I am so happy to be on the cusp of summertime! It seems like summer is here, though oficially, we still have a few short weeks to go until it truly arrives. We've been making preparations, however, getting our yard ready for outdoor living, as we love to be outside. Our home is a charming craftsman style bungalow, situated in a quaint neighborhood in our city's Historic District. When we moved into our house, there wasn't much in the way of landscaping. Seeing as how I love to garden, and enjoy being outdoors, I was up for the challenge of beautifying our property.

In the back of our home, there's a small area between our house and our next door neighbor's house that was basically a grassy, swampy little area with a dead tree stump, right in the middle. I saw the potential it had for making the perfect spot for a little garden, or patio, so my husband and I set out to transform it. Four years later, we have planted an herb garden, flowers beds, laid pavers for the grill area, making a little patio, and added a potting bench. It's becomming one of my favorite spots. The area next to my potting bench, however, became the place we stored our outdoor gear- like the lawnmower, B's little swimming pool, bikes, etc- because we have no garage, and no other place to store them. Having those items out in the open has always bothered me- I thought it made the cute little area I created look junky, not to mention, all of those items were seeing wear and tear from weathering. I knew that our yard had no room for a shed (it's pretty postage stamp small), but I was in need of a storage solution in a bad way.

Not long ago, I found YardStash, an interesting alternative to a shed. YardStash came up with the concept of an outdoor storage space, which is functional, practical, moveable, lightweight, and protective. YardStash is like an outdoor storage tent, which provides plenty of space for storing items like bicycles, lawnmowers and yardwork/gardening equipment, children's outdoor toys, pool equipment, etc. The YardStash III is the newest design, and offers outstanding protection for your gear against the elements, not to mention, keeps them out of sight! The genius minds behind YardStash faced similar problems that my hubby and I were facing when it came to our stuff and our outdoor space- the outdoor gear, toys, bikes, balls, strollers, landscaping equipment, etc, were taking over! It was high time that someone came up with a solution that would allow folks to reclaim their outdoor spaces, so they could enjoy them once more!

I was thrilled to connect with Van Barker, and the team at YardStash, and to be offered the opportunity to try the new YardStash III out in our yard. When I told my husband about the YardStash III, he was definitely intrigued. He has always hated having the leave the lawn mower out, and couldn't wait to see if it fit into the YardStash III.

I was super excited when this large box from YardStash arrived at my door!

The Yardstash III came in a handy duffle bag like zip bag...

...complete with handles for easy portability.

The YardStash weighs about 17 pounds, carry bag and all. I was tickled to see that the YardStash arrived like this- just like a camping tent might. My husband loves putting tents together, so I knew he'd have a blast figuring the YardStash III out! I didn't do a  whole lot of exploring the different components of the YardStash III before my hubby was home and ready to put it together- I didn't want to lose anything.

When Sacha was ready to set up the YardStash III in out back yard, he grabbed the storage/carry bag, and headed outside.

We chose an empty corner, over on the far side of our yard to set the YardStash III up in. Since we planned to put items like the lawn mower in it, we needed to allow ourselves a little room to get in and out, quickly and easily, without having to move other items out of our way.

The YardStash III came with a sheet of instructions, which were easy to read and follow. Sacha always thoroughly reads instructions before putting something together.

When Sacha felt good about the directions, he unzipped the bag that housed the YardStash III, and we found the YardStash tent rolled up. Sacha removed it, laid it out in our yard, and then laid out the other pieces he would need to put the fram together.

The YardStash III, rolled up- still in its carry bag.

The YardStash III semi-laid out across our yard.

As I snapped photos, Sacha worked to put the frame together, just like he would, if he were setting up a tent. All of the poles were included, and he simply followed the instructions, fed the pole through the canvas, and I did wind up having to help him feed one end into the resting hole, one each side. The process of putting the whole thing together took less than twenty minutes.

Sacha, putting the support poles for the frame together...

...and feeding them through.

Almost finished with one side, which took just a few minutes.

After we got the frame put together, we got to stand back and take a good look at the YardStash III. It really did look both like a tent and a shed, which I thought was pretty cool. It was tall enough  to store items we needed to store, but it wasn't super deep to where it was going to take up a huge space in our yard.

B was so excited when the YardStash III was finally up! He wanted to see how all it was- compared to him!

One the YardStash was put together, Sacha and I easily picked the whole thing up, carried it over to the left a few feet, and put it down in the place we wanted it to be. We used the metal stakes the came with the YardStash III, to secure it to the ground, and we also used the ties in the back of the YardStash III, to tie it to the fence.

Here's Sacha- checking the stakes, and tying the YardStash III to the fence for extra security.

Here's a glimpse of the connectors, and the ground stakes...

Being the perfectionist that he is, Sacha double and triple checked everything, to make sure that he didn't miss anything, or leave anything out when putting the YardStash together.

Here's a quick photo to show you the depth of the YardStash III...

...and the width/height, compared to my husband, who is 5'8".

Sacha was so pleased after he stepped back to take a good look at the YardSatsh III. He couldn't wait to get some of our gear in there, to see how it would all fit. We were both happy to see the little vent windows that can be rolled up, to allow the YardStash to have a bit of air flow through it. This is a great idea, particularly for the hot and humid months ahead!

Vent for the tent... a small canvas flap near the top can be rolled up so you can vent your YardStash III!

Take a look at some of the awesome features of the YardStash III...

The YardStash III builds on the success of the top selling and top rated YardStash II and includes new features for even better space saving outdoor storage and protection. Guaranteed to keep your bicycles, gardening tools, pool equipment, kids’ toys and other outdoor gear dry and accessible. No shortcuts – just the best materials. Heavy duty UV protected polyester, industrial grade vinyl tarpaulin roof, strong top and bottom zippers, sealed seams, reinforced integrated floor, thick interior weatherproof coating and a patented design to shrug off the elements. The compact, space-saving footprint respects your outdoor living spaces and the quick set-up (less than 15 minutes for one person) gives a nod to ease-of-use.

Fits into the tight spaces outside your home or apartment with plenty of room (74″ wide x 30″ deep x 65″ tall) to protect two adult bikes from Mother Nature.

And Now for Our Gear...

B was convinced that he needed to get his toys into the YardStash III right away, so he wasted no time filling it up with his balls, his little lawnmower, etc.

...he was also convinced that the tent was his to play in, though we quickly explained why it wasn't.

Sacha excitedly pushed the lawn mower over to the YardStash III, and wheeled it right inside. He wasn't sure that there would be room left for much else after he got the lawn mower in there, but I was otherwise convinced. I crossed my fingers that there would still be room for some other things, like B's little pool, his water table, the weed wacker, and perhaps B's trike!

The lawn mower is in, and we have room to spare!

Sacha added the little pool, and then went on to also add the water table, and some of the other items I mentioned.

I can't tell you how impressed we are with the YardStash III. We loved that it was quick and easy to set up. The whole process of putting it together, staking it into the ground, and moving select items into it, only took about forty or forty-five minutes. My mom happened to be over at our house when we were setting this up (which was helpful, because someone's little hands really wanted to help daddy), and she loved the idea of having a storage tent that could keep outdoor items safe and out of sight, virtually anywhere you could make room for it in a small area of your yard, on your patio or deck, etc. This is the perfect storage solution for folks who are low on space, like we are!

Again, here's a good look at the size of the YardStash III, compared to my hubby.

After we got all of the gear we wanted to be stored, we zipped it up. Everything that we want out of sight, out of the elements, and away from our curious 3-year-old, is now inside of the YardStash III. It takes up very little room, and we're all happier now that we have this awesome storage solution!

The YardStash III, happily living in the corner of our yard, will give us a place to store all of these outdoor toys that are in use at the present.

The YardStash III is keeping our gear protected, keeping out little guy safe, and by moving the gear from the area we were previously storing it, on the side of our house, we were able to move my potting bench, which gave us a little room to expand part of our patio... which makes me so, so happy!

With the gear out of the way, I have more room and a prettier surroundings to enjoy this...

The YardStash III is the perfect addition to your outdor space- be it in your yard, beside your garage, behind the house, on your patio, etc. It's a fantastic place to safely store your outdoor items through all of the seasons. You'll feel confident knowing that your items are safe, dry, protected from the sun, and out of sight, so you can start enjoying your outdoor space again! 

The YardStash III would make a great gift for any outdoor enthusiast who has a lot of gear to store, hobbyists, gardeners, for parents who have lot's of children's toys, would make a great housewarming gift, wedding present, etc. If you have items that you want to store this summer and beyond, we highly recommend the YardStash III! It'll be a purchase you won't regret, and we're pretty sure you'll wind up sharing about just how awesome this product really is with your family and friends!

Want It? Buy It!

To learn more about the YardStash III, head on over to YardStash! You can read rave reviews, take a look at some photos, and get an even better idea of what makes the YardStash III so wonderful! You can order the YardStash III or YardStash II directly from YardStash, here. You can also connect with YardStash on Facebook.

Special thanks to Van and the YardStash Team for allowing us to try out the fantastic YardStash III storage solution and for helping us reclaim our yard!