Typical summer activities for our family include going to the beach (usually at Cannon Beach on the Oregon coast) and boating on lakes and rivers in eastern Washington. When we go to the beach we’ll spend a day walking, flying kites and playing in the waves, but my special needs kid is usually done with the sun, wind and sand about mid-afternoon. And when she’s done, she’s done and nobody’s having a good time. When we spend the day on a river or lake, we’ll pull off on a sandy shore to have lunch and play in the water, but I need someplace to get Veronica out of the hot sun for a while. In the past we’ve tried sun shades, but the ones I’ve tried have either been too small for her, or too cumbersome to take with us.

That’s why I’m really excited about my Costco purchase today. I found an Igloo Outdoors brand single person pop up tent for $32.99 (includes $5 rebate) that’s lightweight, packs up small and pops up super easy. I couldn’t wait to get home and try it out.

Here it is in the box...

Out of the box, it comes in a convenient carry case and is only a couple of inches deep.

I took it out of it's nifty carry case and it looked like this, then I unwrapped the back elastic and...

...it just kind of all popped open. I straightened it out and voila!

Here is a side view, without stakes.

There are stakes and a rope/stake system to secure the corners. It’s dimensions are 7ft 4in x 3ft 5in x 3ft 7in, weighs 3lbs 1 oz, has a window and roof vent.

Can’t wait for the beach!