Craft fair tents

[Mudfish]

Any advise out there about good pop up tents and suggestions for how to weight them securely? I have been using a Show Off and pro panels, but  it is just so labor intensive to set up by myself - I feel like I've been through boot camp by the end of a weekend show.  I've heard that some pop ups will not work with pro panels, and of course, the nightmare stories of pop ups becoming large kites during high winds.  Thanks

Edited June 15, 2023 by Mudfish

[neilestrick]

I use a popup, the Pro Expo from Instant Promotion. I've used mine through about 100 shows so far, and in some really, really bad weather. It's super heavy duty, all the connecting brackets are aluminum, and the sides and top are waterproof. The peak is super tight and tall enough that water won't puddle in it. The walls are tall enough that pro panels should work.

To really make them sturdy, popup canopies need crossbars to keep the legs from moving and flexing. I built some that I can attach about halfway up, which stiffens up the frame and keeps the wall from flapping into my displays. Instant Promotion does have crossbars, but I haven't used them. They're made so that the sidewalls can attach to them to hold them tight.

The only downsides that I have found are:

1. The canopy frame and top are heavy. The whole thing weighs like 70 pounds and it's bulky.

2. The top fits really tightly, so it takes some muscle to get the first leg or two locked into place.

3. The walls fit really tight, too, so it takes some practice to put them on so that the corners all meet up correctly. There's not much room for error. 

Once you get used to all that you'll find that it's worth it to have something that fits together really well and doesn't flop around in bad weather, unlike most popup canopies.

For weights, you want at least 40 pounds on each corner. Some shows require 50 pounds. I use 36" long pieces of 2" square steel bar that weigh 40 pounds, and they work great. I set them on the feet and strap them to the legs. They're super slim and easy to haul. I got a deal on mine, but would expect it to cost about $100 each now. Instant Promotion has some weight options that are pretty good. The fact that the canopy itself is quite heavy really helps, too.