Update: We originally gave this tent a favorable review shortly after buying it. Unfortunately, this tent is just plain crappy. The frame broke, the side awnings make it a disaster in the wind, it doesn’t fit in it’s bag, and it’s rather difficult to put up. In retrospect we’ve switched to using two 8×8 EZUP tents. They are easy to carry, fit in the trunk of a sedan, go up in a minute with two to three people, and if they break it only costs about $80 to replace it next season.
We decided to try out the Quick Shade S233 Summit with Double Awnings because of it’s unique design. The double awnings provide more shade and as a result less glare on our tv. The awnings are easy to adjust and have four different set positions. The other main benefit of this tent is that the design doesn’t have any low hanging bars on the inside of the canopy. So bumping your head is not an issue. I would say that the middle of the tent has about an 8 foot clearance. Supposedly the tiered “pagoda” roofing allows for hot air to leave the area quicker but I’m not really buying it. The listed price at Dick’s Sporting Goods was $250.
The initial set up of the tent required some reading of the instructions but it wasn’t overly difficult. On a week to week basis you do have to remove side and bottom poles for each awning but that takes about 5 minutes. Overall the structure seems to be a little bit less sturdy then other tents I’ve used but we had no major problems. The main problem arrives when you try and pack the tent back into it’s carrying bag. The basic frame fits in fine but the extra fabric from the awning has no where to go. So you have to spend an extra $20 or so on a in the 50X30 range.
Pros: side awnings, head room clearance
Cons: too small of a carrying case, weekly setup, not currently available with team logos or colors
Decision: The Drunken Tailgate approves. This tent basically gives you the coverage of two tents despite packing up in the same size as a standard EZ UP tent.
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