Should I invest in sta bars for my ez up?

I'm doing my first show in June and bought and ez up.  I've read all the bad reviews about them so I'm trying to be as prepared as possible.  I keep reading about sta-bars for extra support.  Do these work on ez ups and would they be worth the money?  

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  • Hi, I'm new to all this. I also just bought a EZ Up, not a cheap one, and am wondering about these sta-bars. I went to the site and am confused as to which ones I actually need and where they go. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks, Phil.

    • Give Flourish a call.  They were very helpful when I called them about the Sta-Bars.  For the Caravan, I use the upper set of Sta-Bars.  I think the only difference is the size of the opening that clamps to your tent leg.

      As to where they go, that could depend on how you are using them.  I put them about 3-4 ft. high, on 3 sides of my tent.  I fasten my gridwall to them using ball bungees.  

       

      • I know this is years later.. but I was wondering if sta bars would help keep my graphic display grid walls rigid.  I usually bungy them to the top of the tent but it's not the most attractive look ever.  Dave Hinde-  you say you fasten your gridwalls in the back with ball bungees to the sta bars at 3-4 ft, does this eliminate any other bungees from having to be used?  Any other ideas?  are Sta bars mainly just for tent structuring?  (I have a good quality Caravan, a # of years old now but it's been a sturdy bugger)

        • The Sta-Bars can be used to support your display panels as well as give structural rigidity to the tent. The Sta-Bars are also used to support the mesh panels which require a secure upper and lower set of bars to be snugged up against. Zip-ties can be used to tie open screen mesh panels to the bars and be inconspicuous.

          • zip ties!  great idea..  So I think I read for pop up type tents we should be getting the "lower sta bars".  It sounds, based on the previous answer that they don't have to be ground level though, I can put them mid way up?  (I really am unfamiliar with them)  That does seem like it would both add sturdiness to the tent and my grid situation.

            • The lower Sta-bar brackets have a different opening size than the top ones due to the difference in size of the square legs. The top legs are larger so the lower legs can slide inside them. However, you can attach the lower brackets anywhere on the bottom leg that you want to, probably up to 26-30 inches from the ground. I generally mount the bottom Sta-Bar about 4-6 inches off the ground and zip-tie the Propanel legs to the lower Sat-Bar to keep them in line. I just added leg extensions to the tent and Propanel extensions, so I will now be using the upper Sta-Bars to tie the top of the panels into place.

              • Thank you everyone!  I was actually able to get my lower sta bars up pretty high on my Caravan legs and zip tie my grids to them by making tiny slits in my felt covers.  They didn't budge in the wind, nor did my tent.  It looked SO much better then bungee cords from the top.  The new Ingot weights looked so much nicer then the PVC pipe.  This website is full of great ideas.  Thank you thank you thank you!

    • Look under EZ -Up accessories. The ones you need are the lower Sta-bar kit. The upper set is more for attaching mesh panels and IMO is of lesser need. Best bet is to call them on the phone and talk it over about your needs.
  • The answer is a resounding yes, if you have one of the heavy duty EZ-Up frames. There are the inexpensive lawn tents with a low roofline or the ones with small legs. Sta-bars or not, those will collapse when too much rain collects on the top or a cross or diagonal wind hits them. If you have one of the $200 Sam's Club units you'll be okay. I just got a set of Sta-bars this last week and used them this past weekend, A heavy thunderstorm passed through Saturday night  and took out about a dozen tents out of 220. The usual reasons were there; not enough weights, not enough bracing. There was a dumpster on a side street and several tents were dropped off in there sticking up like a bunch of forlorn skeletons. Every one of them were the cheaper tents with the one or one and a quarter inch square legs. My EZ-Up hasn't failed yet, but the Sta-Bars seemed like a good idea. My tent stayed put and the legs didn't move. BTW, a side benfit is tying the bottoms of the Pro-Panel legs to the Sta-bars and keeping them aligned and straighter.

    • Thanks for all the input.  Looks like I will be buying sta-bars! I also have wire grid panels which I will attach to the tent for extra support as well as the weights.  I appreciate all the advice!

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