Coleman Gazebo, Event Shelter for Garden and Camping, Sturdy Steel Poles Construction, Large Tent, Portable Sun Shelter with Protection SPF 50, White/Green, XL - 4.5 x 4.5 m

I’d been debating buying one of these for a while before finally pulling the trigger. It’s expensive once you account for purchasing sides as well and I’d bought enough cheap ones that broke in high winds or putting them up and down that I was hesitant to spend so much. I live on an exposed hillside so tend to get a good breeze regardless of how still the day is and that tends to be quite hard on gazebos etc.I’m quite happy I did finally decide to purchase. Mine has been up for a few months now and is still standing strong. It’s weathered through some 40+mph storms, heavy rain and a touch of snow and hail with no issue. Today is the first time I’ve taken the fabric off during a storm - It was starting to get very creaky and I think today’s winds of around 50mph might be a bit too much.I’ve bought 3 solid sides plus a zipper side. They all clip on quickly and easily, however there a gap around the edges so the cold and wind do find their way in. I’ve got a couple of electric blower heaters in there that keep us warm enough.Much like a tent, these event shelters are only sturdy if they are well anchored. I’ve screwed the feet down into the joints of my block paving with long decking screws and attached a couple of the guy lines where they won’t get tripped over. I imagine if I hadn’t done this then it would have blown away or there would have been enough movement for the poles to get damaged.It was fairly easy to assemble by myself. I was particularly appreciative of the instructions being sewn into the storage bag so they can’t get lost.So far the shelter has held up to heavy rain, I’ve not noticed any leaking along seams or in the fabric itself and if it does end up leaking, an application of tent spray should fix it.I definitely won’t be leaving it up all year around but for spring, summer and into early autumn I think it’ll be great.

After much searching for an affordable marquee to use for parties in the back garden I came upon this almost by accident. It doesn't appear when you search for 'gazebo' or 'marquee'. I bought it with the matching groundsheet and without any sides. I ordered it using Amazon Prime and it arrived within two days.It took my husband and a friend 40 mins to put up for the first time. They both enthused about how cleverly designed it is. You do need two people. The matching groundsheet was helpful in guiding them. My husband was able to dismantle it easily by himself when we had finished with it.We had a garden party with 17 five-to-eight year old girls and there was plenty of space for them plus several adults to dance and have party games. The sides curve upwards quickly meaning that most of the inside has great headroom. The shelter is very sturdy. We had a couple of short showers and it kept everyone perfectly dry. We left it up for several days and nights waiting for a sunny day to dry it off before we put it away and it didn't suffer at all. It didn't move either, even though it was a little gusty at times.It looks great, too! You can hang decorations from the curved metal bars that line the four openings. It wouldn't be elegant enough for a formal celebration but it's perfect for informal garden parties or as a regular sun or shower-shelter. I wouldn't leave it up in an exposed place if it's windy but in a sheltered spot it seems to be able to handle light winds.It comes with a storage bag which has the instructions sewn in so they can't get lost - another clever touch. Overall it's sturdy, looks great and should last a long time.

I use this for 6 days from 30th July to 4th August for an event on 2nd August.The weather was good on all days except 2nd August when it rained for most of the morning, thus giving me the chance to experience any water resistant property of the shelter. Strangely enough there was no leakage but on checking in the morning of 3rd August there was condensation on the inside of the canopy, which was easily wiped off. I put this down to the fact that it had rained the previous day, I did not use a ground sheet and water would have been able to seep through on the grass due to a very slight incline of the ground. Other than that it did exactly the job it was bought for - to give protection to about 20 people from any rain and temperature drop in the evening.I have now bought the groundsheet and hope this will resolve the condensation issue, though that will have to wait until next year now. I had already bought two 'door and 2 sidewall panels which were used on 2nd August to very good effect.The event shelter provided the solution to the suitable cover and protection for around 20 people, which in previous years events had caused problems. I had looked at possibly buying a large tent to remedy matters but that would have cost over 3 times the price and been far more awkward to store.The parts fold-up very easily and neatly and go back in to the supplied bag, which occupies a relatively small space in the corner of my shed. I sprayed the joints and inside of the poles with WD40 to give some protection from any damp that may have crept in, however I will not know how well this has worked until I use it/open it up next year.There is one down side. The instructions for erecting the shelter are attached on the inside of the carry bag and leave quite a lot to be desired. The clarity of the 'picture only' instructions are easily misinterpreted and the importance of properly aligning the leg poles before setting-up and fixing with tent pegs could readily be missed. I suspect some of those who have complained about bent or broken poles may well have fallen foul of this lack of clarity. Luckily I took the construction process slowly and methodically - I won't pretend I got it right at first attempt - and arrived at a stable (surprisingly very stable) structure. I did try the construction first without putting the canopy on, which enabled me to make better sense of the instructions.I note that the time to construct quickly seems to be held out as a virtue. I would suggest that this process is not treated as a 'race against time', but take the time to familiarise yourself with the parts and the proper construction and get at least another person to help you. I could have put this all together on my own, though preferred the extra help and advice in making sure it was being put up correctly.Hopefully none of this is taken as being negative comment as I think the concept and product are excellent - more thought to the instruction though - please.