, and a word of caution, throw the little metal stakes that come with the canopy away and buy four of the big spiral (dog-run) anchors to secure the canopy. Also buy four of the long heavy-duty spike style stakes with the green plastic heads to stake the frame to the ground. Along with the cord that came with the canopy I also used ¼” poly rope tied to the upper frame legs just below the canopy and secured to the cork-screw anchors. This is a must in high wind as there were a couple of units of the same brand, and other brands for that matter, that used the factory stakes that did get blown half way to Michigan. 08/04/2010
First-Up and staying up! I had this product shipped to my local Wal-Mart store. I also purchased the optional screen kit available.I have a 12 x 24 deck about 8 feet above ground. It gets full south sun all day, morning to sunset. It can be scorching out there. This year I decided to buy some sort of canopy/gazebo to cover part of the area.After reading reviews of the many "gazebos" out there, I feared I would put one up and with the lightest winds, at such an elevation, it would be destroyed. Not to mention, so many of them are $150 or more...no matter what their rating or review.I saw this First-Up model and thought...this could be my answer...easy to install, not necessarily permanent and the perfect TRUE 10 x 10 size (unlike those portable slant-leg models.) I am 5'6" and I can walk in and out of the canopy without needing to "duck-down" at all. The center of it is very high.My husband and I assembled this unit within 15 minutes. The instructions were clear and the unit went up without a hitch. The instructions even have "disassembling" instructions.The bottom of the lags have a small footing with a hole drilled into it, where you can stake the unit down (metal stakes are included) we used screws to anchor our unit down to our deck. So far so good. We've had a few gusty days and the unit hasn't budged, buckled or twisted in any way. It has seen some heavy rain and has not leaked and has no collection/puddling issues on top of the canopy.In all I'm very satisfied with my purchase. Although a real "garden canopy" may be a little taller and perhaps a bit more "decorative," this one will come down easily in early fall and be ready again for me next year, in a snap.The unit comes with a carry bag, to hold the tent, with wheels on one end, so if you do "take it along," it can be rolled behind you.As for the price, it was cheaper than the larger garden canopies. But, it was no "bargain." I paid a fair price, I believe. It remains to be seen the value I got for my money..depending on how many summers I get out of it.I will post a review about the screen addition at that items page. 06/07/2008
Well-built canopy We needed a canopy that would give us shade on our patio, and one that could possibly stand up to the strong winds where we live in Houston. I found this canopy at Walmart and was the first one that has an air vent on the top of the canopy. And the price was incredibly reasonable at $ 92.00. As always, shipping to a Walmart store is free and quick, so I was glad to receive this item in no time. I was able to install it by myself, but it would be easier with two persons doing it. I put the canopy near the house with two windows. I like the design of the pop-up canopy because if the strong wind would break the frame, the frame pieces will not break apart and not break my windows. We have had very strong winds (up to >30-mph), and the canopy has held up. The only improvement needed is to protect the canopy where the frame joints tended to rub off on the canopy material. I corrected this by putting a pipe-foam around the frame to protect the material. Also, the next time I will buy I will pick the canopy to be of a thicker material, 300-grade, rather than the 150-grade thickeness of this one. And, hopefully, Walmart will supply canopy top replacement material, since the frames looks very strong and will outlast the canopy material. This item must be popular, since in a few weeks, the item online was out of stock. 04/20/2008
