Speaking of outlawing EZ ups, Noel, they are absolutely prohibited
in the Amdur shows (Chicago area). While I was a little frustrated at
not knowing before I was accepted to her shows, I completely
understand and am grateful for the rule since Chicago has a
well-earned nickname. That’s why I took the plunge to get a Trimline
this year.
I saw lots of EZ Ups fly across streets and parking lots in last
year’s winds, and it’s worth the investment to me. I know my
neighbors appreciate it, too. We’re all this together, folks… keep
your stick on the ice!
Speaking of outlawing EZ ups, Noel, they are absolutely prohibited
in the Amdur shows (Chicago area). While I was a little frustrated
at not knowing before I was accepted to her shows, I completely
understand and am grateful for the rule since Chicago has a
well-earned nickname.
bit off-topic, but… The nickname is, as you may know, “The Windy
City”. And Chicago can be very windy. I, too, have seen tents sail
into the lake (literally). However, oddly enough, the nickname was
originally figurative, referring to our politicians rather than our
weather.
Craigslist has a LightDome canopy for sale $500. Wish I lived there
just for a couple hours and could take a peek at this. Judy in
Kansas, where the last two mornings have brought half an inch of
rain… that means mowing AGAIN!
OK, I have an EZUP and I have it weighted down, I have had no
problems with it thus far. Even in the rain, which is unfortunate,
some fairs put you so close to one another there is no relief from
water coming down on all four sides from your own tent and the folks
around you.
I have done shows where it has been very windy and EZUP is fine. It
is one of the middle of the road ones, and has come up off the
ground by about 6 inches, but only because I hadn’t affixed the
weights properly the first time. I have four 40lb sandbag weights on
each leg and so far no problems.
When I first started doing fairs, $800 to $1000 was way out of my
price range. My EZUP, when I bought it cost about $400 and it has
served me well and is still in very good working condition. I can
put it up by myself and cart it around in it’s roller bag. While I do
agree that it is best to have a canopy that does it’s job and
doesn’t go sailing, I also believe that if you take some sensible
precautions, you do not have to spend alot of money. I think that the
main problem is that some folks don’t take into consideration that
they need to weigh down their canopies. So even if they had one of
the $800- $1000 and it is not weighted down it is still going to go
flying. Don’t hate the EZUp, hate the unprepared vendor.
Anyway, on their site they mention both the Light Dome and the
Finale tents. The Finale has a barrel shaped roof. Do you by chance
know what the benefit to one or the other of those might be?20
I hardly ever see a Finale, just Light Domes. For me the key
difference was that the Light Dome frame and be easily modified to
use indoors, and in spaces less than the standard 10x10 when
necessary. The Finale frame is configured differently and doesn’t
lend itself to this type of adaptation. Plus, with the Light Dome,
there’s no “front”, all sides are equal.
The Finale does offer, however, a nice bit of vertical frontage on
which a custom sign could be attached. If the Light Dome has a
fault, it is that it does not have a good natural spot on which to
attach a narrow sign. The lips around the edges are not rigid or
defined enough to attach a sign- and have it look good. If anyone
has found way around this, I’d love to hear about it.
Carla, you have summed up the EZ UP problem beautifully! But I also
agree that proper setup and tiedown are critical regardless of the
canopy.
Just finished my 3rd show of the season, better than the first two,
none of them losers, this one OK. And as a friend of mine told me,
“OK is the new good”.