Tailgating Review: Logo Brands Pop Up Canopy

In our second tailgating purchase, we chose Logo Brands’ pop-up canopy. I did extensive research on the perfect tent that would suit my football/softball dad needs, and settled on this one. To be honest, I had used this brand’s tent at a L.S.U. game, so I did have some experience. There are several brands to choose from in this category, but this one pretty much checked all my “must have” boxes. I was looking for several things in my tailgate canopy. Portability was a must, as some parking places might be far from actual tailgating sites. Durability was paramount, as I need to erect and remove the canopy many times over the projected lifespan of the product. Ease of use was important, and I wanted to be able to deploy the canopy by myself if needed. This canopy delivered on all of my must haves. The carry case fits everything in kind of a rolling carry on type case. One word of warning: this thing is heavy. Some of the negative reviews I saw during my research, was that the carry straps broke. I can totally see this being an issue, as the stitching wasn’t exactly heavy duty. To date, my straps are intact.

The keen eyed observer will note the weights on each leg. THESE ARE A MUST. This thing is like a parachute when open, and I grabbed a pack of weights from Academy for around $20. As for the cost of the canopy itself, I spent around $200, which is pretty high for a 9x9 tent. You get what you pay for, and so far, it was money well spent. I have deployed this tent 11 times, and nothing has broken. Nothing wouldn’t fit back in the case. The colors haven’t faded, and grabbing some shade in the 90+ degree Alabama heat during an 11 hour softball day is priceless!

THE PROS: Easy peasy setup. Seems well engineered and intuitive for first time canopy owners. The quad colored top is eye catching, and I met some Hokies even here on the gulf coast. The portability is great, imagine a wheeled carry on that weighs about 75 pounds.

THE CONS: It is on the higher end of cost. It is HEAVY. Upon receipt, the carrying case had mud on it (I don’t even want to know). One person deployment is possible, but not recommended.

THE VERDICT: Out of 5 Hokie Stones, one being DO NOT PURCHASE, I give the Logo Brands Virginia Tech Canopy a solid four Hokie Stones. It has served me well this summer, and look forward to bringing it to Tallahassee.