The weekend craft show is perhaps the most popular place where small businesses and local artists can showcase their products, services, and skills and meet new customers. The excitement that comes from being in the actual marketplace makes it all worthwhile.
Whether you’re a traveling vendor or someone exhibiting for the first time, finding the perfect tent is sure to make your upcoming craft show or event much more enjoyable.
What are the best craft show tents? You’ll want something that can shield you from the elements while still providing space to showcase your product and even let your customers walk around and explore.
In this article, let’s take a look at what you need to pay attention to when buying a craft show tent, as well as our picks for the best craft show tents available on the market.
Buyer’s Guide
There are many things to consider when selecting your tent, so first, let’s take a look at this buying guide to see all the things you’ll need to consider when buying your craft show tent.
Setting Up
How easy is it to set up the tent? There are a few setting-up mechanisms, and having an easy-to-set-up tent can make setting up your showcase much faster and more enjoyable.
The simplest setting up mechanism would be the pop-up tent, which can be ready to go in under 10 minutes. Otherwise, you’ll need to spend a while piecing all the poles and ropes together, which can cut into your valuable time, not to mention the difficult dismantling process after a long day.
Portability
How portable is the tent? Since you’re traveling with this tent, you’ll want something that’s easy to transport, or at least have a carrier bag that can make it more portable.
A well-made tent can easily weigh around 50 pounds. This is quite a heavy load for a person to lug around, so you should look for an option with a convenient carrying bag that makes it easier. If not, you’ll probably need a dolly to transport it to your spot.
Size
The size of the tent is also an important factor to consider, as it affects the amount of space that you have available to showcase your work.
The standard size for a craft show tent is 10 x 10 feet, but you can also find options that are bigger or smaller, depending on what you’re showcasing.
Straight Vs. Slanted Legs
You can find craft show tents with straight legs or slanted legs, although most modern craft show tents usually have straight legs, mainly because they are more durable and take up less space than ones with slanted legs.
Color
Craft show tents come in a variety of colors and designs. You may think that color is only a matter of personal preference, but there’s actually a science behind picking a color for your tent.
You may know that darker colors absorb more light than lighter colors, which is why on warm days, wearing a light color will make you feel cooler than wearing dark colors.
Applying the same science, you will probably understand why we would advise you to stay away from black tents during the summer and avoid white tents during the winter.
Darker tents will absorb heat, so during hot summer days, your tent will feel very warm and overheated. However, darker tents are excellent for a chill autumn day, as they can really collect warmth from the sunlight and keep you warm.
Waterproofing
When it comes to choosing a tent for your event, the most important factor to consider is its waterproof capability. Your tent is there to protect you and your creations from the element, so opting for a durable, waterproof material such as polyester is a wise choice.
Other Protection
In addition to waterproofing, if possible, you should look for a material that can protect you from sunlight. Fire resistance is also a nice added feature that you should look for – better be safe than sorry!
Code Regulations
If this is your first craft show, you need to know that festivals and shows usually require that the tents used for their displays are NFPA 701 certified, which means they are fire-retardant.
Be sure to check with the organizer or the local fire department in the area where the event is being held to make sure that the type of tent that you have is safe to use for that particular event.
Best Craft Show Tents
Now that you know all the things you need to consider when buying a craft show tent let’s take a look at some of the best options on the market.
| Rank | Product | Size |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | EAGLE PEAK Professional Commercial Pop Up Canopy Tent | 10' x 10' |
| 2. | COOSHADE Pop Up Canopy Tent | 8' x 8' |
| 3. | Eurmax USA Smart Pop up Canopy Tent | 10' x 10' |
| 4. | MASTERCANOPY Pop Up Canopy Tent | 10' x 10' |
| 5. | UNIQUECANOPY Ez Pop Up Canopy Tent | 10' x 10' |
| 6. | EZ UP Steel Gray Instant Canopy Shelter Tent | 10' x 10' |
| 7. | ABCCANOPY Canopy Tent | 10' x 20' |
1. EAGLE PEAK Professional Commercial Pop Up Canopy Tent
The Eagle Peak 10’x10′ pop-up canopy tent is an instant solution for outdoor events or craft shows. This is a very spacious tent that is designed for greater airflow, which makes spending all day at a craft show much more enjoyable.
The push-button technology is designed to create quick and easy assembly/disassembly, which means you can easily spend more time setting up your products and less time setting up the canopy with this tent’s innovative technology.
This highly portable tent can fold down to 4 feet, and the included wheeled carry bag makes it perfect for taking it to your next trade show or convention.
The high-grade powder-coated steel frame supports the oxford fabric canopy, which is flame resistant and can protect you from 50+ UV rays. This meets all the safety requirements of most craft shows, which means this tent can really serve you for a long time.
2. COOSHADE Pop Up Canopy Tent
This 8′ by 8′ tent is a highly versatile pop-up shelter. The lightweight, powder-coated frame features a central hub system with pinch-proof release levers that makes setting up quite easy – you can easily set it up with just one person in under one minute.
The tent comes with a water-repellent Oxford fabric top that has a silver coating inside for 99% UV protection. In addition, this design is also highly customizable, which provides you with as much coverage needed to make your showcase work at a craft show.
The collapsible, folding design makes transport and storage simple in a small, 54″ x 9″ x 9′ bag, which can easily fit in your back seat, giving you more room to bring your products to the craft show.
3. Eurmax USA Smart Pop up Canopy Tent
The Eurmax 10′ x 10′ Smart Canopy Tent is the perfect solution for your next craft fair.
It features a heavy-duty, rust-resistant steel frame that includes thumb lock sliders for easy setup. Still, it is super sturdy, thanks to an interlocking frame structure for added stability.
All sides of the tent are made from premium 600D Polyester Fabric with PU coating, which adds extra protection against the element, including rain and sunlight.
The tent folds down to fit inside a backpack-style roller bag, which is reinforced to perfectly hold the collapsed tent for storage and transport.
4. MASTERCANOPY Pop Up Canopy Tent
The MasterCanopy High-Grade Craft Show Tent is a portable, professional-grade craft show tent. It has the standard size of 10′ x 10′ and the height can expand to 132 inches.
The frame is made with strong, rust-resistant powder-coated steel, sturdy enough to handle up to 50km/h of wind after setting up. To get ready for your craft show, you just need to follow the easy-to-follow instructions and set it up in 3 simple steps.
The canopy is made of 500 denier polyester PU-coated fabric, which is water-resistant and can effectively reflect 99% harmful sun rays.
This tent folds down to fit inside a wheeled bag for easy transport. It is built to last and is perfect for outdoor events all year round.
5. UNIQUECANOPY Ez Pop Up Canopy Tent
This tent is a portable, easy-to-set-up shelter that provides protection from the sun, rain, and wind for your craft show.
This 10′ x 10′ tent is made of the 300D oxford fabric and PU lining, which is waterproof and 99% UV resistant. In addition, it also meets the CPAI-84 and NFPA 701 fire retardant requirements, which a lot of craft shows require.
This design features rust resistance due to its powder-coated steel frame, which is very easy to pop up. Compared to other models, this tent has the additional feature of being adjustable to achieve different heights – 10.7 ft, 10.9 f., and 11.1 ft, which makes it suitable for various locations and events.
After providing a spacious shelter for your craft show, this tent can fold down to fit inside a highly convenient wheeled carrying bag, which makes transporting and storage simple and stress-free.
6. EZ UP Steel Gray Instant Canopy Shelter Tent
This Ez-Up professional instant canopy is the perfect portable shelter for any outside event. It offers waterproof and sunlight protection, as well as meets fire-retardant codes, to provide you with a safe shelter for your craft show.
This tent covers a 10′ x 10′ space underneath a canopy with adjustable heights. Setting up and dismantling is quite easy, thanks to the push-button mechanism. You can also easily adjust the height with the pull-pin loops.
When you’re ready to go, this entire setup can be collapsed down to a 4’3″ package that fits inside a wheeled bag for convenient transportation.
7. ABCCANOPY Canopy Tent
This ABCCANOPY is the perfect economical canopy if you want a little bit more space to showcase your work, as this one can expand to 10′ x 20′.
For this kind of size, the tent really needs to be super durable, which is why this tent, with 8 durable commercial-grade hexagon-shaped legs, can really get the job done.
Not only durable, but it is also fire-retardant, waterproof, and offers sun protection as well. The sturdy structure can be secured by a rope, which in turn will help it withstand 50 km/hour wind.
There are several height options that you can adjust to, which are suitable for a variety of spaces and purposes. Once you’re ready to go home, this tent can also be folded down to fit into a wheeled carrying bag for the next time you need to put it to use.
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