Comp. Canopy

[DeanC]

I currently use a 10X20 Hercules canopy that I bought from Sam's Club several years ago. It's very sturdy and has worked great for me but I am tired up putting it up and tearing it down. I was thinking about switching to a pair of ez-ups. Anyone else made the switch and would you do it again? How sturdy are they if they are properly weighted down? I use six 5 gallon buckets filled with cement for the Hercules and would probably just use those instead of the sandbags. Thanks.

[SP]

Dean I've never used the carport type canopy like you have, but a lot of people seem to complain how hard they can be to set up. I never have had a problem with my ezups and I have seen the gutter system people put between them to keep the rain out.

[DawgPhan]

Not making any claims about the quality of this item, but I was at Target the other day and they had 8 x 8 ez-up type canopies for like $40...which didnt seem like too bad of a price. I picked up a 10 x 10 for $80 at wal-mart...the EZ-up brand canopies will run you a little more, but seem to be of a higher quality....

I would certianly throw my hat into the ring as a person who use the EZ-up style canopy over the carport type canopy. though the carport type does seem to be popular with the MIM crowd around here..

[Bbq Bubba]

I have the same Hercules that you do, love it but it is a P.I.T.A to put up and down although i can do it in about 15 min's now, anyway's, have used the EZ up's and they are very nice and much easier to set-up.
If your gonna go that route, get the EZ up brand, all the other's i have seen are a waste of money!!

[KC_Bobby]

We have/use both. The carport does suck a little to put up and take down, but not all that bad considering what you get. The two of us can get it up/down in about 10/15 minutes compared to the less than 2 minutes for a pop up. They seem to be more weatherproof (if that's a word) compared to the pop-ups. I don't worry about getting wet or the the tarp ripping on the carport, but the pop-up, those can be concerns.

As Bubba says, I'd go with the EZ Up brand too if it were my main source of overhead protection. I have a Quest from Dick's Sports. It's OK, but nothing compared to the EZ Up's.

This topic just has me wanting a RV with an awning. Nothing fancy, just air conditioning, nice mattresses, and a plasma screen and stereo speakers on the outside.

[MoKanMeathead]

We went the other way several years ago...went from 2 EZ Ups to a Hercules. We lost our EZ Ups in the wind and have no problems with the hercules. By the way the EZ Ups didn't blow away, they were staked down - they simply flattened in place.

The hercules is much better in bad weather but as others have said, it is harder to put up...but well worth it.

[butts a fire]

I have an EZ-Up that I bought at Sams last year and also one of the cheaper model canopies I got at dicks. The quality of the Ez-Up is by far better and I am very happy with it and would buy another if I needed another one. I have never had the carprt type but have seen several of them at comp being set up and they look like way too much work for me for not that much more benefit.

[tony76248]

I have an EZ-UP, It has been blown away three times so far and once it was attached to a second brandname canopy that Deez can chime in on. His unfortunately didn't survive. That said, I normally tie the thing down and don't have this problem, but on at least these three occasions I did not. I might add that twice the thing only stopped traveling because of the lake.

So my advice is that a quality EZ-UP (the $200 model) from COSTCO or Sam's will definitely take a beating. Therefore buy the damn thing. They are definitely tough per my experiences.

The 5 gallon buckets filled 1/3 way with concrete does make sense. Any more that that tends to be quite heavy to haul and might result in a nut popping. I normally place my canopy over my Stumps and tie to it's 450# bulk with tie downs.

[Mutha Chicken BBQ]

I personally like the EZ ups. The better quality ones. The roof is attached and you don't remove it. They are quite a bit more but well worth the money IMO.

As far as weighting them down. At Dover this year I think 25 tents were torn down to some frak wind we had. We carry empty buckets ( Much lighter to carry and then fill with water on site and bungie cord then to the corners (at the top)

Just food for thought.

[DeanC]

Thanks guys, I think I will buy one and try it out.

[DeanC]

Originally Posted by KC_Bobby

This topic just has me wanting a RV with an awning. Nothing fancy, just air conditioning, nice mattresses, and a plasma screen and stereo speakers on the outside.

If I had something to pull it, I would have bought this a long time ago (you could add the plasma).

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2008-...spagenameZWDVW

[Smokin' Gnome BBQ]

I use the carport type now, but because I will be cooking next year all by my onesies, I will probably be going with to ez ups (no other brand). the carport styles are great but you really need 2 to set one up. As for the the other brands after loosing a few at gigs, I would rather shell out the extra $$$ for the ez-ups..just seem heavier and better built. just my $.02

Sal

[Pig Headed]

I have 2 EZ-UPS and a generic brand. All three were blown down and twisted at Dover. The EZ-Ups were just as bad as the generic one. I could however order new parts for the EZ-Ups.
Vinny was right next to us and his Caravan survived, though he almost blew away trying to hold it down.

[Jeff_in_KC]

I still use both... for some of the bigger events where I have plenty of time (Blue Springs and the Great American), I'll use the carport and sometimes the EZ Up as well. smaller events where I'm usually by myself at set-up time or a place where we need to get the hell out fast afterwards, I'll stick with the EZ Up. I HAD two but the second one was the Embassy and it SUCKED compared to the one I have now (forgot the model). I took it back to Sam's and got my money back. We've yet to have a weather related issue with the EZ Up but we do get spoiled by the space in the carport!

[The Pickled Pig]

We used an EZ-UP for the first 3 years without a problem. I made a mistake a sold that original canopy for $15 because I thought I had upgraded. We then went through 7 canopies over the next three years so I went with the carport. Let me say that there are few worse things that can happen during a contest than losing your canopy in the middle of the night due to weather. You'll either be going home early or prepping your entries in tough weather conditions.

The carport is awesome once it's set up. I love the extra space and the sturdy nature or it. But transport, set-up, and take-down is a real bitch.

We did a late season chili contest using a new EZ-UP from Sam's and was impressed. I don't know the model name but it had several new features (like corner braces) to improve durability and it had sidewalls. You can definitely tell it's not nearly as sturdy as the carport but it probably doesn't need to be.

I may follow Jeff's lead this year and pick up a couple of EZ-Ups and change up based upon weather and space conditions. One thing to note is that all of the specs I read on the EZ-UP style canopies give them a wind rating of 15-25MPH when staked or weighted. We did 4 contests this year that had winds exceeding that limitation.