Fun Yet Frugal Activities You Can Do by the Beach!

 

A beach holiday is something that you need when the weather allows. There are no buts nor excuses! People think that having fun at the beach entails a lot of money. But, that is far from the truth. That shouldn't be the case if you're creative enough to create fun things to do while at the beach. If you don't have time to think of a single activity, don’t fret as we've listed all the best things you can do on a beach vacation without spending a fortune! Check them out!

J  Kite Flying – if there's one ideal environment to fly a kite, that would be the shoreline. So, why don't you make your own kite and fly it outdoors to enhance your kite-flying prowess? There's no need for you to purchase ready-made kites as you can make one easily with just papers, sticks, and plastic bags! If you'll be with friends or family members at the beach, have a content. Whoever gets to fly a kite the highest wins. Sounds fun, right? What's even better is that it is free!

J  Sculpt or Play with Sand – making a snowman during the winter season is something that's considered as a must for most of us. But, when you are at the beach, you should never skip on making sand castles, angels, and mountains! Whatever you can make out of sand, a pail, and a shovel, you should do it! This is the best way for you to let your creative juices flow and relax at the beach at the same time. Be extra cool by putting in some pebbles, shells, and twigs to your masterpiece. Of course, you'll have much more fun if you're with a loved one.

J  Go Fishing – whoever said you need expensive gear for fishing to catch fish? While you're at the beach, rent a net and use spare buckets to catch fishes. If you get lucky, you'll be able to catch one or two fishes. This is a good way to show your kids what the ocean has to offer.

These activities are fun and they entail almost no cost at all! So, enjoy your next beach vacation by adding a bit of creativity and imagination into it!

Buying a Pop-up Gazebo? Read This First!

If you are looking into buying the ultimate portable shade solution or you just want the easiest way to create shade in your yard, then you can't pass up on pop-up gazebos. It's easy to get confused on which model to choose, so we've put together a guide that can help you determine which product to invest in. By the time you finish reading our comprehensive guide, you're ready to start looking at your choices online. You can also talk to your local gazebo supplier to find out what's available in your local area.

 Finding the Best Portable Gazebo

The first thing you need to do is to make sure that you know what you need. Perhaps you want a big one that can be used by the entire family. How many people do you want to stay under the gazebo? Pop-up gazebos are available in all sizes. Some are as small as a meter by a meter. Others could go up to 3 meters x 3 meters or larger. By the way, you should not just consider the number of people you want to fit underneath the product. You also have to consider the furniture or chairs, picnic rugs, and beach towels that you want to use together with the gazebo.

What is ideal is a gazebo that provides space that's comfortable for you and the rest of the family. Another thing that you should check out is the height settings of a product. High-quality pop-up gazebos provide different height options, making them more flexible when it comes to usage. For instance, you raise the height to accommodate taller items or people and then lower it after some time to block the sun from shining too bright and blinding your eyes.

Is it really easy to erect a pop-up gazebo?

Since you are looking into buying a pop-up type of gazebo instead of the traditional one, you should not overlook how easy a product can be erected. Pop-up gazebos are relatively easy to set up. They are famous for one good reason: they allow you to worry less about fitting things like connectors or poles. A pop-up gazebo works by pushing the frame of the product upwards until the spring-loaded bolts finally lock the cover or canopy in position. There are models that would need you to lock a couple of pins in position. Essentially, there is a need for you to check how complicated or simple it is to put the entire thing together. This should be the basis to your purchasing decision. Understand how the setup goes and if it's easy for you to do it alone.

What accessories do pop-up gazebos come with?

Generally, pop-up gazebos will come with accessories to make your life easier. There are ones that come with a storage bag, which can be handy when transporting the product. There should be straps on the bag so you will experience no hassle at all when taking the gazebo to your location. Make sure that the product you purchase comes with a canopy that's water-resistant. Having one will mean that you won't get soaked when it is raining outside and your stuff won't get damaged as well. 

Tips for purchasing the best baby beach tent online

The season of beach parties is on its way, and you must get yourself well equipped in advance. If you have a baby in your house, then the most essential thing to pack for a beach party is the baby beach tent. These tents are just like the other beach sun shelters but with a touch of baby colors and baby themes in it. They are used to give shelter to the baby or toddler during long beach hours where the child can rest and sleep safely. These tents also save the baby from excessive exposure of harmful UV rays of the sun and give them the best shade to sleep and rest.

The importance of a baby pop up tent is needless to mention, as the most important thing it does is protects your baby. There are various types of baby beach tents available in the market sold by various manufacturers. It is your duty to know which tent would be the best for your kid. There are certain, tips to be kept in mind so that you do not end up with a low quality UV tent for your baby. To help you choose the best here are some of the tips that you can follow to find the best one:

•        Consider the protection- the level of protection provided by the baby sun shade is one of the most important things that you must keep in mind. You must consider all the aspects of protection before you invest in the beach tent for your baby. Make sure that the shelter not only has UV ray protection but also provides UVB and UVA protection. You cannot use sunscreen on the sensitive skin of a baby; therefore, it is very important to make sure that their tent is UV protected.

•        Dimensions of the shelter- the dimensions of the sun shelter you want depends on your personal choice. However, do not use a very small tent as it may make the baby uncomfortable and hot. Choose the tent with decent dimensions. It should be neither too big, nor too small.

•        Breathability- the fabric of tent should be of breathable material, typically lightweight polyester. The purpose of a tent is to provide shade, but it should not restrict the passing of air. As the tent is very small, the child can very easily overheat if there is not sufficient air ventilation.  Therefore it is another important thing to be considered.

•        Mounting- mounting means the assembling of the tent. You should consider the amount of time it takes to set up the sun shelter. The mounting process must not be too long and complex as it will take half of your beach time in it. Also, you will have to leave your child unattended for some time. Therefore choose the easy to mount, pop up tents that you can use instantly set up without any problems.

The above-given points were the technical aspects that you must consider before purchasing a UV tent for a baby. However, there are various other things like the color of the tent, its design, the theme of tent, etc. which you can choose as per your choice. Happy shopping!

 

 

How to clean a canopy tent

Just like the rest of your outdoor equipment, you should perform periodic maintenance on your pop up canopy tent. Sun shelters are easy to maintain, and with a little bit of extra effort, you increase the lifespan and durability of your EZ-up significantly. The good news is that you don’t have to perform maintenance often. Once a year should be enough. The main goals of the maintenance is to prevent the frame from rusting, and to keep the entire frame and canopy clean.

Rust

Canopy tent frames are often made with aluminum, which is resistant to rust. Even steel frames are coated with a rust resistant coating. Aluminum frames and coated steel frames are still susceptible to rust, though. So you should take proactive measures to prevent the rust from starting at all. Rust spreads like a virus and can be very destructive to metal. It will actually eat away the metal, resulting in a brittle frame. Most of the frame failures that we see, that aren’t the result of human mishandling, are the result of rust.

When you use your shelter, trusses rub together at joints. This friction scrapes off the protective paint coating, exposing the bare metal to the elements. These are the areas you want to focus on. If you go to your local hardware store, you will find that they sell products in the paint section that seals exposed metal and prevents it from rusting. Start by cleaning the exposed metal and letting it dry. Once it has dried, apply the sealant to all bare metal. Make sure you let the areas dry thoroughly before handling your frame again.

You should apply a thin coat of oil to the entire frame once you are done. Apply a little oil lubricant to a rag and wipe down the whole frame. This will clean debris and spread a thin rust-protective coating over your frame.

Dirt

All of the rust preventative measures should have been performed while the canopy was off of the frame. Once the frame is rust free, it is time to work on the canopy. If you grill under your canopy or even picnic, the material may become saturated with the odors of smoke or food. This will attract bugs, so we want to make sure that these odors are removed.

Start with a sponge soaked in soap and water. Use the sponge to scrub the stains and any caked on dirt. Make sure you get the underside as well as the top of the canopy. Check the cleaning instructions for your specific canopy. Some canopies are able to be machine washed, which makes life a whole lot easier. If this is the case, remove any straps and guy lines and follow the instructions for washing.

If your canopy is not machine-wash safe, you can use a hose to make the process easier. It is easier to hose down your canopy while it is on the frame, so wait until the sealants dry on the frame and then put the canopy back on. With the canopy spread out, use soap and water to wipe down the entire surface and then use the hose to rinse.

It is important that your canopy fully dries before you pack it away, or else it could grow mold. Chances are you won’t be able to machine dry the fabric so your best bet will be to take the clean canopy and spread it back over the frame. Leave the shelter in the sun for a while and periodically check on it to see how dry it is. Once it’s completely dry, pack it away.

Create Perfect Shade At The Beach

While on vacation at the shore, one of the strongest lines of defense against sunburn is rigorously applying sunscreen multiple times per day. While this sounds reasonable in theory, we often find ourselves forgetting or just being lazy in doing so. Beach goers are typically more vulnerable to sunburn than most other people outside during the summer months because the often forget to follow a few important precautions. Because most of us are in bathing suits at the shore, only a fraction of our bodies are protected with clothing or other materials. This is along with the fact that we're usually at the beach for hours at a time. All of this is compounded by getting in the ocean, toweling off, sweating; causing the sunscreen that we applied earlier in the day to easily comes off. We live in a 'here' and 'now' world. It's difficult for us to think so far into the future about the potential consequences bad sunburn can have and how it might trigger cells within our skin. As research has improved over the last few decades, society has become much more aware of these risks. Recent studies show that up to 20% of Americans will be diagnosed with some form of skin cancer in their lifetime. This is a very scary statistic. After a recent trip to the beach, my wife and I realized there is a much more convenient way to protect our skin, in addition to sunscreen, while at the shore. So we did some research in an effort to find the best beach tent on the market that would work perfect for our toddler and his soon to be baby brother. We quickly realized that we couldn't have made a better decision.

Many people associate beach shade with the popular 10x10 pop up canopy tent. We've owned one for many years and they work great. They're incredibly well engineered tents that are easy to use and will last you years if taken care of and stored properly. However, as we've grown into a family with kids we're all about convenience when on vacation. I would image anyone with small kids can relate. When we're ready for a day at the beach I have chairs, towels, bags, coolers, and toys in tow with me. I don't have much extra space to carry an oversized pop up canopy tent. The newer half dome beach tents are lightweight, portable and super convenient. The one that we purchased weighs about 7 lbs. and is only about 3 feet long in the carrying tote. It's smaller and lighter than most fold up chairs we've all to come to know. I sling the carrying bag over my shoulder on the walk to the beach and by the time I get to the shore I usually forget I have it there. The best part of the shelters is they are ready to go right out of the bag. No assembly required, talk about convenience. If anyone has a camping tent made over 10 years ago, chances are it has fiberglass sticks that need to be threaded throughout loop holes in the tent material. I remember it often taking more than 15 minutes to set up a tent and it being such a hassle. Today's beach tents are manufactured with a compression hub system which means all the fiberglass rods come integrated in the tent material. Take the sun shelter out of the bag and place one hand on the hub and pull the drawstring back like a bow and arrow and the tent magically pops open. It is that simple. Place two chairs under the overhang of the tent either in the sand or the tarp floor of the tent and you're almost completely in the shade.

These new beach tents really are the best way to reflect sunlight and keep cool while at the beach. My family and I can't recommend them enough for skin protection while at the beach for prolonged periods of time. The best beach tent will be portable, convenient, affordable, and an excellent source of shade for your family. If you have any questions about tent specifications don't hesitate to ask!