COSTCO

[davejs]

I have been using COSTCO canopies for a number of year. I usually have to purchase a new one every year because they do not really hold up to the wear and tear of 40 events during the year. There are a number of other excellent canopies out there, but you pay substantially more. These COSTCO's are lightweight and easier to carry, but easier to go airborne. They are cheaply made and I always have parts breaking on them.

[susien]

I have the EZ Up from Sam's Club. The nice thing is they stand behind it. The first one I had the weld came apart. I returned it and got a new one...... no questions asked at all. Costco does the same thing don't they?

Susie

[davejs]

A weld coming undone is not repairable and is more or less, a 'structural defect.' My problems are that some of the plastic attachments are breaking and I lost a screw. Not a reason to replace, but to order the parts. I do that on the website. Going down to COSTCO, standing in line and trying to order the parts through them is useless. Earlier this year, I received a canopy a few days before we were leaving for Arizona and when I opened the box, one of the corners was broken into several pieces. After several calls, I brought it down to COSTCO and got a refund for it and had to order another one because they no longer carry them in stock. (They use the space in their store for higher profits on other things). I had it sent to where we were located in Arizona, but unfortunately it arrived the day after I had set up our other two canopies and I stashed it inside our motor home.

EZ-ups are superior to COSTCO.

[abaworld]

I have a Caravan DisplayShade. Sam's Club, apparently, doesn't believe that Oregon is a worthy state for one of their stores and the nearest Costco is over 2 hours away. I did check the Costco store and they didn't have any at that time. The local selection didn't thrill me, so, I had to purchase online.

The canopy material is nice, but the sidewalls are cheaply made. The case is sturdy, but has a poor wheel arrangement for tall people. Most people wouldn't notice something like that, but I have to lower my body to get it to a smooth rolling point. Just one more pain with being tall...

My biggest concern while researching, was one-person setup. It passed with flying colors. My wife is able to help a little, but being able to do it myself, quickly, was a huge plus. I read some reviews that disputed many of the so-called, one-person setups.

This weekend will be the second setup for me, so no clue how it's going to hold up over time.

I'm certainly looking forward to Paula's tip on preventing the canopy from becoming a very large kite.

[abaworld]

Thanks, Paula.

I agree 100%. When I first set it up (practice sessions...), I only did it from the outside and had to visit each leg to lock in at the full extension point.

Last weekend, I set the legs on the first notch and went to the middle to raise from the inside and managed to lock all four legs at once - so much easier!

I found out how not to take it down, too! Since it went up so easily, I decided to leave the legs on that first notch when I collapsed the canopy. BAD MOVE! Had a heck of a time, keeping it from falling while dropping the legs the rest of the way. Lesson learned: legs drop to bottom before collapsing canopy!

[davejs]

Good idea. I agree with you. That's the way we do it. Extend it and then crawl inside and pop up the middle.