I haven't tried mine yet, the tropical storm is rolling in now and very windy with some rain for the rest of the weekend.
I will say it should be fine though, just get enough holes in the charcoal pan for adequate air flow, and start smoking.
This thing should be similar performance wise to the ECB or the Brinkmann Gourmet charcoal smoker, in my humble opinion.
It isn't going to be a cheap way to get Weber Smokey Mountain performance, not a set it and forget it type of smoker.
Each cooker is different, you just have to figure out what works well for each particular one.