I did a couple of festivals last year with borrowed gear, and it is time to invest in my own now. I purchased used knock-down pro panels but didn't realize they were 8 feet tall when assembled, so I don't think an EZ-up tent is going to cut it any more.
I'm a 35 y/o female (average height) and strong, but want a tent that is easy to put up and take down, as I will likely be doing most of my shows on my own. As I'm still new to festivals, I'm a little nervous to drop $1,000 or more on a tent, but that might be my only choice given my 8' height requirement.
Thanks in advance for your input!
Replies
We still love our E-Z UP! Needless to say they are easy- I have only lost 2 due to storms in 30+ years & in those storms, we saw almost every other kind go down as well! There are different grades of them too. IF I had pro-panels & had to have a taller canopy like the photographers or painters, I would have a different kind because then it would have to be taller, but we have Jewelry-works GREAT! Many years I have put my E-Z UP myself, but my wonderful Man likes doing it, so I LET HIM! LOL!
I'm 50+ and do shows by myself. I like my Light dome. The only hassle is I have to put up a ladder to put on the canopy 'cause I'm only 5'2"; other than that I like it. You'll need weights anywhere you go! Also if you don't use pro-panels, invest in stabilizer bars for the bottom of the frame.
Kim, does the Light Dome need to be raised up to the height of needing a ladder before you put the top on?
I thought they were similar to a Trimline where you could install the top on the frame while it was still on the ground and then raise it up.
Thanks...now I understand how it goes up. I never paid attention to anyone putting up a Light Dome before. I have a Trimline and a Vitabri pop up
I'm still shopping around and haven't had much luck with used tents. I'm thinking I'll probably go with a pro base package from Showoff.
I'm looking to keep costs down until I am fully invested in doing festivals. I don't know yet how many festivals I'll be doing in 2016 as I'm still waiting on acceptance notifications.
Are there any accessories that I absolutely need to have? Or can I just get away with the base tent (obviously I'll need weights here in Colorado, but thinking beyond that).
I also have a Trimline from Flourish Company and I've been doing shows by myself close to 20 years. I'm 64 years old and I also have lost some height but I'm about 5'6" now and I lift weights to keep my aging muscles from atrophying. Flourish Company has an outstanding website showing how to assemble their booths but they've also got a unit called the Easy Riser which helps a one person builder raise their own roof without help. Occasionally I've had nice people from shows offering to help but most the time I arrive as early as possible and just take my time building my booth. Flourish Company also sells some well made canvas sand bags for weights. These are much easier to use than cement or blocks. I've found for my peace of mind that investing in a tent like this is worth the wear and tear of worrying about inclement weather or unexpected accidents like a neighbor's booth being blown into mine. I don't understand why someone would invest in a cheap canopy like Easy Up if they have spent so much time creating their artwork which could be destroyed in seconds by an unexpected accident (which unfortunately are common on the art fair circuit). Flourish Company was created by artists who felt that the existing canopys were not adequate or easy enough to build to protect the outstanding artwork shown at art shows today. They stand behind all of their products. I've never regretted investing in our canopy. The folks at Flourish are helpful and invested in supporting artists and those purchasing their product. Call them for information, they are not interested in hard sell tactics. They are information and safety driven.
I completely agree that Flourish, without question, makes the best tent available and everyone there is as helpful as can possibly be. My Trimline is by far the Best tent I have ever owned...but is is a lot of work to put it up and completely worth the effort for most all shows.
However, I also own a Vitabri V3 pop -up tent tent I use for one-day shows and arts markets. This is easier when I have to set up early in the morning to do a show and then break down that same afternoon. I have their upper and lower sta-bars and can hang some of my work from them.
Before buying another tent, you might check out leg extensions for the EZ-Up. I'm planning on adding these this year after I buy the panel extenders for the extra display height. They look pretty easy to install, a pair of bolts on each foot and a curved grip on two sides of the coupling to keep them aligned. A small electric screwdriver with a nut driver would make quick work of putting them together. I didn't know they made these until a month or so ago when I did a search for longer legs for the EZ-Up. They have 1 ft extensions also. My panels are the 7 foot ones, and the top of the carpeted section just clears under the scissor joints (6'10"), so the 1 ft extension might be tall enough.
The only problem could be that the side tarps aren't going to go all the way down to the ground. That would take a little work with some inexpensive white tarps getting trimmed and attached to the bottom with velcro.
2' EZ-Up leg extensions
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