A 10x15 pop-up canopy tent offers 50 square feet more interior space than the more popular 10x10 size — so, what does that mean when it comes to wind ratings and how much weight do you need to hold it down?
We receive plenty of wind-related questions from TentCraft customers, especially from those who live in some of the windiest cities in the U.S. And that’s not a big surprise to us! We hear from customers on nearly a daily basis who are tired of replacing cheap tents they bought off Amazon or from other big-box stores, and now they’re doing their homework, ready to make a true investment in their business and branding.
To that end…
How much weight do you need to hold down a 10x15 canopy tent?
A 10x15 MONARCHTENT (our heavy-duty pop-up tent) needs at least 200 pounds for a wind rating of about 22 mph (that includes our built-in safety factor) with weighted footplates or the equivalent of 800 pounds via staking for a certified wind rating of 35 mph (again, with a built-in safety factor). That’s for a tent with no walls or peak flags, both of which hurt wind rating.
That’s actually about the same amount of weight we recommend for a 10x10 canopy tent. But the wind rating is lower when only using weighted footplates on the 10x15. How can that be?
Our 10x15 MONARCHTENT has four legs — the same as the 10x10 version of the heavy-duty tent, but it weighs about 20 pounds more (96 pounds vs 72 pounds), which helps with stability in the wind. The 10x15 canopy’s larger size, though, increases the surface area of the branded canopy, which negatively impacts the overall wind rating.
A 10x20 canopy requires 370lbs of weight to hold it down; a 13x26 requires 400lbs.
Staking a pop-up tent is the best solution to ensure your tent survives against strong winds. Our team of engineers calculates a single stake on a MONARCHTENT (which includes a staking kit!) as 200 pounds of weight when properly anchored to the tent and into the ground. For those of you who aren’t good at math, that’s 800 pounds of weight when all four legs are staked.
You need to be more strategic when staking isn’t an option and you need to anchor your pop-up tent on concrete. In that case, we recommend using our weighted footplates that are designed for your tent’s leg profile. One footplate weighs 24 kilograms (about 52 pounds), for a total of 208 pounds with one on each leg, and that’s where things get interesting.
Technically, you can improve the wind rating of a 10x15 canopy by adding more than one footplate to each leg. To achieve a 35 mph rating, you would need four footplates on each leg — 16 total — to eclipse 800 pounds. Of course, 16 footplates would add substantial cost to your project, which is why most customers go with a set of four if staking a tent isn’t an option.
It’s important to note that if you’re dealing with winds touching 40 mph, it’s best to take down your tent until the wind subsides. Sure, your tent might be able to survive those gusts, but why take the chances? Always play it safe!
Interested in Learning More About 10x15 Tents?
If you’re close to a purchase of a 10x15 branded tent and feel TentCraft is a good fit for you, contact our team of experts, and let’s get the ball rolling!
