Using a beach tent offers many benefits. I went over some of the benefits in my review of the Coleman DayTripper Beach Shade. Here is the full suite of benefits a beach tent can offer.
UV Protection
Exposure to UV (ultraviolet) radiation present in sunlight is an environmental human carcinogen. Sunburn is a common risk associated with going to the beach. Many beaches are in areas of the world with a high UV index. Planning appropriate sun protection is extremely important. Protection from the sun’s UV radiation is particularly important when visiting the beach with babies and young children, as they are extra sensitive to the sun.
“Children should not be getting sunburned at any age, especially since there are a range of very effective sun protection methods that can [be] used.” – Perry Robins, MD, President, The Skin Cancer Foundation
Beach Tents In Addition to Sunscreen
Sunscreen is a commonly used to protect the skin from harmful affects of the sun. It can be used to help decrease the risk of skin cancer. While using a carefully chosen sunscreen is a good step, no sunscreens are “waterproof”. They must be reapplied to maintain efficacy, otherwise their protection may wear or wash off during use.
A beach tent can offer additional protection from the sun. Not all beach tents are made of fabrics that offer protection from the sun’s ultraviolet rays. UV can pass through some fabric, so it’s important to choose a beach tent built from fabric that has UV reducing properties.
One of the reasons I like the Coleman DayTripper Beach Shade is that it uses Coleman’s UVGuard fabric that provides UPF 50+ protection. UPF (ultroviolet protection factor) measures the fraction of sunburn-producing UV rays that penetrate the fabric. In this case, UPF 50 means that only 1/50th (2%) pass through into the tent.
The Coleman DayTripper Beach Shade has a 7’5″ x 4’5″ footprint, with a forward-facing roof overhang., When angled correctly, it is capable of creating a large footprint of protective shade. I love that due to its light weight, it can be easily rotated as the sun moves to continue offering maximum shade to my family.
Child Safety
In addition to offering protection from the sun, a beach tent provides additional benefits that improve child safety at the beach. For young babies, the interior of the tent offers an environment free from sand that might otherwise be ingested or end up in their eyes. A baby can safely take a break inside the beach tent. It’s the perfect place to have a snack, take a nap, or have a cuddle, all while being protected from the sun and the abrasive sand.
For older children, a brightly colored beach tent provides a useful visual anchor and helps them avoid becoming disorientated on the beach. Even on a crowded beach, full of people, towels, and umbrellas, a beach tent remains highly visible due to its height, width, and bright colors.
When choosing a beach tent, try to choose one that will be easy to spot on a crowded beach. Go with a bright color. Our beach tent is a bright lime color, and has been incredibly easy to spot on any beach we’ve placed it, crowded or not. The Coleman DayTripper Beach Shade comes in four choices of color, including blue/lime, blue/white, pink, and yellow.
Comfort
Beach tents also excel at improving comfort on the beach. For example, the interior of the Coleman DayTripper Beach Shade is made of a smooth, non-abrasive fabric. It is very comfortable to sit in, especially for young children. The front door, when unzipped, lays flat on the grown in front of the tent, further increasing the tent’s surface area.
Most importantly, beach tents provide a great deal of shade, far more than an average beach umbrella. This provides much needed relief from the sun’s heat to a whole family.
Privacy
Beach tents, if well designed, can provide a great deal of privacy on the beach. For families, this is an excellent feature when the need for a diaper change, nursing session, or clothing change is never far away.
One of my favorite features of the Coleman DayTripper Beach Shade is that it has a zippered front door that can be closed to create complete privacy within. Many beach tents do not have this! Plus, with its 57″ center height, there’s plenty of room for a mother to sit comfortable to nurse, or for even a tall child to stand and complete a clothing change, all in complete privacy.
Convenience
In addition to offering some privacy on the beach, a beach tent provides other benefits that other options don’t provide. A beach tent creates a perfect “home base” for a family on the beach. Beach tents provide an excellent location to store and organize belongings.
Our Coleman DayTripper Beach Shade, for example, includes a central drying line across the center dome – a perfect place to hang and dry wet bathing suits. Also inside the tent are 4 hanging pockets, perfect for storing things like cellphones and snacks.
Size
When travelling, particularly by air, the size and weight of an item becomes very important. This is another area where some beach tents really shine over alternatives. Due to their design, beach umbrellas are often too long to be placed in checked luggage. This makes umbrellas a potentially poor choice for travel to a sunny beach destination.
Our Coleman beach tent packs up very small, measuring only 23.5″ x 5″ x 4.5″ when packed. At this size, it fits into our checked luggage with plenty of room to spare. Plus, since it only weighs 6 pounds, it doesn’t negatively impact the weight of our baggage too much.