The concept is simple and streamlined: It weighs less than 4 pounds and easily folds into a tiny bag. Each Shibumi Shade includes a set of aluminum poles that you plant into the ground and create an arch, letting the dramatic blue parachute canopy billow behind it in the breeze; providing shade for up to six adults. They’re creating a buzz on the beach, as well as some 30-SPF shade. Ben Swaney, a father of two in Raleigh, North Carolina, says it’s a game changer for beach trips. “This shade is so easy to put out—it’s not big and bulky like an umbrella, and you don’t have to worry about it coming out of the sand and hitting someone,” he says. “It’s super light. My son who’s three carried it out to the beach.” The shade works beautifully as long as there’s a breeze; but on the stillest beach days, you might need something else to keep you covered. “If the wind’s not blowing enough, it can kind of blow back on you,” Swaney says. Shibumi Shade says it requires at least 3 mph wind to keep it effective—which most beaches can easily hit. But the biggest critique people have for Shibumi Shade is the cost. The canopies are $250 each (with a smaller, two-person shade available at $190), which detractors say is a bit pricey for what amounts to a few poles and several yards of fabric. But given that it’s designed and made in North Carolina and Virginia—and that the company provides stellar customer service based on dozens of Facebook reviews—it might just be worth the cost. Swaney thought the Shibumi Shade was money well spent. “People get excited about anything that makes their lives easier,” he says. “It doesn’t matter what it costs.”
