Mobile Detailing Canopy Question

[LucidShineAutoDetailing]

Hi everyone,

I have been looking for a quality pop up canopy for my mobile detailing company and was wondering what you all use. My biggest concern is that the canopy will not be tall enough for full size pickup trucks to park under. For instance, my company truck is a 2010 Nissan Titan crew cab and I need at least 7ft. 3in of clearance just to pull under a canopy. Most of the pop up canopies I am seeing are maxing out around 6ft and some change.

My company is very new and I am the only person going out and doing the jobs, so whatever canopy I purchase would need to be easy for me to set up and take down (quickly). There would be nobody else with me to help.

I was thinking that a 10X20 pop up canopy would be ideal because most cars and SUVs would fit under there and I would have room to work, but it sounds like that size canopy is not easy for one person to set up quickly. Is this true?

I have also heard about people putting two 10X10 canopies together which makes it easier for one person to set up and take down.

Whatever I get, I would like it to be able to provide me with a lot of shade on sunny days and with the 10X10 canopy I have right now, I have found that the sun is always in a position to where my shade is not under the tent at all, but is off to the side of it. LOL. Should I get a tent with sidewalls so I can have more control over the shade?

Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers,
John

[Old Bear]

Re: Mobile Detailing Canopy Question

John, I don't have experience on this yet I do have a couple thoughts.
Rather than full sides, would 10 foot by 2 foot side banners with company and vendor logos help keep some of the sun away?
You might have to duck them when going under the canopy.
They might be easier to set up and then attach the banner.
You might even have them were they could fit 2 deep on one side that needed more shade.
Maybe weld some rings on the outsides of the canopy corner posts.

I would encourage some types of weights for the canopy to keep the wind from picking it up and throwing into the customers or a nearby vehicle.

[LucidShineAutoDetailing]

Re: Mobile Detailing Canopy Question

Thanks Old Bear,

Thanks for the info. That's definitely something I will consider.

I have noticed that when I am using my 10X10 canopy, it can be hard to get shade because the shade is way off from where the canopy is located. LOL Basically if you parked under the canopy, you would be in direct sunlight because of where the sun is.

Thanks again!

Cheers,
John

[tomsteve]

Re: Mobile Detailing Canopy Question

have ya looked at inflatable spray booths?

[LucidShineAutoDetailing]

Re: Mobile Detailing Canopy Question

I actually have looked at some inflatable spray booths and found one that I absolutely love! Unfortunately, since I have just started my business within the past few months, I don't have that kind of money to spend until I get a few more customers. One day though! LOL

[MaxImage]

Re: Mobile Detailing Canopy Question

John, Congrats on starting your business! There are a bunch of commercial grade canopy manufacturers out there, many of which use much more robust legs and framework than a regular recreational model. Some even make "star" shaped tents, that seems to address the 7+ foot opening you require, at the cost of a much larger footprint (read: it probably won't fit in someone's driveway), and potentially ease of one-person setup and take down. Do note that these commerical grade canopy setups can get pricey. So here's something to consider: Have you thought about creating concrete footings to not only raise the tent by a desired amount, but also helping to secure the tent (by acting as a weight) to something more robust so that it won't fly away in a gust of wind? It would be a cost effective and fairly simple approach to fixing both height and securing issues, and at least in theory, adequate for one person setup and take down. You could then put drape downs to create vertical walls using "hot house/greenhouse" screen material (black in color), which would afford you visibility to the outside and shade while letting enough light in to work, while also making it adjustable in length (rolling up/folding up) to accommodate the different angles of the sun throughout the year.

RE: the 10x20 being harder to setup for one person, while I don't have any direct experience trying to setup a canopy of this size alone, I can only imagine that getting a canopy out to its full 20' length without firmly securing at least one leg has a great deal of potential to prove quiet the challenge, especially in windy conditions.

Just some food for thought.

[LucidShineAutoDetailing]

Re: Mobile Detailing Canopy Question

Hi MaxImage,

Thanks for your thoughts on this.

I actually picked up this canopy a few weeks ago and have been pretty happy with it so far.

ABCCANOPY Professional 10'x15' Easy Pop-up Canopy Tent Commercial Instant Shelter with Wheeled Carry Bag and 6 Removable Sidewalls,Bonus 4 Weight Bags (White) off amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07Y1NPYWM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I am able to set it up by myself and it has definitely helped keep the sun off me and the vehicles. The walls go up nice and easy (they are velcroed across the top so you just stick the top to the bottom of the canopy cover) and then attach velcro straps to the legs. When the canopy is closed up, it fits perfectly (longways) in the bed of a regular size pickup bed (at least of a full sized pickup) so you can close the tailgate.

While the bag is pretty heavy duty and has wheels, it has already started to get a few small holes in it from sliding it in and out of the bed of the truck, but is disappointing. The BIG ISSUE with the bag is that it is almost impossible for one person to slip the bag back onto the canopy when closed up to put it away! It literally takes 15-20 minutes to get the thing back into the bag so I just purchased a few heavy duty tarps, wrap the tarp around the canopy and slide it into the truck bed. Tossed the bag aside!