Stay Cool This Summer With Sport-Brella {Review & Giveaway}

You would think that since Brian and I have lived in the "sunshine state" for our entire lives that we would be veteran beach-goers right? Wrong. I pretty much lived at the beach back in my high school and college days, but shortly thereafter I broke out really bad after being out in the sun and came to find out that I was essentially allergic to it. I was devastated at first, but then realized that my "sun allergy" (there is a medical term for it, I just don't remember what it is) was probably a blessing and would save my skin from further sun damage.

Fast forward several years and now we have kids. We decided last summer that Rylie and Bryce should get to experience the beach, so we planned a beach weekend with our good friends. When we arrived at the beach that morning, it became apparent that we had no clue what we were doing. Our friends had sand toys, a cooler stocked with sandwiches and snacks, and a huge umbrella. While we did buy beach chairs for our outing, we didn't even think about an umbrella. I guess I was thinking back to my younger days when we would oil ourselves up and bake in the sun, but obviously with my skin problems and my fair-skinned kids, that wasn't going to work so well.

Thank goodness for that large beach umbrella that my friends brought with them! Lucky for us it was big enough for most of us to be under it at any point in time. It gave us all a chance to get out of the blazing sun while we were eating our lunch and snacks that our wonderful friends packed for us, and gave me a cool place to sit when Bryce decided he needed a nap.

My kids loved the beach, and since we only went that one time last year, we decided that we would spend more of this summer out at the beach. Only this year, we were going to be prepared.

I recently received a Sport-Brella for review, and it came at the perfect time! We were planning a day at the beach, and we knew we needed this 8' wide umbrella to give us a shady spot to rest in between playing in the waves. Unfortunately, our beach-day plans were rained out, and because of our busy schedules, we still haven't made it. Since the Sport-Brella isn't just for the beach though, we decided to test it out in our yard. This way, when we do finally make it to the beach, we may actually look like we know what we are doing!

We set out for our mock "day at the beach" on a hot, sunny day. When we took the Sport-Brella out of the box, it was so small and easy to carry. I really had no idea how big it actually was.

The Sport-Brella was very easy to set up! Brian pulled it out of the carrying sleeve and opened it like an ordinary umbrella. He then unhooked the side flaps and positioned it to provide the maximum amount of shade.

The telescoping pole has a stake at the end, which remains hidden inside during storage. This is a great safety feature. You simply loosen the screw that holds it in place when you are ready to stake it down.

The Sport-Brella comes with 4 lightweight stakes, 4 heavyweight stakes for sand, and 3 tie-down cords, which are all stored in a small pouch that fits in the storage bag with the umbrella.

Since we were using the Sport-Brella in the grass, we used the lightweight stakes. They clip on to the bottom of the side flaps and hold the umbrella down tightly.

Within minutes, we had our Sport-Brella set up and a huge shaded area to relax in. The Sport-Brella's UPF 50+ undercoating blocks over 99.5% of UVA/UVB rays, so not only do you stay cool, you stay protected from the sun's harmful rays.

As you can see, there is plenty of room under the Sport-Brella for a couple of beach chairs, and then even more shaded area in front of it for the kids to play in the sand (or the grass, in our case). I am so pleased with the amount of shade this offers! The Sport-Brella also has zippered side windows and wind gust relief vents, so that it stays put. Time to relax!

It was just as easy to disassemble the Sport-Brella as it was to assemble it. All you do is remove the stakes and place them back in the storage pouch, hook the side flaps back up, push the stake back up into the pole, and collapse it like you would any other umbrella.

We are definitely ready for the beach this year! Now we just need a rain-free, birthday-party-free weekend so we can head out and relax with our toes in the sand.

The Sport-Brella isn't just for the beach, or for your backyard, for that matter. This great umbrella can be used when you're sitting on the sidelines at your child's soccer game, for tailgating, and any other outdoor activity where you just need some shade! It is a completely portable, and completely effective, sun and weather shelter! I highly recommend the Sport-Brella so you can enjoy your time outside.

The Sport-Brella by SKLZ retails for $59.99 online and at local sporting-goods stores. At the time of this review, I found it on Amazon for $48.70! I would easily pay this for this great umbrella!

To learn more about this umbrella, and all of the other Sport-Brella products available, visit sport-brella.com. Make sure to "Like" Sport-Brella on Facebook for outdoor tips, deals and giveaways!

~*~Giveaway~*~

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Disclosure: All opinions are my own. I received the Sport-Brella at no cost for the purpose of this review. No other compensation was received. A big Thank You to SKLZ for providing the giveaway prize!