If you haven't yet heard of the Swished Pop Up Tent, all you really need to know is that it's the beach tent you never knew you needed.
The tent became a viral sensation in summer 2024, with hundreds of people left impressed by the viral video that showed how easy to pop up and collapse the tent was, so as a busy mum of two who frequently visited the in-laws coastal home, and as a football mum who needed a set up zone at matches and tournaments, I was keen to see if this tent could make life easier.
Image by Mother&BabyPros
- Can be used anywhere, not just the beach
- It offers sun protection and water protection in the roof
- The mesh side panels offer good ventilation so it doesn't get too warm
Cons
- There is two ways of entering the tent, but no way to secure either door shut if you're not wanting to use one
| Dimensions open: | 185 x 170 x 134cm |
| Weight: | 5.70Kg |
| Material: | Polyethylene |
- Instant shade, ready in a pop
- Roll-up blinds
- Waterproof and UV50+ Material
- Fully removable door
- Carry bag with two pockets
- Regular tent pegs x8
Testing the Swished Pop Up Tent
Build
Incredibly easy to build, the Swished Pop Up Tent arrives with everything you need and in one piece too, so you don't have to faff about attaching the poles together . The only thing you are required to build is the sandbags, which you fill with your own sand once you're at the beach!
As it can be used on different terrain from sand to grass, there are also tent peg holes, so if you aren't at the beach you can still ensure the tent is secure.
Usability
Straight forward to set up, once out of the bag the sides drop down and then all you do is lift the centre black circle up until all the sides have popped into position, then it just clips into place. It really was that simple!
Everything you need comes in the bag and is very straightforward to secure to the ground. We didn't use the sandbags at the beach as we found our picnic bag enough to weigh it down and prevent it from blowing away.
One feature I really loved was the zipped viewing panel. It was a little window at the top that you could open up, so if all the doors were zipped you could still see into the tent.
Performance
For a beach tent, all you really need it to do is be convenient to carry around and store away, keep your children protected from the sun and not blow away. While the Swished Tent ticks all these boxes, I found that it personally exceeded expectations.
As it comes in a storage carry bag, everything we needed for securing and setting up the tent was in that bag so everything could be stored in one place for convenience.
Once out of the bag, it takes less than 20 seconds to pop up the tent into position, and then you can either use the tent pegs to secure it into hard ground or you can use the sand bags to fill with sand and secure to the bottom too.
Inside there was plenty of space for two adults and two children, and you could squeeze one or two more kids in as well!
I found the tent did a great job of keeping my kids and us adults sheltered from sunlight, but the mesh panels around the side also provided a cool breeze and reduced the gusts of wind as well, making it a really comfortable temperature to sit inside.
The only downside to the tent is it has two entryways into the tent. While this isn't a huge issue, if you are outside the tent and turn your back for a split second, it's easy enough for children to unzip the back of the tent and sneak out. It would be a lot better if you could secure the tent door zip from the outside on at least one of the doors to offer a bit more peace of mind.
Final verdict
Overall, I think the Swished Pop Up Tent is extremely good value for money and a really great tent to have! Whether or not you're a frequent beach goer, we left the tent in our car all the time as it didn't take up much space, so we could use it any time we needed.
I loved that it comes in a convenient carry carry bag and until you use the tent yourself, there's no explanation really how easy to use this tent actually is. We always get compliments and questions about where the tent is from, and when others have taken the tent down for us they're blown away at how easy it is.
I would recommend this to other parents!
Swished Pop Up Tent FAQs
Is the Swished Tent waterproof?
While the tent is designed more for beach use, the roof not only offers UPF50+ protection from the sun but it also offers water protection.
You can get a cover for the tent too, which can help prevent water from coming in through the mesh side panels.
Are pop up tents any good?
The traditional style of pop-up tents that instantly pop into the right shape can be convenient for quick setups, however depending on sizing, they can be a little bit more complicated to fold back into their storage bags.
Swished offer a different style of pop-up tent, which folds and opens the exact same way, and clicks into place.
Samantha Ball is a Features & Reviews Editor for Mother&Baby, having written for the brand since 2018. She's a mum of two aged seven and three, and is currently expecting her third. She loves searching for the best and current trending products for little ones. She loves to bake, but spends most of her free time between football and ballet classes.