This is so much better than having the pole in the middle because it gives you additional space to walk underneath.  My 11' umbrellas with a center pole look much smaller than this 10' umbrella.  I would say you could pass underneath if you were 6'5".  Adding the pea gravel was a challenge because it get's heavy fast.  This umbrella comes in two boxes {3').  A large long one and a smaller square one.  We used 2.5 bags of pea gravel in the stand,  Used an empty container of orange juice.  It fit perfectly in the whole.  Made it easy to pour.  We leveled the base with paint cans and added one bag of pea gravel as a stopper