I used these to hold up one side of my shade sail over my patio. The fence is only about 4' tall, so I bought some brackets to hold these poles in place.I wouldn't expect them to hold up a shade sail in the wind and fully extended -- I extended these about halfway for each part, with the lower sections helping to stabilize and strengthen the upper parts. They feel secure, and sure enough, when the wind picked up, they held up just fine. I've had them up now for 2 weeks here on the New England coast and they've held up. I like them so much I've ordered another pair for the 3rd floor deck!
Rating: [5 of 5 Stars!]