12'x12' ShelterLogic 25722 Square Sand Sun Shade Sail - UV Protection Canopy for Patio, Pool, Garden, and Outdoor Spaces

This was the third and final attempt to purchase shade for the backyard in time for summer. I had purchased two other brands that literally tore at the corners with the first wind gusts. Although it wasn't my top pick for color, it really did pull the backyard together nicely but most importantly, it provides 16x16 of useable backyard shade! I absolutely love it! It came with plenty of hardware but I ended up using hardware from my first two purchases because it was already bolted in place. I've had several different people over who have commented on how great it looks! The corners are durable and it just moves with the wind. Terrific purchase!Firstly when I received my shade it looked like it had been stored outside in the rain, or possibly at the bottom of a pond or pool. Secondly I ordered a 16' X 16' shade because my patio is 13' X 10' and I wanted the entire width of the patio to be covered and the depth to be covered off the the edge and over the grass some. If you measure from the connection D-Rings the the Shade measures 15' X 15' (still 1' short of the advertised size-and that is stretched as far as I dared to stretch it.) the actual covered area is only 12' X 12' so it barely covers the with of my patio and just goes over the depth. I have installed this as temporary shade while I build a new covered deck then I planed to move it to another location, my recommendation is that if you plan on installing this for the long term replace the hardwared included and get the proper wire rope and fittings the included hardware is junk. For my situation I just used tie down straps with Ratchet handels which gave me plenty of room to adjust lengths and tention. The shade it's self seem reasonably well. Made, stitched well and seemed fairly thick, only time will tell if it holds up for the life of the warranty (personally I will be keeping my receipt in a safe place)I have two other of Shelterlogic’s from the past. When I saw these which described as heavyweight I thought they must be the same as mine. Ordered two different sizes. They were nothing close to what I had! So very light weight!Called the company they said the code I provided as the items descriptions were under “lightweight” so Amazon should change the item description to “lightweight, and not “heavyweight” big flaw!After five years of having a storm wad up several canopy tents, I decided to try something a little more permanent. Perhaps permanent is the wrong word, because these can be detached in about 30 seconds in case of a super storm. I put four 4x4s in cement about 12ft 8in apart, put I-screws in them and attached the sail with carabiners. These sail shades look great with my Japanese garden décor. They block the sun well but let the rain through so they don't fill up and sag. They have made it through several storms so far with no problem. They are made of fairly heavy material and seem to hold up to the elements well and are about the cheapest way to go for patio sun cover. I bought five of these altogether, two squares and three triangles because the configuration possibilities are endless. When the sun is a little lower and coming in from the side, I can clip one of the triangles on that side at top and peg the other end the ground and I have an instant wall. I couldn't be happier with this purchase!We have had the ShelterLogic 16'x16' Sun Sail for a few weeks now. It has been great. We even had a few thunder/wind storms and it did just fine. Our purchase came with some hardware, but it is really crummy. The turnbuckles are rather small and very cheap. One of the turnbuckles was even cracked and broken when we got it. However, since we did not realize it came with hardware, we already purchased a very nice hardware kit for about $20 so it was no big deal (we didn't by this product for the hardware!).They recommend measuring out the mounts with an extra 10% length minimum since the material stretches over time. For the 16'x16', with an extra 10% (19.2" = 1.6'), that comes to 17.6' = 17' 7.2". We did our mounts at 18' apart. Right now we have to use the nylon rope that came with this sail to span the distance. It has already stretched a bunch, so we hope to not need the rope and eventually just use nice sized turnbuckles.We have 3 of these shade sail installed around an outdoor swimming pool. They look nice and have held up better than we expected. On the negative side, it is my opinion that the hardware that comes with these sails are poor quality and a poor choice for attachment purposes. To make it easy to raise and lower, you will need some pulleys, better quality lines, cleats and get rid of the turnbuckles.After using our own hardware, we have been happy with the sails. They have been up in some stiff winds, at least 45 mph and no problems. We are using 5/16" poly line that was purchased from Amazon in a 600' spool. We selected poly rope because it stretches very little. The sun will break it down but ours has lasted 2 years before needing replacing.These are well made. I bought two of them, they each had a seam a few feet from one end. I cut the seams and sewed the two large parts together with marine grade upholstery thread, yielding one sail 16' x 25'. Finally, i ran 1/4" wire rope thru the inside of the perimeter seam,completely around the circumference of the sail, using a cable lacing tool and sewed an additional layer of thread around that. I installed them with 1" x 16" turnbuckles connected to telephone poles and 2 7/8" drill pipe. I backed up the poles and pipe with railroad ties buried and cemented about three or four feet deep. The wind can blow 50-60 MPH, has no effect.Have had this so far for 2 months and have had no problems. We've had a few serious wind storms and it held up well. The item came in the expected state, the quality seems good and I hope it lasts a few years at least. Putting it up was pretty easy and straightforward too. The shade size is a bit smaller than expected, but it is okay. If you want the amount of shade that is the size of the sail shade, then it is better to go for a bigger sail shade size. Rain does go through it, which is good as it doesn't collect and pull it down. All in all, it provided the cheapest and actually most attractive and practical way for us to have shade on our patio. Avoids the fuss and problems of dealing with umbrellas or gazebos.- Pleasant surprise that the package came the next day even I selected free shipping.- Love the mint green color and quality is good and strong.- Box was re taped over, I suspected that it was opened before.- The shipping label was taped over the old one to a prior customer.- When I opened the box, 2 out of the 4 pouches with the accessories were torn opened. The nylon cords and some of the contents came loose at the bottom of the box.- Can't believe that a returned package was sent out to another customer without careful inspection.It's great for blocking the sun, the disappointing part was we use to use a 14 foot one. The 16 foot one came in the a stitched seam of the four foot they had added to the 14. Visually not as appealing and we wonder if that now is a week spot in the shade. The tiny hardware that comes with them is hard to work with. We ended up purchasing rope ratchet's which worked like a charm for easy install and adjusting to the angle of the sun at different times of the day. We feel pictures of the 16 foot sail and information on that it had a seam would have helped us seek other brands.Perfect shade colour and size for my gazebo. My gazebo too kept tearing and making a new one was too much work. I saw and researched these and seems I can put up and take down easily this shade.I love the colour and was exactly as advertised. Perfect for the back porch to allow shade.I love these shades. We have a triangular one too that we haven't put up yet. They allow rain to go through so no pooling, no mold as they dry quickly because they're airy. Easy to put up, we didn't use the hardware or rope that came with it, as we wanted to be able to raise and lower easily. Very lightweight.