What is the Best Camping Gazebo, Australia in 2020?

Posted on 7 August 2020 By Keith 0 Comments

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Shelter from the sun, rain and wind is one of the most important factors when out camping. There is also a need, in some of the more crowded camping areas, to have a bit of privacy. This is where the camping gazebo comes into its own. Here I’ll give you some information to help you choose the best camping gazebo in Australia for your needs.
This best camping gazebo review will cover:

Camping gazebos, and what to look for;
Camping gazebo tents – where the shelter can be turned into a full-blown living space;
Accessories – such as insect screens, sidewalls, gutters and connectors.

Best Camping Gazebo – Australia (Our Pick)

If you’re pushed for time, and/or don’t feel like reading this entire guide, then I’d suggest you take a look at Coleman Event 14 camping gazebo as we think it’s a good contender as the best gazebo for camping. If this doesn’t look like it’s for you, then you can always come back later and read some more reviews.

Camping Gazebo – Coleman Event 14 Series

There are two models, the first is the ‘Deluxe’ which has stronger material in the canopy, improving its weatherproofing. Apart from that, it and the ‘Standard’ model are the same. The ‘Deluxe’ costs a bit more. They’re both very good, with the following features:

Larger footprint area at 4.26m x 4.26m,
Good design for standing up to stronger winds,
Headroom (middle) at 2.33m,
Folds down to a compact size,
Supplied with one (1) sidewall.

Click here to check out the Coleman Event 14 Standard.

Click here to do the same for the Coleman Event 14 Deluxe.

The Best Camping Gazebos (Australia) – Comparison Table

Again, if you’re looking for a quick summary, here is a comparison table to give you a look at what’s out there at the moment. It covers camping gazebos and camping gazebo tents from top end units to budget units. Irrespective, whatever you choose it should work for you.

If you have any additional thoughts on any camping gazebo you’ve tried or own, please feel free to share with us via the comment form at the bottom of this review.

Product	Quick Review (+) Pros (-) Cons	Latest Price
Coleman Event 14 Standard Gazebo (4.26m x 4.26m)	(+) Larger area, good all round design, takes up less storage room, comes with single sidewall. (-) Takes a bit longer to put up.	Check
Coleman Event 14 Deluxe Gazebo (4.26m x 4.26m)	(+) Same as Standard model, but with a much more robust canopy. (-) 23kg weight.	Check
Generic 3x3m Pop Up Gazebo (eBay Australia)	(+) Cheap but good if you're looking for a basic unit, there's a thousand and 1 on eBay, they work well. (-) Watch for waterproofing, standard of construction, etc.	Check
Zempire Aerobase 3 Shelter (3.5m x 3.5m)	(+) Super quick to put up, new air frame inflatable design, stable and roomy. (-) -	Check
Adventure Kings Portable Gazebo (3m x 3m)	(+) Like all 4WDSupacentre kit, good, basic, no frills gear. (-) Made to a budget.	Check
Zempire Aerobase 4 Shelter (4.2m x 4.2m)	(+) As per Aerobase 3, but a bit more room. (-) Like all new technology, price is a premium. However, they are the way of the future.	Check
Coleman Instant Up Lighted Gazebo (3m x 3m)	(+) Built in canopy lights, vented roof for cooling and wind dissipation, fluoro guys, well made. (-) -	Check
OZtrail Deluxe Gazebo - Hydro Flow (3m x 3m)	(+) Design stops rainwater ponding on canopy (-) -	Check
OZtrail Deluxe 6.0 Gazebo (6m x 3m)	(+) Good, well-made, all-weather gazebo with heaps of room. (-) 39kgs - not a single person job to put this up!	Check
Adventure Kings Portable Gazebo (6m x 3m)	(+) Well made unit, waterproof, heavy duty frame, stable and roomy. (-) Like all 6 x 3 gazebos, heavy (43kg) and needs more than one person to put up.	Check
Gazebo Inner Tents
OZtrail Gazebo Fast Frame Tent	(+) Brand new concept from Oztrail. Combines the best of both worlds with gazebo camping and fast frame tents. Looks good! (-) -	Check
Adventure Kings Gazebo Inner Tent	(+) Good unit, roomy, airy, great headroom, lightweight, easy to put up. (-) They will weep water inside during driving rain. Check fit to your gazebo.	Check
OZtrail Gazebo Inner Tent	(+) As per above. They are great to have, wouldn't be without one. (-) Be aware of their limitations with weather conditions.	Check

Didn’t find anything that interests you? Then hop over to our Online Catalogue and see if there’s something that suits by clicking here.

If you’re all good with this, jump to our detailed reviews of some of the best camping gazebos in Australia by clicking here.

Otherwise, … keep on reading.

Features and Benefits of a Good Camping Gazebo for Australia

The benefits of a well setup camping gazebo can be summarised in a word – ‘shelter’. When the weather turns sour, it’s no fun for the entire family to be huddled in the tent. We had that experience camping on North Stradbroke Island a few years ago.

Our setup is a rooftop tent on top of our camping trailer, with the day space being a gazebo with gazebo tent. We’ve survived some pretty hectic weather events, and managed to stay well protected from what’s going on outside.

In Australia, there is a need to have protection from the sun, and still have air movement to provide good ventilation.

The features of the best camping gazebos are:

Weatherproof – depending on what you’re using them for, how weatherproof the camping gazebo needs to be. If it’s a day shelter at the beach, not such a problem; but for a multi-day setup it needs to be good.

Frame Strength – we always guy our camping gazebo down. Just to make sure it can survive stronger wind gusts. It’s a balance between frame strength, weatherproofing and weight, as some of the 6m x 3m gazebos can be heavy and bulky.

Accessories – most gazebos can be fitted with walls and floors. The choice of walls can be either solid, screened or split. This provides a more liveable arrangement for both weather and privacy.

Ease of Setup – traditional camping gazebos with the extendible centre pole can be a struggle if you’re a solo traveller. Best to practice at home before you leave. ? Gazebos with a dome shape roof tend to be a bit easier.

The newer ‘air frame’ technology that’s showing up in the camping gear world is a game changer in terms of setup. Some of the dome swags (see our best camping swags review) are now available using this technology. I cover aero frame gazebos in this review.

Overall Size – popular gazebos can either be 3m x 3m or 6m x 3m. If you’re catering for a big group, it’s tempting to go for the larger of the two. The 6m x 3m can be damn heavy! Sometimes it’s better to have two 3m x 3m and join them together with a gutter accessory.

Gazebo Camping Tents

I’ll make a special mention here of gazebo inner tents. As the name suggests, they fit inside the gazebo using Velcro style straps. Honestly, they are one of the best things to consider for a day shelter around your camp. They have

Headroom – because of their cabin shape (square), they have heaps of headroom and useable space.
Screened windows – keeps the insects out, but has good airflow.
PVC floor – keeps dirt and moisture out of the gazebo.

I’ve reviewed two of them here, to help you decide if it’s something that would work for you.

Camping Gazebo Accessories

Screens and Sides – You’ll need these to some degree. Particularly to manage wind-driven rain. I’d recommend you carry at least three solid walls.

Bases and Guying – Guying down a gazebo is pretty straight forward. If, for some reason, you find yourself on a location where it’s not possible to use pegs, there are base pods available. More an issue at the local Sunday markets, perhaps not as much with camping gazebos.

Connectors and gutters – As the names suggest, it allows two 3m x 3m gazebos to be jointed together and not have rain pour down between them.

Camping Gazebo Reviews, Australia – 2020

I’ve reviewed the top four camping gazebos in detail to provide you with some solid information to base your decision on. There are any number of them out there, and in most instances, it comes down to price.

There are over a dozen in the comparison table above, click on ‘em, take a look and decide from there.

Here are detailed reviews on what I’d consider to be the best camping gazebos available to Australian campers.

Coleman Instant Up Lighted Gazebo

I’ll start the detailed camping gazebo reviews off with this setup. I like to showcase a product with some innovation in how it’s put together.

This one has:

Built in lighting system of 450 lumen LEDS that provide up to 13 hours without recharge. The battery pack takes 4 x D-Cells. Alternatively, the lights can be powered from a USB connection if you have solar/powered site,
Vented roof for assisted cooling,
Fluoro guy ropes to help avoid the bane of camping. That’s walking into a guy rope during the night.

The relatively short life of the batteries could be an issue, so I’d opt straight up for the USB power arrangement. But for a weekend, it’d be perfect.

I’ll leave it at that, take a look by clicking here for more details, prices and reviews on the Coleman Instant Up Lighted Gazebo.

Coleman Event 14 Series

This gazebo is 4.26m x 4.26m, which gives it a bit more internal space than the standard 3m x 3m gazebo. Even though it is a dome shape, the overall design doesn’t compromise too much on headroom and useable space.

They have a good, solid reputation for standing up to adverse weather conditions brought on by wind and rain.

It also packs up into a bag that takes up less room than most conventional gazebos.

Both the standard and the deluxe come with a single side wall as part of the package. Additional side walls can be purchased.

The downside is they do take a bit of time to put up.

Weight is 17kg, which is good for a shelter of this size.

Click here for more details, prices and reviews on the Coleman Event 14 Standard Gazebo.

Here is a link to the Deluxe version – Click here for more details, prices and reviews on the Coleman Event 14 Deluxe Gazebo.

Zempire Aerobase 3/4 Shelter

First saw these in action in New Zealand over Xmas 2019. Part of the new wave of inflatable (air) frame camping gear that’s starting to take off. There’s been mixed reviews on their ability to withstand strong, gusting winds; but like all structures, there’s no substitute for properly guying them down. They are designed to flex in extremely high winds to absorb the impact shock of gusts.

With our New Zealand experience, which had some days with consistent, strong winds; the gazebo stood up without any issues.

The Aerobase 3 is slightly bigger than a standard 3m x 3m gazebo at 3.5m x 3.5m and weighs in at 17kgs also. The near vertical walls ensure optimal use can be made of the internal space. They come standard with one zip-on wall fitted with a window to provide ventilation as required.

The Aerobase 4 measures out at 4.2m x 4.2m and weighs 21kg, with everything else being the same as the Aerobase 3.

Their big plus is how quickly and easily they can be put up. It is possible for a single person to put one up. They fold down to a compact size so they don’t require a lot of storage space.

If you think this is something that would work for you, then click here for more details, prices and reviews on the Zempire Aerobase 3 Shelter.

Or click here for all the info on the Zempire Aerobase 4 Shelter.

Oztrail Deluxe 3 Gazebo V4 – Hydro Flow

This is a more conventional camping gazebo with a 3m x 3m footprint. It cuts a nice compromise between price and all-round usability.

Almost everybody starts looking at this style of gazebo for camping. The canopy is waterproof (a big plus – not all are), and boasts an anti-ponding enhancement to stop water ponding in the corners during a downpour.

It is fitted with roof vents for improved ventilation and help with wind dissipation.

Further down in this camping gazebo review, I’ve covered the Oztrail gazebo inner tent. So you’ve got an option to kit it out as a gazebo camping tent.

Click here for more details, prices and reviews on the Oztrail Deluxe 3 Gazebo.

Camping Gazebo Tent Reviews

Oztrail Fast Frame Gazebo Tent

I’ve covered two existing gazebo camping tents below, but this is a new and very innovative way of integrating a tent and a gazebo to get the best of both worlds.

It takes a fast frame tent and integrates it with a 3m x 3m gazebo to create a secure tent with an extended day area.

Take a look at the video below to get a better idea how this comes together.

Click here for more details, prices on the Oztrail Gazebo Fast Frame Tent.

Oztrail Gazebo Tent Inner Kit

This is a nice addition to your camping area. It has No-See-Um mesh on the windows, that can be closed up for privacy. It has a bucket floor and is suited to the complete Oztrail range of camping gazebos.

Fits most* 3m x 3m gazebos,
Sewn in roof and PVC ‘bucket’ floor,
Insect mesh on 2 windows and both double doors,
Quick setup, lightweight.

These types of gazebo inner tents are lightweight. They will let water in if driving rain is hitting the walls. They are great for what they are designed for, but they’re not the be-all and end-all. We own one, and wouldn’t be without it; but bring some gazebo walls with you just in case.

*If you own a gazebo already, and it’s not an Oztrail, be sure to double check to make sure it fits inside your existing structure.

Click here for more details, prices and reviews on the Oztrail Gazebo Tent Inner Kit.

Adventure Kings Gazebo Tent

We own this model, and again, they are a basic unit that works well under most conditions.

Fits most* 3m x 3m gazebos,
Polyester weatherproof walls with PVC ‘bucket’ floor,
Insect mesh on all 3 windows and double door,
Fast to setup, lightweight.

*3m x 3m gazebos can vary in size. If you don’t own a gazebo, get the Adventure Kings gazebo + tent combo, then all is good.

However, there’s a couple of things to be aware of:

They are bit on the small side, and you may have issues making them fit some gazebos. If you use them with the Adventure Kings Camping Gazebo, they’ll be fine.
In windy, wet conditions, water may weep in through the stitching. You’ll need to put up a side wall on the gazebo under adverse conditions, to stop driving rain hitting the wall of the gazebo tent directly.

Click here for more details, prices and reviews on the Adventure Kings Gazebo Tent.