Tents at Craft Shows

[jackbenimble]

I wanted to get some opinions on this topic. I have the option of paying $85 for a 10x10 tent that includes set-up and take down and weights. Or I can go and buy one. I know the next two shows I am wanting to do are inside. So if I were to buy one myself it would be used only once in serval months.

Just not sure if I want to deal with the hassle of setting one up. What do all of you guys do if given that option at your shows?

[mparadise]

I would invest the $ in the tent personally. I didn't think I would use mine as much as I do both for the business and in my personal life. We use it for cookouts, yard sales, etc all the time. You can pick one up for less than you are paying to rent one right now. I've seen them at Dicks Sporting Goods for $70 and bought canvas bags to fill with sand there for $20 (2 bags of playground sand was another $5-10 @ Lowes). Even if you only use it once a year it will pay for itself the 2nd time you use it.

As far as the hassle of setting it up, I have used mine so many times at this point that I can do it myself in about 3 minutes, including velcroing the sand bag weights to the legs because the joints aren't "new" tight anymore and pull open easily. That said I have never been to a fair that someone next to you wouldn't help pull it open with you. Even though I can do my own I usually help 2-3 people with theirs at every outdoor show. We are all in the same boat so it really isn't an issue.

Edited August 31, 2011 by mparadise

[EnvyCandles]

Agree, setting it up is not that hard. I am 4'10" so it is a little difficult for me on my own, but I have seen many people do it on their own.

I use my tent much more than I thought I would. You can get a really really decent one for about $100...

[Candybee]

Bought a Ezy-Up tent when I first started doing craft shows. Use it all the time. Its a 10x10 foot and the canvas top keeps out 99.99% UV rays. But I would only invest in a good quality tents such Caravan, EzyUp, or First Up. Once you have one it is so much easier to sign up for more shows. Many don't go indoors until the end of October.

[beekeeper_sd]

I would only invest in a good quality tents such Caravan, EzyUp, or First Up. Once you have one it is so much easier to sign up for more shows. Many don't go indoors until the end of October.

AMEN. Even thought it's going to cost a considerable amount the first time, once you start doing shows you will use it all the time and the cheap ones just aren't built for that kind of duty. Also, make sure you get one that has zip on sides so you're not trying to use tarps as sides if you do a 2 day show. Before we got our good ezup we had a cheap awning and used tarps as the sides. A storm came up in the middle of the night and, had it not been for our good craft show neighbors who secured our "tarp sides" for us, we would have lost a LOT of product and had a big mess to clean up.

DON'T GO CHEAP!!! This is a business, treat it that way.

[EricofAZ]

Just a few thoughts here:

The 10x10 is probably a canopy, not a tent. They are nice to have. You can pay from $25 at the "outlet" stores for these or $300 elsewhere. There is a quality difference between the ones with thin supports and plastic joints (which break easily) or the ones with heavy metal all the way around.

If you don't plan on using it much, I'd suggest paying for the rental for several reasons. First off, you don't have to lug the thing around. Second, and most importantly, if the wind comes up and your canopy blows down and hurts someone, you have a finger that you can point towards the show for renting the tent.

I am aware of a lady that went to a show last year locally and the tent was not staked. The wind came up and it blew down and badly injured a pregnant woman. In that situation, the show promoter was, get this, a city. Yup, the city wanted to offer a craft show and they held it in a location that had rules that stakes were not allowed. Oh, the egg on everyone's face, but more importantly, the sad story about the injured person.

If you bring your own, make sure it is solid metal, no plastic joints, and well staked, and heavily insured. That will cost way more than $85.

[adillenal]

First year I bought an EZ up. Very hard for me to put up and take down. It broke trusses frequently. I repaired them again and again. I still believe I bought a lemon EZ up but others at my shows have had problems with braking trusses too.

Bought a cheap First up from Wal-Mart just for the frame to use for inside shows. A breeze to put up so I tried it at an outdoor show. Perfect. the canopy top has a silver lining and I do not get sunburned under it like I did with my EZup. I use the EZup sides on it and the same weights I used with my EZup. Have never broken a truss even when a neighbor's tent blew away and landed on top of mine. And I had extra weights and offered them to the neighbor and she stuck her nose up at me and informed me she did not need them. Yeah right.

You should always use weights and most shows I go to require them. I am not going to be responsible for damaging someone else or their property. I have been to shows where I just took the canopy top off because it was so windy.

I do about 14 outside shows a year so I am not using the canopy every weekend so the cheapie First up works for me. Plus I love the air vent in top.

Edited September 5, 2011 by adillenal

[Scented]

Here's the thing, so what if it only gets used a couple of times. It becomes a tent you can count on, you know it's problems and FYI, Ez-ups have their own bags, sidewalls, some have a banner option. They all come with stakes, usually not plastic (at least ours were always metal.) THey are sturdy, they can be abused and you can send to get replacement parts. You can easily apply extra weights with gallons of water or make cement pots to hook to cords etc. It's how you elect to care for it, but if shows aren't something you find you want to do ... go without a tent completely. It adds to your bottom dollar to rent. To buy it's a long term investment that we haven't regretted. Our first tent was a pop up something that completely collapsed after springing leaks at a craft show. We had to stand in it and push parts of the roof up so that it wouldn't sag under the weight of water. It was a real pain to redo a lot of labels because we thought we'd save a buck. Before we left town we owned our first ez-up and fell in love with it. We've been in rain and winds with it, had to replace a part here and there but overall it was the best investment we ever made. We go indoors starting in november, but our show season starts usually in April. it used to be March, but those were indoors. April starts our outdoor season.

[PAgirl89]

I invested in a tent and haven't used it yet. I had a couple shows over the summer that I would have needed a tent/canopy, so I thought one would be a good investment. I had 2 shows this summer where I could have used it, the 2 shows were in July, of course it was 98 degrees and very humid. The first show I was moved to a spot underneath a pavilion, so didn't need the tent, the 2nd show it was so hot and humid, I decided not to attend. We'll see how the tent serves next summer.

[beekeeper_sd]

Here's the thing, so what if it only gets used a couple of times. It becomes a tent you can count on, you know it's problems and FYI, Ez-ups have their own bags, sidewalls, some have a banner option. They all come with stakes, usually not plastic (at least ours were always metal.) THey are sturdy, they can be abused and you can send to get replacement parts. You can easily apply extra weights with gallons of water or make cement pots to hook to cords etc. It's how you elect to care for it, but if shows aren't something you find you want to do ... go without a tent completely. It adds to your bottom dollar to rent. To buy it's a long term investment that we haven't regretted. Our first tent was a pop up something that completely collapsed after springing leaks at a craft show. We had to stand in it and push parts of the roof up so that it wouldn't sag under the weight of water. It was a real pain to redo a lot of labels because we thought we'd save a buck. Before we left town we owned our first ez-up and fell in love with it. We've been in rain and winds with it, had to replace a part here and there but overall it was the best investment we ever made. We go indoors starting in november, but our show season starts usually in April. it used to be March, but those were indoors. April starts our outdoor season.

I agree 100%. The first year doing shows we bought cheap and used it one year. Have had my EZup for 6 years now and use it all the time, including using it as an outdoor kitchen at the lake thus leaving it up 24 hrs a day for an entire week. Yeah, it was expensive and, yeah, it's heavy but it's well worth it when you watch your neighbors tents flying all over the place and your tent is standing tall. Just make sure you ALWAYS tie down. We used a dog stake and straps on all four legs and one in the middle if necessary and at night.

[beekeeper_sd]

Also check out this website. http://www.ez-weights.com We purchased these weights and they are FANTASTIC!!!

And be sure to watch the videos!

Edited September 5, 2011 by beekeeper_sd

[Georgia]

Well, I guess I'm the odd one out...I bought a First Up from Walmart, with sides. I paid $98 for the canopy and under $40 for the sides. I did 2 or 3 outdoor shows a year. That canopy lasted 5 years and only broke when someone "helping" me broke it trying to use brawn instead of brains.

I always stake the canopy and got leg weights from Dick's Sporting Goods.