Swiss Gear vs. EZ-UP pop-up tents for craft fairs

[MaggieTheCat]

A couple of months ago, I think I posted that I was looking around for a canopy/tent that I could use for outdoor craft fairs. Well, I found a fair that I want to vend at that's outdoors, so now I really need to figure out which model I want. I've looked at some reviews on Amazon and I've come down to these three:

EZ-UP Sierra II: http://www.amazon.com/-Z-UP-Sierra-S...4755325&sr=8-1
This seems to be the basic, standard canopy. No sides to it, and most people agree that it requires 2 people to setup.

EZ-UP Express II: http://www.amazon.com/Z-UP-10-Expres...4755482&sr=1-1
A friend of mine recommended this one. Another standard canopy with no sides, but she said that one person can set it up. However, it's x2 as much as the Sierra for nothing extra (from what I can tell, anyway, aside from the fact that it can supposedly be set up single-handedly) and it got pretty poor reviews on Amazon.

Swiss Gear Smart Shade Screenhouse: http://www.amazon.com/Swiss-Gear-Sma.../dp/B000N5395U
This is a full tent, with removable sides. It's a bit more than the Sierra II but not as much as the Express II. Same friend who recommended the Express II said that it's difficult if not impossible for her to assemble the Swiss Gear alone.

Here's my situation:

I live in Hill Country Texas, so not much bad weather to speak of (except for very hot summers.) Sure, we get rain sometimes but it rarely pours and we generally don't get real high winds. I don't think I need a full tent with sides, but the Swiss Gear I'm looking at is reasonably priced for a canopy that comes with sides.

My husband will probably accompany me to most of my shows, so we should be able to set up two-man tents without too much trouble. However, someday I may decide to start going by myself so having one that I can set up alone would be a bonus. Alternately, I'm hoping some friendly neighbor or fair worker would help me for a few minutes to get the tent setup if need be.

I need to be able to fit all this crap in our car! We have a Honda Civic, so it's not super small but it's not very large, either. The back seat folds down and connects to the trunk so we do have room there, but we also have a 6x4" table, two chairs, a small dolly, and two large boxes of merchandise that we'd need to cart around as well. So, I need something that will collapse down to as small as possible when fully disassembled for transportation.

So, does anyone have any experience or advice they'd like to share?

[Elspeth]

My parents used to do craft fairs when i was younger but I helped a lot.

You want something easy to set up, the less time on the tent means more time to set up displays. You could always make sides (if you sew) for a tent.

Practice Practice Practice setting up the tent and all your displays. That way you have it down to a science when you get to the show.

Do you have a skirt for your table? it is a great place to hide stuff that you need.

Good Luck!!

[MaggieTheCat]

Ooh, good idea about making my own sides if I decide I need them. I do have a long tablecloth for my table and we do hide stuff under it (I've done indoor shows so I've got my table display down pretty well.) I also get a 10x10ft space at the show so I'll have some room to store extra stuff behind my table as well.

[Iolanthe]

Having sold in craft fairs and such, having a tent is a bonus, especially one with sides, not just for rain, but the sun is not always right over your head, as it is coming up or down it is at odd angles and sometimes the side can help keep you from getting sunburned or too hot. The one thing I might suggest that I saw at one of the fairs I was at, weights to hold the tent down. I know most tents have tie downs that go into the ground, but some places you might sell might be concrete or paved, so you can't put the tie downs in place. So if you get weights to hold it down, it will keep the tent from blowing away. The easiest way I saw someone do the weights was taking some PVC pipe and filling it with sand and hanging it from each leg, so that it holds the tent in place (if that makes sense, if not, PM and I will try to explain better). I hope this helps.

[Taboo]

I would avoid the one with the awful reviews on Amazon. It sounds like most of the time, you'll be vending with someone else - and if not, you can always get there early. Offer to help someone else set up their table or tent if they'll help with yours. I suspect with many other vendors there, someone will be happy to help. Just make sure if you go alone, you're there early enough that they can take the time to help.

If you think you're likely to want the sides, I'd lean towards that tent. It's only $40 more and you'd probably spend that much or more on fabric to cover that big of a tent if you made the sides yourself. Otherwise, just go for the cheaper first one.

[crazyofficeclerk]

I don't have the craft fair experience, however I worked for a historical location that does Civil War Reenactments and totally agree with Iolanthe about the sides being for sun. Some of our tents did not have sides and on the days when the sun was shining it would have been nice to have a way to get out of the sun. Something else to consider, if the tent you buy doesn't come with sides, it may be extremely difficult to attach them later. It might be worth just buying the ones with the sides to begin with.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

We use EZ up type shades most of the time. You will need a side panel (which you can make out of a sheet) because if you don't. you may find yourself sitting four feet away from your awning just to stay in the shade.

I don't know if EZ ups can be put up with one person. Never had to find out. But they go up inside of a minute if you have a couple pair of hands on it.

[Andara Bledin]

You will absolutely want to make, or have made, your own covering for whatever booth shade provider you end up going with.

And you will absolutely adore having those sides when the sun gets to just that point and the side is the only thing saving you from roasting alive. Been there, done that.

Oh, and a great idea for the cieling and/or sides: My mother and aunt picked up a couple of really nice hand dyed wall-covering pieces from one of the faires they were vending at, and pinned that up as a false ceiling for their booth. Less wrapping that way. They still had to wrap the legs, though, as they never got around to making leg sheathes, which would have been much less hassle. The wrappings they made out of torn strips of old sheets they'd tossed into a washer with a box of brown dye.

Also, the sides will keep help with traffic flow, which can be vital.

^-.-^

[Seshat]

Don't forget that you might need to take breaks, or that sudden rain can come out of nowhere.
Sides to the tent can help keep you from having people approaching you from all sides picking up your stuff. A front can signal that you're away.

[MaggieTheCat]

Well, I went ahead and got the Swiss Gear tent with sides that I had been looking at, and I'm really glad I did. I had a show this last Saturday that I thought was supposed to be indoors, but turned out it was going to be outdoors, but it rained. It was a very small show, being held at a local art studio. They tried to move as many of the artists inside as they could, but the studio itself was really small and it got really cramped really fast with all the artists AND attendees inside. I brought my spiffy new tent, though, and set that up just outside the studio and had my table in there. We had a great turnout (for such a small event, and considering the weather was pretty bad.) I think a lot of people were wanting to get outside and away from the crowds, so they'd come into our tent to stay dry. The sides really helped against the wind, too. The only problem we had was trying to get the sides and the canopy folded/rolled up and stuffed back into the carrying case...honestly not too sure how it's possible, there is a very small pocket in the case that's intended for all 4 sides and the canopy and we just couldn't get everything back in there.

[Andara Bledin]

It can be really tricky to get the canopy portion back into the carry bag. Sometimes it's just easier to stow it separately.

^-.-^

[dalesys]

When my mother made tipis we swore that my dad would run the covers through a giant mangle (those rollers on top of ancient washing machines) after folding it to squeegee out the air, because nobody else could pack them back in the bag.