The forecast was predicting some hot, sunny days for a week. So I decided to start getting my money’s worth out of the purchase. I set it up on my back paver patio. I had read reviews where people claimed to have left their canopy up for weeks or months without issue. So I decided I’d leave it up for at least a few days.
During the day of the attached video, I checked the weather app to make sure there weren’t any unexpected changes in the weather. Still no mention of rain. All seemed fine during the bright, sunny morning and early afternoon. But later in the afternoon, I noticed some light rain. While I was surprised by the development, I decided it would be a nice opportunity to check the waterproofing of the canopy.
I sat under the canopy and was quite satisfied by how it was handling the light rain. Even as the rain picked up, I felt at ease. But after a few minutes, some strong gusts of wind began coming through. I thought about taking the canopy down, but I felt the best immediate course of action was to stand beneath the center and hold the frame steady. It was showing clear signs of strain.
The gusts became so steady and with increasing intensity that I continued feeling uncomfortable about letting go and trying to take the canopy down. My support was probably the only thing keeping my canopy from becoming a heap of mangled metal. I had been through that before. Fortunately, along with my 200 pounds holding in the center, I had sandbags on each corner along with two bungee tie downs on each corner.
For about 20 minutes, which felt like an eternity, I held on and prayed until a brief calm allowed me to take down the canopy. After that brief calm, some heavier gusts came through that would have surely destroyed my canopy.
Just hours before this ordeal, I had received two additional sidewalls that I had ordered to go along with the two I had purchased before. I had a full set up that I hoped to enjoy for the summer. What a shame it would have been to see it destroyed.
Well, the next day I inspected the frame. I feared that I would find cracks in the plastic connectors or bends in the frame. To my surprise, all was in order. Thankfully, it was a lesson that didn’t have to come with a huge cost or loss.
I think I will be a bit more selective about when to use the canopy. These sudden, violent and unforeseen storms are happening with more frequency. So I’ll likely reserve the canopy for gatherings and events. At least then, I’ll have assistance to quickly take the canopy down if needed. In the meantime, I’ll use my large umbrella for patio shade on a regular basis.
In any case, this canopy took a beating and held its own. But no matter how well constructed these mobile canopies are, they can only withstand so much. If any element, me, the sandbags or the tie downs had been missing, it would have been game over. The canopy isn’t meant to withstand those types of winds anyway.
So if you’re looking for a sturdy canopy to be used under reasonable conditions, this one is well worth it. It’s even cheaper now than when I bought mine. Hopefully, the quality is still the same.