10 Best Beach Tents Reviewed in 2025

Beach tents can offer crucial sun protection while also offering a number of other bonus benefits and perks. Beach tents, more so than umbrellas, can offer a sand-free, shady haven to not only relax in but also to store your important personal items and host groups comfortably.

Beach tents can provide a degree of privacy, easily transforming into an impromptu dressing room when you need to change into a dry set of clothes, and can protect you from the elements on the beach.

While it may not be as convenient or portable as your favorite sun hat, investing in a beach tent opens up your beach experience to new levels of comfort and relaxation. We tested a number of beach tents, ranging from small and portable to large and durable, to bring you the best the market has to offer. Let’s Outoria!

Buyer’s Guide for Beach Tents

The number one thing to consider when purchasing a beach tent or canopy is what you will be using it for. Beach tents come in a variety of designs in a number of sizes, and some are better suited than others for certain scenarios.

So before you even start shopping, it’s best to ask yourself how often, where, and with how many people you’ll be predominantly using your beach tent.

Specs and Features to Consider When Choosing a Beach Tent

Once you’ve further narrowed down your search to a general style, there is a short list of things to consider when buying a beach tent.

Beach Tent Sun Protection

Chances are, the main reason you’re looking for a beach tent is to up your sun protection out on the sand. For that reason, every tent we have featured has a 50+ UPF rating, and we wouldn’t recommend going lower than that when shopping for your beach tent this summer.

Beach Tent Size & Capacity

For Solo & Couples

For single or duo beach excursions, look for portability and ease of use as opposed to spaciousness and durability. We highly recommend the Playieer Pop-Up Beach Tent for solo trips, as it assembles in seconds with minimal effort – you won’t be longing for an extra set of hands. This tent is cozy, but has more than enough room for one or two.

However, if you’d like to size up a bit, we would point you to the Gorich Beach Tent.

For Small Groups

For small families and intimate group outings, we recommend more of a mid-sized beach tent, like the Outdoor Master Beach Tent or the Coleman Beach Shade Canopy.

These tents provide enough room for 3-4 bodies comfortably, with room to spare for personal belongings and bulky beach gear.

For Larger Groups

While our roomiest option, the Easthills Outdoors Instant Shader Deluxe, can fit a family. Canopies tend to be the best option for large groups that are coming and going. The wall-less and typically taller design lets people spread out a bit and come and go with a bit more ease.

We also tend to prefer canopies to tents when using beach chairs, as the ceilings are typically higher and you don’t have to worry about ripping the floor material. We recommend the Sun Ninja Beach Tent and the Qipi Beach Tent for bigger beach gatherings.

Beach Tent Ease of Setup & Breakdown

Classic Beach Tents

Anyone who’s ever been stuck with the job of setting up a tent knows that it can be a daunting task – especially if you’re doing it yourself. That said, the assembly of these classic tents is fairly intuitive and exactly what you’d expect.

For example, both the Gorich and the WhiteFang Beach Tent utilize collapsible poles, stakes, and guy lines – all of which you would find with a regular camping tent.

Pop-Up Beach Tents

A popular new trend in beach tent design seems to be finding the easiest means of assembly – whether it’s a pop-up mechanism, like the one used on the Outdoor Master and Oileus Beach Tents, or a flexible, collapsible design like the Playieer Pop-Up Beach Tent that basically assembles itself.

These tents are certainly easier to assemble, making them an attractive option for solo beachgoers or perhaps parents with full hands.

Beach Tent Material and Durability

Beach tents are made from a variety of materials and come in a range of prices, and some tents end up a bit more reliable than others.

If you’re looking to use this beach tent for years to come, or if you want it to last through some wear and tear, we recommend opting for a higher quality tent, like the Coleman Beach Shade Canopy or the Outdoor Master Beach Tent.

We know durability isn’t always a deal breaker when other factors like price and lightweight portability are considered – you may be willing to compromise some longevity for the more budget friendly Playieer Pop-Up or WhiteFang Beach Tents.

All to say, it’s important to consider your intended use when deciding what you need out of your beach tent.

Fabric

The fabric used in making the shade and floor of your beach tent will be one of the main contributors to its durability (or lack thereof).

The most popular materials used in beach tent shades are nylon and polyester. Nylon beach tents, like the Coleman Beach Shade Canopy, tend to be lighter and more packable but also a bit more susceptible to UV damage – though most high-quality nylon tents are treated with UV-resistant coatings.

Polyester beach tents, like the Oileus Beach Tent,  are usually more resistant to UV damage than nylon and are typically notably more water resistant, but also tend to be heavier and bulkier than nylon.

Frame

Tent poles or other framework is usually made of either alloy steel, aluminum or fiberglass.

Alloy steel poles, used in the Oileus Beach Tent, for example, are strong and durable, making them suitable for withstanding winds and more demanding conditions. They are far less likely to bend or break under pressure than aluminum and fiberglass, so if durability is your priority, alloy steel may be your best option.

Aluminum poles, like that of the Sun Ninja Beach Tent, are lighter than alloy steel but still offer substantial durability and superior resistance to corrosion. They strike a nice balance between strength and weight, providing the best of both worlds.

Fiberglass poles, like those included in the Coleman Beach Shade Canopy, are utilized for their lightweight properties. While fiberglass is not as strong as steel or aluminum, its lightweight nature makes them ideal for transport and an attractive option for beachgoers on the move. Strong winds have been known to snap fiberglass poles, so we recommend using caution when taking these tents out in bad weather.

Closures

Most of the beach tents we tested featured closable windows and doors, and we found some to be better than others.

The Oileus Beach Tent, for example, features a closable front flap that is secured with velcro. On the other hand, many other tents, like the Outdoor Master Beach Tent, feature zipper closures, which seemed to perform better in terms of water resistance and wind.

While zippers are generally a bit more functional and make for a more seamless design, they also can be prone to breaking or getting stuck, perhaps making velcro a more dependable option despite its drawbacks.

UV Resistance

UV resistance is crucial for the longevity of beach tents since they spend a good amount of time baking in the sun. As we mentioned earlier, some materials are better suited for extended sun exposure. While polyester is naturally a bit more UV resistant, you can still find nylon that has been treated with a UV resistant coating.

In addition to durability, finding a product with UV resistance is beneficial to your own longevity. As we mentioned, we wouldn’t recommend any beach tents, umbrellas, or canopies with a UPF rating lower than 50 for the sake of your skin.

Beach Tent Ventilation & Airflow

Airflow is of particular importance in beach tents because of overheating under the sun and windy conditions on the coast. Tent designs without windows or slits for airflow can quickly turn into an oven or something like a kite, parachuting in moderate to strong winds.

Wind can make for quite the headache during assembly, break down, and when trying to simply keep your tent on the ground.

Beach Tent Additional Considerations

Pockets & Hooks

Mesh pockets, hooks, and even clotheslines can be found in a number of tents on our list.

While pockets may feel like a pretty simple feature, they can be extremely helpful for keeping track of those crucially important personal items like your phone or car keys.

Additionally, a hook or a clothesline can really come in handy when changing into dry clothes or when air-drying a rash guard. These are simple additions that can make your experience notably more organized.

Closures

Many beach tents are designed with velcro, roll-u, or zipper privacy doors and window coverings.

Travel-Friendly Design

If you are searching for the perfect on-the-go beach tent, you may want to consider how conveniently and compact the tent folds up.

• Is the tent bulky or space-efficient for storage?
• Is it lightweight enough to throw over your shoulder for a walk down the pier?

Nylon tents tend to be more compressible and can be packed pretty tight, while fiberglass and aluminum make for lightweight frame options. If you value breezy beach-going, you’ll want to invest in a compact and lightweight shade.

Beach Tent Price

The rule of thumb is typically that you get what you pay for, but based on our research and testing, you can actually find a really decent Beach Tent as low as $30-$40, like the Gorich Beach Tent. Mid-range is around $60-70, with the high-end starting around $100 and going up from there, with tents like the Sun Ninja Beach Tent.