EZ UP Sides

The sides for our eclipse II model are really thin. The ability to have a zippered side is nice but the one that comes with the canopy seems too lightweight.

I have no idea about the specifics out the sides that we have, but they are great. They have Velcro around the top, zippers in several places and are nice and thick. I think they do a really great job sealing up a good workspace in the wind/rain/cold.

I think that they are EZ-UP brand tents though.

I have a custom EZ-Up with silk-screened logos and all that other expensive chit. I do have one side panel. Mine is top-of-the-line (I didn't pay for it). It is thick and strong.

However, I got caught in some horrendous storms in West Texas, and strapped some Home Depot heavy duty tarps (the grey ones) to the other sides, and they did a pretty good job.

The key to making an EZ-Up survive bad weather, with or withouts sides, is knowing how to secure them. I strap mine down with heavy-duty bungie cords. They flex with the frame, keeping the canopy in place, but not to the point of stressing the frame.

As for the velcro attachment of the EZ-Up walls to the frame, I have never had an issue with that. It works better than you would think it would. I've never had one let go.

CD

I was never a fan of the velcro. I ended up buying a grommet kit and using it on the walls. It was bit time consuming getting all the grommets on but now I can attach the walls simply with tie wraps

http://www.familyhandyman.com/DIY-P...-DIY-Supplies/install-a-tarp-grommet/View-All

After having tried,unsuccessfully, to hold our EZ-up down in a storm a few years ago (despite ratchet ties to the truck and cargo trailer) , we bought some 8x10 fire retardant canvas tarps. They're heavy, at about 35-40 lbs each. We hang them with ball ties.

They keep us warm in cold weather, holding in heat, and cool in summer, providing great shade

DawgPhan said:

I have no idea about the specifics out the sides that we have, but they are great. They have Velcro around the top, zippers in several places and are nice and thick. I think they do a really great job sealing up a good workspace in the wind/rain/cold.

I think that they are EZ-UP brand tents though.

Click to expand...

Not EZ -UP brand.

We have two of the white tents currently being sold at Costco for $200. They come with 4 walls, one wall is zippered in the middle to make a door.

The biggest selling points for me were the velcro at the top and that the walls were included and are of decent construction.

WalMart sells "First Up" (or maybe "Fast Up") brand sides that fit EZ UP like they were made for them. Not quite the quality of EZ UP, but one heck of a lot cheaper!!!

I bought "universal" sidewalls on line for $55. http://www.customcanopy.com/uncagrwa4pa.html Honestly, the sidewalls worked, but I was not impressed. They attached with Velcro, and then zipped to themselves. I had them less than a year, and about 10 competitions, and they were in pretty sad shape, a few velcro straps coming off or completely gone. The corner zippers were too much trouble to connect. These are the only ones I've had, and I'm not sure if I'll ever buy another canopy, but if so, I'll buy one of the $200 EZ-Ups at Sams that come with everything. At least then I'll have two products to compare. Long story short, if you want something cheap that will get you through a few contests, these online ones might not be bad. If you want something that will last, I could not personally recommend these.

dmp

dmprantz said:

These are the only ones I've had, and I'm not sure if I'll ever buy another canopy, but if so, I'll buy one of the $200 EZ-Ups at Sams that come with everything.

dmp

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We use the Sam's "everything included" EZ-Ups with great success. The corner zippers can sometimes be a bit of a pain to get together, but other than that, everything works great.

Pigs on Fire said:

Not EZ -UP brand.

We have two of the white tents currently being sold at Costco for $200. They come with 4 walls, one wall is zippered in the middle to make a door.

The biggest selling points for me were the velcro at the top and that the walls were included and are of decent construction.

Click to expand...

We have the Costco one too. The best part is if it does get damaged (which are first one did) Costco takes back anything you buy there, at any time, for any reason.

I got some screen walls from Coleman that fit their pop-ups, they have little metal hooks in the corners and along the top that fit great, problem is my Coleman busted last time I used it. Are you supposed to oil these things to keep the arms/legs moving freely?

I may have to rejoin costco to get a new pop up.

I'm with BBQ-Tom. Wifey got the cheap a$$ one from Wally World. It's not great quality but it keeps the wind and weather out.It also help to keep the awning form becoming a kite.I she paid under 50 bucks and it goes all the way around a 10 X 10 with 2 zippers and genaric fasteners at the top so it will fit almost any brand.

EZ UP has two grades of sidewalls, though it's hard to tell from their web site.

The 250D walls have tie-wrap tops, zip on the inside of the frame, and they are thin and easy to handle. I have 4 year old ones that are a little worn now but still going. They come as full sides, or a split side with a zipper in the middle.

The 500D are thicker, have velco instead of tie-wrap at the top, and zip on the outside of the frame. There are also more options for them. In addition to the full side and the zipper door side, you can get screens, zipped screens, or a side wall with a window on the top and fabric on the bottom. They also have a vending version with a food window.

The 250D walls are cheaper and lighter, but I have had them in 60mph gusts in the past. The 500Ds seem sturdier, but I only started using those last year, so hard to say yet.

the following site shows the options better than the EZ UP site does:

http://www.ezup4u.com/sidewalls.php
http://www.ezup4u.com/foodbooth.php
http://www.ezup4u.com/panorama.php

Just to clarify....

The Costco tents with sidewalls- There are (4) separate sidewalls that zip together. They have a 2" wide strip at the top of the wall that runs the length. The inside of the tent canopy has the mating velcro, in a 2" wide strip that runs the length of the canopy.

They also have velcro loops at the edges of the walls that you loop around the tent legs.

I like these tents. We got them at Memorial Day last year and have used them for 8 or 9 contests to date. A couple of contests we had rain, not a major thunderstorm, but decent rain and 3 or 4 contests were fairly windy. We try to keep them tied down if we know it's going to be windy...bungee cords and ratchet straps to coolers and buckets of water.

The contest at Cumming in November was pretty rough in the morning. I saw the wind move the tents (with the walls on and tied down) about 4'.

They are showing a little wear, a few worn spots here and there and one of the bags has a worn spot or two. We don't abuse them but don't treat them like a baby, either.

Another great plus is that the bags for these tents are oversized and very easy to get back on the tent when it's broken down. You aren't fighting with the bag that is undersized by 5%.