Ozark Trail 9' x 9' Dining Canopy 3.3 5 24 26
Good buy Purchased this canopy after my old canopy (very old) had some holes punctured in it. Used it for a week long camping trip and it held up great, even during some rain. Kept everything underneath dry. Great buy for under $30. 06/14/2009
I was about to leave from a camping trip and did not have much money to spend on a canopy and figured for $30, I couldn't go wrong. Worst case scenario, I could return it. I will say that it is not very easy to set up, even with two people and I would consider it impossible to set up by yourself. It took us about 15 min to get up. It does have stake strings that you can trip over so bee careful. When we got it up, I was not really impressed with the construction and even told my buddy that if the wind picked up, NO WAY would it hold. Well, about 4:00am that night, I woke up and the wind was literally HOWLING. I got up to make sure it was still in our campsite and not laying in our neighbor's campfire because I was sure it had blown down but when I got out of the tent and shined the light on it, it was not only still up but was holding it's own against the wind. I checked the ropes that held it to the ground to make sure they were tight and went back to bed. The wind howled the next night too but the canopy was fine. Will it last as long as the $150 canopy I wanted to buy? I seriously doubt it but for $30, it was well worth it and I am taking it camping again. Money well spent. Also, it is very lightweight so it would be well-suited to backpacking. 11/01/2009
Happily shaded and dry I'm very happy with this product! If U are a "Tenter"; like me, We all try to learn of great new camping ideas, and equiptment. I First learned of this/seen it, on a weekend camping trip from another camper. She said, "Thirty bucks, Walmart"Last year I had bought a different canopy that didn't even last our first camping trip. It was one of those accordian style frame-easy to put up deals, not too expensive and not too cheap either... one good rain/wind storm and the frame had bent beyond repair....needless to say I was mad.At first I was a little leary...ok 30 bucks...let me check this out. Surprisingly, for 30 bucks, (compaired to 80 I spent on the one that failed) it was pretty sturdy. Talking with the other camper she said, " It held up in the hail storm, we just had"So for 30 bucks I ordered 2. Because of all the rain we have had the last two summers, I was going to use them as an over-head to the door of my tents. A little more protection while un-zippering the tent door in the rain, Keep wet shoes outside the tent and not get them soaked.Just got back from one of our weekend camping adventures. I brought only one of the canopies and used it over the picnick table, instead. Easy to set up. Although a bit smaller (9x9) it fit perfect. As expected, it did rain...The dome shape top was great, as it didn't collect water, that could be later dumped on your head. for 30 bucks, it held up very well. I am actually going to purchase 2 more, for my tents and tables, and for home use. Totally recommend...Happy Camping! :) 07/21/2009
A $30 piece of garbage. This thing is trash. First, it has no real structure of its own. The top is nothing but two flexible shock-cords in an X formation -- no framing, no sidebars, no real structure. The legs then just attach to the corners of the fabric top with a small plastic piece and a tension clip and some velcro straps. There is absolutely nothing about this configuration to keep the legs upright. In fact, if you do not use the guy ropes to tie it down well and proper, it will not even stand upright on its own. Even with two very experienced campers setting it up and using additional guy lines with careful setup, this piece of junk was just barely straight when we were done. After a lot of work it was stable, staked, tied, etc. Then came a long a strong burst of wind -- no hurricane or anything, just a good strong gust and POP! The seams opened where the factory-installed guy-lines were attached and bam -- the whole thing came crashing down.In short, if you really want to throw away $30, save yourself some time and trouble and just shred a ten and a twenty dollar bill... or three tens... or six fives... I'd recommend doing that long before buying this thing. 06/16/2009
