Is there anything more attractive to a parent than a well erect beach shelter?
Well, we hope so! But there is also no denying the sweet relief and sense of accomplishment felt by beachy parents settling in for a full day of fun in the salt and sun, knowing their little ones (and cold foods) are safely shaded.
The quest to find the best beach shelter is real!
Beach shades have certainly become more innovative of late, like the popular design by our fellow Noosa creatives over at Cool Cabanas.
And it seems weekly there are more and more brands jumping on the beachshade band wagon, wooing us with vogue level fabrics and trimmings in order to keep us looking our most instagramable.
However, if you are like us, we prefer to keep things less tassel, more functional.
As people who take the outdoors and our time in the waves pretty seriously, here are our top tips to keep in mind when choosing the best Australian beach shade for your family.
It’s a laugh or cry situation actually. The number of “shelters” that are just not made for the job. Too many moving parts that break too easily; cheap fabrics that tear and fade; bent concertina mechanisms; and the worst of all are the ones that tip over with a gust of wind. Not cool.
Avoid the cheap and nasty options that end up in landfill the same year of purchase. Invest in brands who are designing for longevity.
No question. If you are going to the effort of carrying a shade across hot sand, for goodness sake, ensure it’s big enough to fit your whole family, some friends and the esky.
If you are serious about your time on the sand, invest in a design that can keep you shaded as the sun moves across the sky. Most beach shades on the market offer shade the size of the roof panel = the constant chasing of the small shady square as the sun moves! The Stratus shade models can be adjusted easily to buffer the sun rays as they change direction. Check out some of our favourite set ups for full days here.
None of us want to look like clowns fighting a beach shelter set up. Keep it simple.
We designed the Stratus Climate Changer shades to be set up by one person easily in 10 minutes tops. Friends make it faster!
Shade, poles, ropes, pegs. Simple. No moving parts to break, and the design is entirely in your control. Quick and easy to set up and pack down. Happy days.
It’s 2023 - a brand producing beach shades should actually care about the beach and be actively working to improve the health of marine ecosystems. If you care about swimming in clear waters rather than plastic waste, support the brands doing the extra work to turn the plastics ship around.
At Stratus, we are pioneering the return of the Aussie tarp - done better.
You can check out our two shades here - The Climate Changer 1 - our most versatile design for set up options;
and The Climate Changer 2 - featuring a patented cooling system to reduce the ambient temperature underneath, designed with the Queensland summer in mind.
May your Australian Summer be filled with many well shaded beach days. Happy, salty and easy.
Protect The Adventure!
Header Image by Mitch Dann.
