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Best beach tents for a sun-safe summer 2024
Make beach trips a breeze with the perfect portable shelter. Providing both UV protection and a convenient place for little ones to nap, this is our round-up of the beach tents Mumsnetters swear by.
By Poppy O'Neill | Last updated Jul 18, 2024
A beach tent is a handy accessory for a family trip to the beach, and it's essential for creating shade during hot weather. The best beach tent provides much-needed shade and protection from the sun's rays, allowing you and your kids to enjoy the outdoors without the risk of sunburn or overheating. The best beach tents are lightweight and easy to assemble, plus they offer a bit of privacy and a sheltered space to relax, change clothes or take a nap.
Not just for coastal adventures, a beach tent is just as useful at home. Picture the scene: you’re relaxing with a cuppa in the hammock, the kids are splashing in the paddling pool or showing off their best trampoline moves. With a handy UV tent, there’s no need to traipse inside to get a bit of shade or settle a toddler for their nap.
With a wide variety of options available, including pop-up designs, family-sized shelters and tents designed specifically for babies, we turned to the Mumsnet Talk forums to bring you the beach tents parents recommend most highly. We carefully considered the tents Mumsnetters have tried and tested with their own families, weighing up their reviews to bring you our pick of the best beach tents for summer 2024.
Best beach tents - at a glance:
Best beach tent overall: Wolfwise Sun Shade Tent with Extended Zippered Porch
Best budget beach tent: Glymnis Pop-Up Beach Tent
Best large beach tent: Sun Ninja Beach Tent with UPF 50+ Protection
Best baby beach tent: Babymoov Pop-Up Anti UV Tent
Best family beach tent: LittleLife Family Beach Shelter
Best pet beach tent: Hacraho Beach Sun Shelter for Pets
Best weather proof beach tent: Coleman Lightweight Portable Beach Shade
Best beach tent for sun protection: Easthills Outdoors Instant Shader
Good quality
Very easy to use
Zippable curtains
Difficult to fold down
Price on writing: £70 | Dimensions: 12.5 x 11.5 x 21.5cm | Sizes: Large, XL | Weight: 2.7kg | Colour: Blue, Mint green | Material: 190T Water-repellent Polyester
Featuring a specially designed spring opening system, the Wolfwise Sun Shade Tent can be easily set up by one person in seconds. Reinforced by 9.5 mm thick fibreglass poles, the tent is really sturdy, plus it comes with 3 sandbags, 4 wind ropes and 10 stakes to make sure it stays put even in windy conditions.
Accommodating up to 4 people or two beach chairs, it offers room to relax, get out of the sun, get changed or settle little ones for a nap. When it's time to pack up, the tent folds down to an easy-to-carry 86 x 15cm.
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Good value
Spacious
Difficult to fold down
Price on writing: £25 | Dimensions: 185 x 140 x 115cm | Sizes: Small, large| Weight: 1.15kg | Colour: Blue | Material: Polyester
With a mesh window providing a flow of fresh air, this bargain beach tent from Glymnis is a great all-rounder. It pops up easily, and comes with 2 sandbags, 4 windproof ropes and 10 steel tent pegs to keep it nice and stable.
The front can be open or zipped closed, and it’s big enough for two adults to comfortably sit inside - plenty of room for changing a nappy, nap time or a little play area out of the sun. All for under £30, we think it’s a no-brainer.
Comes with a travel bag
Available in 4-person or 8-person sizes
Pricey
Price on writing: £110 | Dimensions: 225 x 210 x 210cm | Sizes: 4-person, 8-person | Weight: 3.2kg | Colour: Turquoise, navy | Material: Not stated
Perfect for providing shade at the beach in a big group, the Sun Ninja Pop-Up Beach Tent is a modern take on the gazebo. Designed with water-resistant fabric and offering UPF 50+ sun coverage, it’s perfect for the unpredictable British summer.
The setup process is quick and easy - simply fill the sand pockets, then prop the tent up with poles. Reviewers say it can withstand wind, and is easy to fold up and replace it in the travel bag.
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Breathable mesh curtain keeps out sand, wind and bugs
Blocks 99% of UV rays
May be difficult to pack it back in the carry bag
Price on writing: £37 | Dimensions: 98 x 90 x 85cm (Open), 60cm (Folded) | Sizes: One size | Weight: 235g | Colour: Blue, tropical | Material: Polyester
Designed with your little one in mind, the Babymoov Pop-Up Anti UV Tent provides the perfect spot for your baby to nap while you’re out in the sun. It’s nice and roomy, with plenty of space for babies to kick around or two toddlers to play inside.
The tent comes with 4 pegs, so you might need to weigh it down on a windy day. It pops up easily but some Mumsnetters found it tricky to fold back up again - although after a few practice runs they did get the hang of it.
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Big enough for a bit of privacy on the beach
Small enough to fit in the buggy
Fiddly to assemble and fold down
Price on writing: £53 | Dimensions: 170 x 170 x 110cm | Sizes: Compact, family | Weight: 1.14kg | Colour: Orange | Material: Polyester
Tested by Mumsnet: LittleLife Family Beach Shelter review
Whether you need a shady spot for your toddler’s nap time or a place to get changed in private, this family shelter from LittleLife strikes a great balance between size and portability. With a UPF rating of 50+ and a zip-closed door, this tent offers 360 degree protection from the elements.
Mumsnetters say it is a tricky one to assemble - especially if it’s windy and you’re juggling kids and a picnic - so it’s a good idea to do a trial run at home before you head out to the beach. Once it’s up, reviewers found it surprisingly spacious and very useful.
Simple to assemble
Great for small pets
Quality could be better
Price on writing: £19 | Dimensions: 27 x 20 x 18cm | Sizes: Medium, large | Weight: 220g | Colour: Blue, pink | Material: Polyester
With no assembly required, this dinky little tent opens immediately and effortlessly. The tent's design includes 360-degree window ventilation, keeping things both cool and fragrant for your four-legged friend.
The tent is ideal for keeping dogs cool on the beach, at the park or anywhere shade is hard to come by. It comes in 2 sizes, so be sure to check measurements before ordering.
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Sturdy
Comes in a drawstring carry bag
Includes stakes and sandbags for stability
Extended floor and roof offer additional protection from sand and sun
Some users found it took a while to set up
Price on writing: £39 | Dimensions: 5.5ft x 5.5ft x 3.4ft | Sizes: One size | Weight: 5.9 kg | Colour: Blue | Material: Polyester
This beach shelter from Coleman is packed with brilliant features. It is made from UV Guard material providing UPF 50+ protection, plus it comes with stakes and sandbags for extra stability.
Unlike pop-up options, it does require some assembly, and it can be fiddly - especially on a windy day with kids about. However, what you lose in convenience you make up for in quality and sturdiness.
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Easy to set up
Keeps cool in hot weather
Spacious
Expensive
Price on writing: £110 | Dimensions: 21.6 x 21.6 x 104.1cm | Sizes: One size | Weight: 2.7kg | Colour: Pacific Blue, Silver, Sky Blue, Sky Blue & Silver | Material: 180T polyester taffeta
The ultra-reflective exterior silver coating of the Easthills Instant Shader, combined with the dark interior blocks 97.5% of UVA and UVB rays, while the infrared reflection prevents heat buildup, ensuring the inside stays really cool. This family-sized tent has plenty of room inside, plus a front porch, accommodating up to 4 adults comfortably.
Setting up is a breeze thanks to the unique drawstring opening mechanism, which can be done easily by one person. Inside, the tent is well-ventilated thanks to large mesh windows. The tent's versatile design includes privacy features, wind protection, and lots of storage compartments, making it a brilliant choice for beach outings.
What is a beach tent?
A beach tent is a portable shelter designed specifically for use at the beach. It provides shade and protection from the sun, wind, and often bugs and rain too.
Beach tents are typically made of lightweight and durable materials such as polyester or nylon, and they usually feature UV protection to shield occupants from harmful sun rays. They come in various sizes and designs, ranging from compact pop-up tents to larger structures that can accommodate multiple people.
Are beach tents easy to fold?
Beach tents are designed to be easy to fold, but Mumsnetters say the ease of folding varies a lot between different tents. Beach tents typically feature a foldable and collapsible design, and often come with a travel bag.
With the right technique, it’s possible to fold a beach tent back into its carrying bag or case. The specific folding process may vary slightly depending on the tent's design, but most beach tents come with instructions or diagrams to guide you through the folding process. Overall, beach tents are designed with user-friendly features to ensure that folding and packing them up is a hassle-free task.
Things to consider when choosing a beach tent
Size and capacity of the tent: ensure it can comfortably accommodate the number of people you want to be able to sit inside.
Look for tents with a sturdy and durable construction, as they need to withstand outdoor conditions.
Check for UV protection ratings and consider tents with a high UPF (Ultraviolet Protection Factor) to shield you from the sun's harmful rays.
Easy setup and portability are also important, so opt for tents with simple assembly mechanisms and lightweight designs.
Ventilation is crucial to keep the interior cool, so look for tents with mesh windows or vents.
Additional features such as storage pockets, sand pockets, and guy lines for added convenience and stability.
What’s the best beach tent to buy?
We've picked the WolfWise Sun Shade Tent with Extended Zippered Porch as our overall winner. It's very easy to get out and put up, good quality and has mesh windows with zippable curtains for privacy. While it’s not the cheapest beach tent on our list, we think it offers a good balance of size, features and value for money.
How we chose our recommendations
Products tried and tested by real parents
Mumsnetters know only too well how a good quality beach tent can provide a shady haven during the summer months, so first up, we headed to the Mumsnet forums to read about genuine real-life experiences from our users. We researched the pools they have bought and loved, and features that Mumsnetters felt mattered most when purchasing beach tents. We also looked out for any bad experiences, including the tents they found hard to assemble or fold away, that tore or broke easily or were generally of poor quality.
About the author
Poppy O'Neill is a Content Editor at Mumsnet and a mother of two. She's been researching and reviewing baby and child products for 2 years, with a particular focus on baby essentials, toys and books for toddlers and outdoor play equipment. From potties to paddling pools and bunk beds to bedtime stories, she loves to deep-dive into research and find the best products out there.
Poppy is also an award-winning, best-selling children's and parenting author of books such as Don't Worry, Be Happy, The Extraordinary Book That Makes You Feel Happy and Mother Power. She specialises in children's mental health and her books are used by therapists, teachers and SENCOs across the UK. She won a The Week Junior Book Award in 2023, her books have been translated into several languages and she's been featured in The Guardian, The Sunday Times and The Sun.
After earning a BA in Creative Writing from the University of Leeds and a PGCert in Fashion and Lifestyle Journalism from University of the Arts London, she worked in fashion for most of her 20s. When her children were young, she undertook an MA in Creative Writing from the University of Chichester and re-trained as an author and freelance writer.
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