There’s nothing like picnicking among fresh breezes, singing birds, and glorious sunshine—but when it comes to the sun, you can get too much of a good thing. Especially during the summer, it can quickly transform a balmy day into a sweltering one. And the sun’s harmful UV rays can damage your skin and even contribute to skin cancer year-round. That’s why the perfect picnic is one that offers shade. Below are several options that enable you to keep cool and, in addition to sunscreen, protect you from UV damage.
Portable Canopies
Available in sizes that provide up to 200 square feet of shade, pop-up canopies and canopy tents will keep you cool in the summer heat as well as keep you dry during an unexpected shower. They’re also simple to set up and take down, thanks to features such as telescoping legs and quick-release pins. Perhaps best of all, pop-up canopies and canopy tents are lightweight and compact when stashed in their traveling bag, so you don’t have to choose between toting your canopy or dragging your cooler: You can bring both, along with Grandma’s famous potato salad while you’re at it. Some of the QuikShade canopies even come with roller bags.
Quick Clamp Canopy
If you’ll be seated at a picnic table, another option is our exclusive patent-pending Quick Clamp Canopy. It attaches to most tables and benches and tilts to 20 degrees in either direction, so that you can adjust it as the sun moves throughout the day. Its height is adjustable too, offering even more flexibility.
Canopy Chairs
When you bring your own canopy chair, you can be certain of basking in the shade no matter where you are. These folding chairs are as easy to carry as they are to set up. Many have adjustable seat backs and canopies, along with niceties such as cup holders and pouches to stash sunscreen, keys, and phones. And they’re available in multiple sizes, including models just for kids and extra roomy ones that can accommodate up to 500 pounds.
Clamp-On Umbrellas
So you already have a folding chair but it doesn’t have a canopy? Not a problem: Simply attach a clamp-on umbrella to your chair’s back or arm. You’ll wonder why you didn’t get one sooner!
All these options have a bonus: You can use them just about anywhere. Set up a portable canopy in your driveway for your next garage sale, kick back in a canopy chair at your kid’s next soccer match, clamp a canopy to the picnic table on your deck where you kids snack between dips in the pool… You’ll have it made in the shade whenever and wherever you want.
