Thule Sun & Wind Tarp review: perfect for mini adventures

A kids’ tent that pitches directly from a pushchair, the Thule Sun & Wind Tarp is a fantastic bit of kit. Easy to use and providing a generous shelter from the elements, it’s perfect for keeping your little one comfortable on hikes, at the beach and on picnics. As you’d expect from Thule, it’s expertly crafted and looks great, too.

Taking a baby or toddler into the great outdoors can be a double-edged sword. On the one hand, you want to instil a love for being outside and an adventurous spirit into your child, as well as giving them a blast of fresh air and sunshine. On the other hand, it can be a bloody nightmare.

Our 18-month-old will often zone out into peaceful silence while in the pushchair but she also has the attention span of a gnat and patience of a, well, angry toddler – this can make time in the outdoors tricky, when long walks and companionable silence are the aim of the game. There’s also the prevailing issue of keeping them protected from the sun, wind, rain and insects. As any new parent will know well, you are hypervigilant of any potential threat – at least with the first child, anyway.

Enter the Thule Sun & Wind Tarp. This is a cross between a kid’s tent and baby sun shade – a shelter that pitches directly from your pushchair to provide an effective barrier against the elements and a great novelty factor to keep your little one entertained.

The Sun & Wind Tarp connects to Thule’s range of pushchairs, of which we sampled the Chariot Cross 2, a pushchair-cum-bike trailer with large wheels and great suspension, making outdoor adventures a breeze. The tarp connects to the pushchair’s handlebar using simple but secure clips, then stretches out to a spacious, open tent. With one pole providing structure, the tarp pegs out to form its final shape, featuring a long wall connecting the tent to the pushchair. It can also be pitched independently, too.

Having used the tarp on a variety of occasions, including on campsites and on the beach, it’s really simple to pitch. As you’d expect from Thule, the constituent parts are well-engineered, so the pole clicks together seamlessly and the tension between the pushchair (with its brake on, clearly) and the pegs creates a solid frame.

The result is a spacious interior providing great shade from the sun – the mesh panel across the tent area is handy for extra ventilation on hot days. Its fabric is UPF50+ and light coloured, which means it reflects sunlight and provides great protection from UV rays – ideal for stopping parents from fretting about kids’ sensitive skin. 

Our toddler had plenty of space to create chaos and really enjoyed having her own shelter in which to relax, providing an entertaining diversion when she got too bored of sitting in the pushchair. For a lunch break while out walking / cycling or for using on days at the beach, it was a welcome addition to our toddler-entertaining toolkit.

When it packs down into its carry bag, the Sun & Wind Tarp can be stored and carried underneath your pushchair – the Chariot Cross 2 has a large external storage compartment at the rear, which was a convenient place to carry it. In a perfect world, the tarp would pack down to a smaller size to avoid taking up as much room in this bag, but you would then lose the palatial shelter which proved so effective.

Another minor gripe was the strength of the tarp against the wind. With a minor breeze, it held up absolutely fine – when the wind picked up in strength on our beach trip, the single-pole structure struggled to hold firm. To be honest, though, as the conditions turned sour we decided to vacate the beach anyway and you’re unlikely to be pitching an open-sided tarp in poor weather, so it’s not a major concern. 

This is a high-quality product that’s perfect for outdoorsy parents looking to protect their kids from the sun while enjoying a family adventure. It’s easy to pitch and built from high-performance materials, creating a spacious and secure shelter that our toddler loved spending time in. If you’ve got a Thule pushchair, this is a must-have accessory, though it can also be pitched independently.