The first thing we might think of when we hear the word canopy is the leaves of tall trees which make a heavy cover overhead, not allowing the sun to touch the heavy undergrowth in dense forests. In modern times, canopy has a different meaning. Canopies, or outdoor canopies, are temporary coverings used in open outside space.

In the same way, an outdoor shade canopy is meant for shading you, and your friends and family, from the sun when you plan to spend time outdoors.

However, there are a number of varieties of canopies, and one has the opportunity to choose from hundreds of canopies that are easily available at the retail shops and online. These outdoor shade canopies become a need when the sun is particularly intense.

Most of them are easy to carry and lightweight as they are required to be carried to different places for different events. Sometimes these canopies need to be assembled the whole process is meant for saving space during the storage of the canopy.

Retractable canopies help one to avoid the fuss regarding assembling. Four important advantages are: they supports up to 60 to 90 pounds of weight, they are rain tight and water proof, they have screen windows at the sides and at the ends, and are available with shock cord poles that helps in setting up the whole thing.

The most popular shade canopy of today is the portable outdoor shade canopy. A portable canopy is the one which can be carried from one place to another without much effort. Usually these canopies are foldable. Usually the portable canopies are tents without sides, just a top supported by poles.