This Walmart Sunshade Is Portable and Perfect for Beach Days

I live in New York City and don’t have a car, so the beach is only accessible via public transit. I don’t always mind the hour-plus commute, but trekking by train and/or bus can be rough if you’re packing for a long beach day. In addition to essentials like sunscreen, towels, a change of clothes and shoes, and a cooler of drinks and snacks, a tent or umbrella can be a huge help on long, bright sunny days. However, they can be a real pain to store and transport. That’s why I was so excited to find this sunshade from Walmart that’s big enough to protect you, but small enough to fit into a drawstring bag.

I came across Walmart’s Ozark Trail portable sun shade beach tent in an Instagram post by @walmartbargains and was instantly intrigued. Available online for $53.97, it’s made of nylon spandex knit and poly taffeta and spans 45.6 square feet when assembled.

The 6.8×6.7-foot beach tent includes four sandbags, four stakes, four guy ropes, and two steel poles with feet for secure setup. According to the Walmart website, it provides 50-plus UPF (ultraviolet protection factor) protection to effectively block harmful sun rays.

I like the sunshade beach tent because it’s not completely enclosed like a traditional tent, so it gives you a healthy dose of shade from the brightest part of the sky while still allowing for space to enjoy the sun, sea, and sand. Setup is easy, too, which is a huge plus. It involves adhering the tent fabric to two steel poles and then securing each corner to the ground using bags you fill with sand (ideal for beach days) and stakes you drive into the ground. Once set up, it’s 66 inches tall at its peak and designed to fit “two full-size camp chairs.” 

Best of all, when it comes time to pack up, the tent and all its components can be handily stored in a drawstring bag with a shoulder strap that weighs just 4.6 pounds.

Buy: Ozark Trail Portable Sunshade Beach Tent, Walmart, $53.97