I have a t4 plus overland. Been through very extreme weather, including wind gusts to 70 mph. Even staking the pop out walls, it still collapsed. Also, the roof frame came apart. This tent is fine for normal weather, and occasional use. But, it is not indestructable, as some portray it to be. A better design for heavy winds would be a tunnel shape, which is more aerodynamic, and have less windage. I give the t4 plus a C plus.
As far as bear repellent, I sprinkle regular scented Pin Sol and straight Ammonia around my campsite. Not too close to the tent mind you unless you appreciate a strong odor of either overnight. Don't ask how I know. And I keep an air horn,bear spray and shotgun with me in the tent. Just encase.
I cook in my tent all the time, its a 6 man robens shack, the reason I can do this, is because I live in the UK and most of UK bears are called "Paddington"...lol
Dude, you were in my back yard. I live near there. Leaving your door and windows unzipped just a couple/few inches will make packing up quicker and easier by giving the air a way to escape as you fold it up. Also - bears. Bears in the SE are afraid of dogs since they are hunted with dogs. My 100 lb labranard is a big sissy, but the bears don't know that. I almost never see bears when hiking with my dog and they are never close encounters when I do. I also found a .357 to be a good deterant with black bears - .44 mag or better if you're in grizzly country. Honestly, mice and squirrels getting into my food has been a way bigger problem than bears.
Fantastic review! I’m buying one, thanks! As for bears, I douse myself in bear spray and eat a half dozen of those little bells 🔔 if a bear does eat me I’m getting the last laugh! 🤣😂🤣😂 Subscribed and thanks!!
Yup.. fantastic review getting close to pulling the ‘trigger’ on one like your other viewers. As for condensation in really damp conditions, ventilation of course is your best friend. Can you vent any number of those windows during a storm to create air flow? As for cooking at your car in bad weather (for bear deterrent reasons) consider a DIY awning. Simple, a tarp size of your choice, then some DIY piping attached to your roof rack to hold that end of the tarp taut along side your rig. One DIY’er just bought an 11’ extendable yellow fiberglass (?) rod (used to change light bulbs) to attach to his rig, then the tarp. Just search the topic on YT, you’ll find videos. A few seasons ago I made myself a 10’x12’ dining fly (to cover most campground picnic tables) out of tyvek. ‘Set me back’ a whole $39 bucks. Tarp came w attachable (sticky tape) grommet mounting points. You’ll tear the tyvek somewhere else b4 the mounting points fails. I have more cost in my Ridgeline and guy out points. I will use the yellow rod ‘method’ to create my own awning hack as well. Stake out the ends of the awning with cheap extendable poles sourced at your big box store or online. ‘Campercovers’ is the guy I buy my tyvek from, he has both an ebay and Amazon store. Happy trails Fwiw, Memorial day weekend last year while riding my gravel bike, right before sunset, on a decommissioned logging road, came around a blind corner only to find one if those black four legged ‘critters’ munching on bushes in the middle if the road. Lucky for him, heh, he was more frightened by me than I was of him, off he went, full speed. Impressive beasts. Cheers.
Grizzlies where we are. Never. Ever. Ever. cook in your tent. Clothing, all food, pots, toothpaste need to be out of your tent and stored in an airtight container in your vehicle. You'd have to be insane to risk it. Not to mention grease which will burn holes in your fabric and odor which will infuse into everything from your backpack to sleeping bag making you a walking human burrito.
I gotta do this, I was wondering if they make vents + fans to blow warm air from a camp fire into a tent to not waste that heat..will definitely use my camp stove and make tea inside tent next time cheers!
I love my gazelle t4 it feels like a little cabin, and for its size super easy for one person to set up. I bought it for when the wife and I go camping. I like that you can order new parts off the website. I am planning on taking mine snow camping this winter and seeing how it does. My only complaint is like you said the door is a little small... and earwigs can make it through the velcro on the floor. I do have to run it corner to corner in the bed of my Tacoma because it is so long but not a big deal.
I really like your review. We have a 5 side Gazelle hub tent. We always tie the hub eyes to stakes or trees. The top hub can also collapse with snow or ice. You can use a pole inside such as a pvc pipe to help support it. Thanks again for the review.
We have this tent and used it last summer . It performed very well in high winds and moderate rain. It’s goes up and down like a dream. We replaced the stakes as they bent very quickly. I have been camping for 30 yrs and this tent is a winner!
I camp in bear country. No food near my tent. I have a kitchen setup in the back of my vehicle with a great awning. I still make sure to put everything in bear canisters, and then wipe it all down with Pine-sol. Bears hate it. My Dad taught me that 40 years ago, apparently the State of Alaska agrees with him. I have never had an issue with them. (those pesky Bigfoot however...) I just bought a T4-plus, It made it through some big storms in Cherokee and Pisgah NFs my Next test will be Mt Washington in NH. Windiest spot on earth.🤞
Excellent review on the Gazelle tent, one of the best that I have seen. I have the 4 person in orange and camped in once the Mojave Desert, it was great just as you described . We had some pretty strong wind and the sides didn't collapse inward, but I was concerned. I did stake all 4 sides that helped a lot. I found your use of the guidelines very helpful in case of strong winds. I bought the Gazelle for the ease and quickness of it going up plus the roomy size. Thanks for the video, great review .
Concerning the wind. If you are having difficulty with loose or sandy soil, I picked up a hint that called for adding a some collapsible buckets that you fill with dirt and tie off to the center pulls instead of staking to the ground.
One of the better reviews of the gazelle T4 I have seen. Thanks for including air flow within the tent and showing the space it took up in your 4Runner during Transit.
Yeah seriously I hot tent allot but I don't cook inside the hot tent, but I do make coffee on the wood stove ,with my t4 tent though I use a swarey 100 watt solar panel on the roof attached to a jackery adventurer 200 power station, and a use a bear fence around the tent plugged into the power station at night .
I enjoyed your previous review of my current tent, the Coleman 6 instant up, and I appreciate you covering what may be my next addition to the camping fleet. Thanks, dude. Back in the 80s when I started camping and spending lots of time outdoors, YKK zippers were standard on tents, cycling gear, jackets, etc.. So good to see them back in vogue. Well done!
Thanks for the outstanding review! Ordered & received my Gazelle Overland Edition (comes w/ upgrade in heavier stakes & a footprint) because of your video! Put it up today in my Florida backyard. I'm soon to be 67yo & not in best shape but had no problems. Nothing came w/ the tent about the guidelines but after watching you I knew exactly what to do w/ them. The whole bag a bit heavy for me, will be keeping footprint, rainfly & stakes in a separate duffle to lighten the load! Thanks again! Take care!
Great idea to have separate bags to divide the load. Thanks. I'm 62 so we gotta watch what we carry! Even if our backs feel okay today, the next day is the Tale of the Tape.
Lol. “Depending on which convenience store I’m rushing out of.” I’m reading about where the poles that extend out from the wall hubs to the floor of the tent make a gap with the Velcro tub floor. Lots of reports of ants and such getting in. Finally: I’ve camped in bear country lots. While in bear country: never bring food into your tent, or aftershave, toothpaste, or even granola bars. Bears have an extremely well-developed sense of smell.
I saw the same review about the bugs, and did some digging. The manufacturer said there was an issue with a certain batch that had problems with a gap in the floor. It was corrected. I just couldn't imagine a tent designed to let bugs in.
Dude im getting one of these next weekend. Im coming home next week from my deployment with the guard and back home my friends and I do volunteer search and rescue so these tents would be absolutely perfect for when we setup camp somewhere when we take the truck. Thanks for the review man!
DO NOT put food in your rig... I had a black bear tear my rig to shreds trying to get the horse grain I had stored in a sealed container in the back. Caved in my roof and hood, scratched up my windows (literally leaving claw marks in the glass), busted off both of my side mirrors. Food should be away from tent and rig, like on a rope in a tree so bears cant reach it and its not near anything valuable.
that is a neat tent, easy to set up for sure. but one sure sign it isnt a great 4 season tent and that it is a fair weather tent is the type of fly it has. also, in our experience the taller bigger tents are much colder in sever weather. a true 4 season tent will have a fly that keeps the rain from ever touching your tent with an air gap in between.helps a great deal with the moister that condensates too. bear tip 101 do not prepare or keep any food in or near your tent.
Sadly i don't believe there is much at that price point. I paid almost $500 for our Eureka Assault 4 person 4 season tent and that was on the thrifty end of pricing for a true 4 season tent.
This was a really great review and liked your efforts to present a comprehensive test of the tent. I'm further bolstered in my desire for this tent! Thank You!
We live and camp in Northern Michigan. Definitely bear country. We’ve not had an encounter with bears while camping. I employ the three rings of defense: a trip alarm, an three strand electrified fence designed for backpacking, and bear spray. I use this system when we dispersed camping away from campgrounds. With campgrounds, there’s safety in numbers and a lot of human and K9 scent, so there’s no need for the defense system. We also keep our camp site clean and store food in plastic bags, inside a cooler, locked in our truck. We have a Crua Tri. It’s a beast! I am thinking about buying my girlfriend a Gazelle T4 for the camping trips she makes with her nieces and nephews. I like it.
William, im from northetn alberta, canada, No Under No circumstances should you cook in the same place as sleeping, always keep Coolers Food Cooking , AWAY fr Tent say 25-35ft, some kind of distance, they also make a great Hub yiu could use for Cooking Room and Relax area !!!
GREAT REVIEW. Never cook, store food, or eat in my tent. Learned the hard way. Throw a bag or leave in auto. I really the color of your T4. Just pulled the trigger on the T4 Overland edition. Now cot shopping....any reviews? Not more sleeping pads :)
I have the Go Kot which is made in USA and super durable. It holds me 250+ and I can jump in the middle of it!!! It also packs down really small. Enter promo sirwilliamgoes for a discount Campingcot.com
Nice review…but I have a 2018 Tacoma DCSB and I think it may be too long. Ive also got a Yakima Skybox and would have to see if it could fit in that. Looking at buying this for a trip to Cape Lookout and Im concerned about the constant wind blowing there right off the ocean.
Well your right, they sadly leak. It’s been raining for 2 days now, light rain but it is slowly leaking under 3 or the 6 window vents and seeping through one of the walls in the grey section near the bottom. It also had a few stain marks which I don’t appreciate on something new. I will be sending it back and try another one because I like setting it up and the high roof, but a leaky tent is not an option I will live with
Pee around your campsite for bear deterrent. Don't actually know if it helps but it's what myself and my hunting crew have done for years. Great video by the way, excellent job!!!
Nope, nope, never. I camp 90% in bear country, no food smell, no snaking, toothpaste etc. Taught my son since he was little. First time he saw a bear close to the tent he understood why.
Best way to keep bears away is to not cook in your tent.. try to keep all food prep and eating 10+ feet away from your sleeping area. my neighbor got pulled put of their tent when I was a kid. Bear didn't hurt her but was after her toothpaste... go figure... was fucking scary though to hear a woman screaming bloody murder and having your father start yelling at a bear. Neighbor was dragged 3 feet out of her tent. But ya she kept her toothpaste in a pocket in her sleepingbag.. bear found it and got it... if you ever see a bear with pearly whites say hi from me.
Thanks for the great review! Mine’s on the way. It seems to have about the best headroom in the smallest footprint of any of the tents I’ve looked at. I’ve been using the same 10’ x 12” monster tent for over a decade and it’s been an awesome tent. But, I realized on my last trip that I’m just tired of setting it up... if I can even find a big enough flat spot to set it up:)
I use a 357 as my bear repellent as I don't think I have the nuts to wait for a hungry bear to get within 10' of me before I hose him down with a spray can hoping he will run off and not just get passed off !
I have the idea that if you staked the corners it would be a lot easier to just walk around and pull those tabs. For every action... the other side ought to stay put. For this tent, it's the other side. Great rain fly toss. I'm jealous. For dummies like me I'd have a line on each side, then attach one side and toss the line over or walk around and pull on it. I'll cook inside my rain fly - no worries. It's a fly, 360 degrees of GTFO and my JetBoil (contained flame) is on ground not on the bottom of a tent that's going to move if something happens to the wall. In my tent I'll cook in the vestibule but always off to the side making sure when I do set fire to the tent I've got a clear path out. Mostly I make coffee, I cook eggs, veggies, no meat, nothing really food stinky-yummy like bacon. A friend told me she was in a tent camping with her sister and a bear showed up. She hit the remote for the car alarm which made the bear back away. They quickly loaded up and drove home. To avoid an encounter, make noise. If you think bear, make noise. When I encountered a bear in Japan, I was already just explained that I was walking this way, minding my own business In the 80s saying an outdoor product had a YKK zipper was sort of meaningless - everything had a YKK Zipper. Not true for about twenty years. I wax my zippers and attach pull strings to them. I've found you can make a long tent zipper take those turns like a Shelby Cobra if it's got some wax and you're pulling on a string at least 8 inches long. The mesh is critical. I think 440 holes per inch or better are what's needed. A lot of gear is only about 250. (I made a PDF Tester that you can print out and lay your mesh over and tell just by looking. I should post that somewhere) I bought a tent at Target and the noseems on Cape Hatteras just went in and out like it wasn't there. A 10% pyrethrin spritz and letting it dry before you leave seems to take care of most bugs. The removable floor also makes it usable as a beach tent. I used to use ground sheets and then I realized the ground sheet was an extra hassle, unnecessary weight backpacking (I know this isn't a backpacking tent) , and at worse it got muddy. So why bother. I've had tents for years, good Big Agnes tents, cheap Target tents. It's not the floor that goes bad. The wind test was good. Tents are bubbles they all flop around and make odd noises. A rain fly is low angle and all triangles. In a storm it's like the weather is on TV, and if you hear an odd noise, it aint the fly. I like the idea of yank it out of the car and pop it up. But the duffel is just too big for my small car. Thanks for the review.
Ummm, you asked how we dealt with bears wandering around the area we camp in; for me, it isn't that big of a deal ---- I just stay home and set the tent up in my backyard, 'til it's time to go to bed -- my bed is comfortable. Stay outta the bears woods and ya' don't worry abt them eating your food OR you. Enj'd the review; had wondered abt the Gazelle; thanks for sharing!! Y'all Be Safe!
This review sold me on the T4, I bought one. I had a rooftop tent (not hardshell) and it was just annoying, especially carrying my dog up and down the ladder.
@@SirWilliamGoes not to mention if it rains a lot and you dont have the ceiling space at home to open the rtt to air dry, forcing you to remove it off the rack to open. Every time. I live in the Pacific Northwest
When my kids were little, we did a lot of tent camping, and nowadays, I'm sticking to "camping" on the patio, and the main things I like about this tent is the ease of setting it up, not crawling in and out of it, all the windows, the quality, and the doors! A great presentation for a really nice product! You have beautiful scenery there, and it should be a pleasure to camp out. Remember to lock your vehicle doors to keep the bears out, because they can easily open unlocked doors!
If a bear wants in it’ll just tear up the door or even easier it will bust the windshield and get in, after is done chewing everything including upholstery it’ll probably leave a steaming present if you catch my drift. Best if there’s no bear box in the campsite you’d have to place cooler in the car and cover it, they know what a cooler looks like and what it has. I live in the mountains and also been camping for 40+ years in the Sierras in California with lots of black bears. So far taking precautions I’ve never had issues.
0 degrees your gonna need a different setup. Something like a canvas tent with a wood stove or a shift pod with a diesel heater something that gives off heat, not this tho
Great Review! I just bought the T4 Overland edition. Only done living room setup so far - it barely fit, this thing is huge!! - but looking forward to taking it out. I do wish I'd been able to find the green one though, the orange is pretty bright!
The only difference between the T4 Overland and the T4 in this video is yours comes with a footprint, better stakes and a water resistant carrying bag. So if you buy the T4 Alpine Green (the tent in this video), upgrade the stakes yourself (optional) and buy a tarp of your choice for a footprint (optional). There is about a $70 difference in price between yours and this one depending on where you buy it. You then have that much to play with to buy those upgrades if you like.
Try a Kodiak Canvas Flex-Bow tent. I have never had any condensation in mine. Easy to set-up. Shakes off wind and rain. I had mine in 40-50 MPH winds, it shook and rattled a bit but stayed standing.
@@SirWilliamGoes The first time you set one up will take 20 minutes. The second time is a breeze. Stake 4 corners, put the flex-bows in the roof and the uprights.
My encounters with bears have always been on the trail, never in camp; one encounter with a mountain lion as I was answering the call to nature but it reeled and ran off when I yelled for my buddies to come help. Squirrels and chipmunks seem to find a way of getting into my trash bag which I hang like a bear bag from a tree but they are just being rodents...no big deal. I never cook in my tent except to boil water for coffee only. I affix a Smittybilt awning to the hatch on my Jeep SUV and cook on a stove or BBQ on a portable grill/fire pit. If I don't sleep in the SUV I will set up a cot or a One Tigris Bungalow at one end of the awning and sleep there. My best sleep occurs during rain storms...absolutely love it. I returned the Gazelle T3 as it was taking up too much space in my car and bought the OneTigris Bungalow which I love (great backpacking option, too).
Hi I had a question, please. Another person who did a review said they love it but it is hot inside due to the screen so no airflow and must leave door open to get cooled off. Thank you
i went camping in yellowstone and two bears came to our campground the first night. that scared me enough to not eat even as much as a candy bar in my tent lol
Sir William...Per your request, I own 11 tents. Never have I ever , nor will I ever cook inside one. In Michigan's U.P. one word says it pretty much why...BLACK BEARS!
I can see cooking inside, first night, if it's just heatin' up some soup or making coffee, but I'd never fry bacon, fish or grill a steak anywhere I didn't want a bear to tear into. I can definitely see cooking in a separate screen house, too. And I'm not afraid of black bears while I'm IN camp. It's all about them tearin' your shit up when you're away. I've camped in tents in grizzly country, but we always did our cooking separate from where we slept. I'm always armed when I'm camping. Might just piss off a grizzly, but if it gets to that point, all you can do is leave your mark on the SOB, because you're toast if it wants you and it's within 30 or 40 yards. This one of the under-reported virtues of an AR-15. It's easy to handle and it's powerful enough to give you a chance with a griz. Much-maligned self-defense weapon.
I've camped in Wyoming, Montana, Alberta Canada etc. If you cook near where you camp you might as well send up a flag as you will probably die. Dogs only attract Grizzlies in these places. I now live in NM and I wouldn't hesitate cooking in a tent. In NM there are no bugs in the dry areas...most areas...so I don't use a tent at all. Enjoyed your video. Straight forward comments just like a real camper would say and do. Thanks.
@@SirWilliamGoes Actually I wouldn't cook in grizzly country. Truck camping with a rifle, maybe, but I wouldn't want to kill one of those critters. I love nature and like to let it be. When I was younger and backpacked in those parts I mentioned I would never cook. I used homemade gorp for my meals and let that do it and then dreamed of going to the nearest restaurant after a few days on the trail. Usually I would suspend my pack a hundred yards away so I could sleep well. I've been lucky as all the bears I've encountered ran in the opposite direction. Luckily too that they weren't females with cubs. Again, great video and very helpful.
This is a really good review. Most reviews are first set ups in the back yard and not really reviews. Just first impressions. Thanks for this in depth review!
Glad to see the review up. I remember your frustration trying to chase the storms. I like the simplicity of it. But the size for transport, it's kinda big.
I bought a Gazelle T4. I did not tuck the footprint under the edges of the tent. When a storm came water got between the tent and the footprint. Inside the tent wherever there were pressure points on the floor such as under the cooler and under my air mattress water seeped through the tent floor. I contacted Gazelle and asked if the floor was breathable? They responded and told me to spray both sides of the floor with a water resistant spray.
Sorry, in my previous comment about cooking in the tent I forgot to thank you for an outstanding review and video, so informative and down to the points. Thanks.
Bears? i've read quite a bit about bear problems, well.... what to do if you are confronted by one.... forget your gun, experts have said not to because you will be so scared, there is a real good chance you won't be able to shoot straight. lol plus in most cases, no need to kill a bear when you don't need to.... so.... i use two things personally .... one is bear spray, and the other is an airhorn. BTW... really good review!! (i have the Gazelle 4 person Overlanding Tent).
If you don't mind the slight noise, put up a small wind chime near your camp site. The bears will avoid the noise. Works in Alaska.
That's a great idea
A hungry bear will ignore all that 😂.
@@carmenmartinez2882 Not really.
I have a t4 plus overland. Been through very extreme weather, including wind gusts to 70 mph.
Even staking the pop out walls, it still collapsed.
Also, the roof frame came apart.
This tent is fine for normal weather, and occasional use. But, it is not indestructable, as some portray it to be.
A better design for heavy winds would be a tunnel shape, which is more aerodynamic, and have less windage.
I give the t4 plus a C plus.
As far as bear repellent, I sprinkle regular scented Pin Sol and straight Ammonia around my campsite. Not too close to the tent mind you unless you appreciate a strong odor of either overnight. Don't ask how I know. And I keep an air horn,bear spray and shotgun with me in the tent. Just encase.
Great review William!
Thanks.
Great review mate 👍👍 from downunder 🇦🇺
Thanks for watching!!
Follow National Park guidelines regarding bears and camping. Thank you for the video! 🏕
Strong enough winds will pop in the hubs even if using the guy lines.
Ive had it up in really string winds 30+ and have yet to see it pop them in when properly secured
I cook in my tent all the time, its a 6 man robens shack, the reason I can do this, is because I live in the UK and most of UK bears are called "Paddington"...lol
lol "Paddington"
Legit just started singing the song.
Dude, you were in my back yard. I live near there. Leaving your door and windows unzipped just a couple/few inches will make packing up quicker and easier by giving the air a way to escape as you fold it up.
Also - bears. Bears in the SE are afraid of dogs since they are hunted with dogs. My 100 lb labranard is a big sissy, but the bears don't know that. I almost never see bears when hiking with my dog and they are never close encounters when I do. I also found a .357 to be a good deterant with black bears - .44 mag or better if you're in grizzly country. Honestly, mice and squirrels getting into my food has been a way bigger problem than bears.
Nice thanks for the tips
10 mm works pretty well for griz if you're running buffalo bore ammo then you have a shit ton of firepower.
One of the best dam reviews I have ever seen on any tent. After watching your review I have decided to invest in a T4 👍
Thank you. Very good investment you'll love it. Please click the link in the description when you're ready
Fantastic review! I’m buying one, thanks! As for bears, I douse myself in bear spray and eat a half dozen of those little bells 🔔 if a bear does eat me I’m getting the last laugh! 🤣😂🤣😂 Subscribed and thanks!!
haha jing aling jing aling!!!!
I live in Montana fuck no I won't cook in my tent and become grizzly food
Thanks for the detailed and weather tent review. Not many ppl do reviews in bad weather !
That was the goal!! Thanks for watching.
Yup.. fantastic review getting close to pulling the ‘trigger’ on one like your other viewers.
As for condensation in really damp conditions, ventilation of course is your best friend. Can you vent any number of those windows during a storm to create air flow?
As for cooking at your car in bad weather (for bear deterrent reasons) consider a DIY awning. Simple, a tarp size of your choice, then some DIY piping attached to your roof rack to hold that end of the tarp taut along side your rig. One DIY’er just bought an 11’ extendable yellow fiberglass (?) rod (used to change light bulbs) to attach to his rig, then the tarp. Just search the topic on YT, you’ll find videos.
A few seasons ago I made myself a 10’x12’ dining fly (to cover most campground picnic tables) out of tyvek. ‘Set me back’ a whole $39 bucks. Tarp came w attachable (sticky tape) grommet mounting points. You’ll tear the tyvek somewhere else b4 the mounting points fails. I have more cost in my Ridgeline and guy out points. I will use the yellow rod ‘method’ to create my own awning hack as well. Stake out the ends of the awning with cheap extendable poles sourced at your big box store or online. ‘Campercovers’ is the guy I buy my tyvek from, he has both an ebay and Amazon store.
Happy trails
Fwiw, Memorial day weekend last year while riding my gravel bike, right before sunset, on a decommissioned logging road, came around a blind corner only to find one if those black four legged ‘critters’ munching on bushes in the middle if the road. Lucky for him, heh, he was more frightened by me than I was of him, off he went, full speed. Impressive beasts.
Cheers.
Grizzlies where we are. Never. Ever. Ever. cook in your tent. Clothing, all food, pots, toothpaste need to be out of your tent and stored in an airtight container in your vehicle. You'd have to be insane to risk it. Not to mention grease which will burn holes in your fabric and odor which will infuse into everything from your backpack to sleeping bag making you a walking human burrito.
20 years MARINE INFANTRY, cold weather training, 30 below, you heat your tent with a camping stove, cook etc. Just be csreful.
I gotta do this, I was wondering if they make vents + fans to blow warm air from a camp fire into a tent to not waste that heat..will definitely use my camp stove and make tea inside tent next time cheers!
I love my gazelle t4 it feels like a little cabin, and for its size super easy for one person to set up. I bought it for when the wife and I go camping. I like that you can order new parts off the website. I am planning on taking mine snow camping this winter and seeing how it does. My only complaint is like you said the door is a little small... and earwigs can make it through the velcro on the floor. I do have to run it corner to corner in the bed of my Tacoma because it is so long but not a big deal.
Awesome. I had wondered about something like a Tacoma bed
I really like your review. We have a 5 side Gazelle hub tent. We always tie the hub eyes to stakes or trees. The top hub can also collapse with snow or ice. You can use a pole inside such as a pvc pipe to help support it. Thanks again for the review.
Finally I review that gets to the point without all the droning on great job I just hit subscribe
Thanks
We have this tent and used it last summer . It performed very well in high winds and moderate rain. It’s goes up and down like a dream. We replaced the stakes as they bent very quickly. I have been camping for 30 yrs and this tent is a winner!
nice!! yeah the setup and take down is certainly a dream
Same here the supplies tent stakes bent here in the hard ground
Get the t4 overland stakes for $20 and you’ll be happy you did.
You definitely have THEE best review of the tent. The only issue I have now is if I want to start with the T4 or the T4 Plus. Thank you!!!
I really appreciate you taking the time to do such a thorough review - even including a wind test! This is very helpful.
Glad you enjoyed
I camp in bear country. No food near my tent. I have a kitchen setup in the back of my vehicle with a great awning. I still make sure to put everything in bear canisters, and then wipe it all down with Pine-sol. Bears hate it. My Dad taught me that 40 years ago, apparently the State of Alaska agrees with him. I have never had an issue with them. (those pesky Bigfoot however...) I just bought a T4-plus, It made it through some big storms in Cherokee and Pisgah NFs my Next test will be Mt Washington in NH. Windiest spot on earth.🤞
get a shriek air horn to scare off bear and a .44 just in case.
Excellent review on the Gazelle tent, one of the best that I have seen. I have the 4 person in orange and camped in once the Mojave Desert, it was great just as you described . We had some pretty strong wind and the sides didn't collapse inward, but I was concerned. I did stake all 4 sides that helped a lot. I found your use of the guidelines very helpful in case of strong winds. I bought the Gazelle for the ease and quickness of it going up plus the roomy size. Thanks for the video, great review .
This video turned me onto that "plus" model, with a screened-in annex. That'd solve your cooking-indoors issue.
Concerning the wind. If you are having difficulty with loose or sandy soil, I picked up a hint that called for adding a some collapsible buckets that you fill with dirt and tie off to the center pulls instead of staking to the ground.
Nice. Good idea
i love this tent, get the foot print for added protection.
Best review so far! Keep up the good work!
Thanks glad you enjoyed
Not a lot of bears in Texas, so cooking in our tent really isn't a problem. That said, we still cook outside mostly. Or in our Gazelle Gazebo.
One of the better reviews of the gazelle T4 I have seen. Thanks for including air flow within the tent and showing the space it took up in your 4Runner during Transit.
Yeah seriously I hot tent allot but I don't cook inside the hot tent, but I do make coffee on the wood stove ,with my t4 tent though I use a swarey 100 watt solar panel on the roof attached to a jackery adventurer 200 power station, and a use a bear fence around the tent plugged into the power station at night .
Just got one! Gonna hang my hammink threw the double doorz ! Thanks for revealing!
What an awesome idea. I may try that too!!!
Awesome video and lots of good information. Thanks for the demonstrations! Beautiful views from your Camp too!
No cooking in tent. The smell would be annoying. I being a midnight snack I guess that would suck too
I enjoyed your previous review of my current tent, the Coleman 6 instant up, and I appreciate you covering what may be my next addition to the camping fleet. Thanks, dude. Back in the 80s when I started camping and spending lots of time outdoors, YKK zippers were standard on tents, cycling gear, jackets, etc.. So good to see them back in vogue. Well done!
Awesome glad you find the vids informative.
Thanks for the outstanding review! Ordered & received my Gazelle Overland Edition (comes w/ upgrade in heavier stakes & a footprint) because of your video! Put it up today in my Florida backyard. I'm soon to be 67yo & not in best shape but had no problems. Nothing came w/ the tent about the guidelines but after watching you I knew exactly what to do w/ them. The whole bag a bit heavy for me, will be keeping footprint, rainfly & stakes in a separate duffle to lighten the load! Thanks again! Take care!
Awesome!!!
Great idea to have separate bags to divide the load. Thanks. I'm 62 so we gotta watch what we carry! Even if our backs feel okay today, the next day is the Tale of the Tape.
Lol. “Depending on which convenience store I’m rushing out of.”
I’m reading about where the poles that extend out from the wall hubs to the floor of the tent make a gap with the Velcro tub floor. Lots of reports of ants and such getting in.
Finally: I’ve camped in bear country lots. While in bear country: never bring food into your tent, or aftershave, toothpaste, or even granola bars. Bears have an extremely well-developed sense of smell.
The gap can occur but I make sure there are no gap by connecting the velcro
I saw the same review about the bugs, and did some digging. The manufacturer said there was an issue with a certain batch that had problems with a gap in the floor. It was corrected. I just couldn't imagine a tent designed to let bugs in.
What I like is that all the walls are under tension, That help to keep the wind from flapping it around like a flag on a pole.
Just bought two of these and so far everything is great other than the crappy aluminum stakes.
Dude im getting one of these next weekend. Im coming home next week from my deployment with the guard and back home my friends and I do volunteer search and rescue so these tents would be absolutely perfect for when we setup camp somewhere when we take the truck. Thanks for the review man!
This video has sealed it for me. Im getting one! I really appreciate the thorough review testing all limits of it!! Thanks man!
one simple way to not think about bears is camp in hooisure national forest!!!!!!!
Ground tents are the best, you can get away from your vehicle, at a nice spot
Great review, Ive been recently looking at these and plan on getting one now
Great review/video. I enjoy my Gazelle T4 and would recommend it to anyone! See ya on the trails.
Thanks
DO NOT put food in your rig... I had a black bear tear my rig to shreds trying to get the horse grain I had stored in a sealed container in the back. Caved in my roof and hood, scratched up my windows (literally leaving claw marks in the glass), busted off both of my side mirrors. Food should be away from tent and rig, like on a rope in a tree so bears cant reach it and its not near anything valuable.
Great advise
I thought about getting one of those last summer I’m still considering it, thanks for Your review 🐟🐟🎣🎣
that is a neat tent, easy to set up for sure. but one sure sign it isnt a great 4 season tent and that it is a fair weather tent is the type of fly it has. also, in our experience the taller bigger tents are much colder in sever weather. a true 4 season tent will have a fly that keeps the rain from ever touching your tent with an air gap in between.helps a great deal with the moister that condensates too. bear tip 101 do not prepare or keep any food in or near your tent.
Yeah I would suspect it gets cold
@Michael Powell the Coleman instant tent
Sadly i don't believe there is much at that price point. I paid almost $500 for our Eureka Assault 4 person 4 season tent and that was on the thrifty end of pricing for a true 4 season tent.
This was a really great review and liked your efforts to present a comprehensive test of the tent. I'm further bolstered in my desire for this tent! Thank You!
Glad you enjoyed. It's a great tent
Buy a microphone just saying thanks good videos.
Your convenient store joke won me over and got you a sub. Great content dude. Keep it up.
🤣 nice!! Glad you enjoyed!!
I have a T4 plus! First time trying it out!Going to mountains soon!
I always spray my tents with a Silicone waterproofing spray
Great idea
I've always used a silicone product called Camp Dry. Miracle stuff!
We live and camp in Northern Michigan. Definitely bear country. We’ve not had an encounter with bears while camping. I employ the three rings of defense: a trip alarm, an three strand electrified fence designed for backpacking, and bear spray. I use this system when we dispersed camping away from campgrounds. With campgrounds, there’s safety in numbers and a lot of human and K9 scent, so there’s no need for the defense system. We also keep our camp site clean and store food in plastic bags, inside a cooler, locked in our truck. We have a Crua Tri. It’s a beast! I am thinking about buying my girlfriend a Gazelle T4 for the camping trips she makes with her nieces and nephews. I like it.
Good tips. The gazelle is a great option
William, im from northetn alberta, canada, No Under No circumstances should you cook in the same place as sleeping, always keep
Coolers
Food
Cooking , AWAY fr Tent say 25-35ft, some kind of distance, they also make a great Hub yiu could use for
Cooking Room and Relax area !!!
Thanks
Good review on the T4, man if that had a stove jack for the top it would be a four season tent.
GREAT REVIEW. Never cook, store food, or eat in my tent. Learned the hard way. Throw a bag or leave in auto. I really the color of your T4. Just pulled the trigger on the T4 Overland edition. Now cot shopping....any reviews? Not more sleeping pads :)
I have the Go Kot which is made in USA and super durable. It holds me 250+ and I can jump in the middle of it!!! It also packs down really small. Enter promo sirwilliamgoes for a discount Campingcot.com
No, I don't cook inside my tent. I'll set up another cover for my little kitchen area. I generally keep the food put away in my truck at night.
Nice review…but I have a 2018 Tacoma DCSB and I think it may be too long. Ive also got a Yakima Skybox and would have to see if it could fit in that. Looking at buying this for a trip to Cape Lookout and Im concerned about the constant wind blowing there right off the ocean.
Definitely too long. Maybe you could check sideways
600$ in Canada and it leaks, my cheap Coleman never leaked in rain, my Gazelle arrives today, if it leaks I’m sending it back for sure
Well your right, they sadly leak. It’s been raining for 2 days now, light rain but it is slowly leaking under 3 or the 6 window vents and seeping through one of the walls in the grey section near the bottom. It also had a few stain marks which I don’t appreciate on something new. I will be sending it back and try another one because I like setting it up and the high roof, but a leaky tent is not an option I will live with
Pee around your campsite for bear deterrent. Don't actually know if it helps but it's what myself and my hunting crew have done for years. Great video by the way, excellent job!!!
I think it works too!!!
Nope, nope, never. I camp 90% in bear country, no food smell, no snaking, toothpaste etc. Taught my son since he was little. First time he saw a bear close to the tent he understood why.
I think I've come to the conclusion no tent camping in bear country, particularly grizzly
Best way to keep bears away is to not cook in your tent.. try to keep all food prep and eating 10+ feet away from your sleeping area. my neighbor got pulled put of their tent when I was a kid. Bear didn't hurt her but was after her toothpaste... go figure... was fucking scary though to hear a woman screaming bloody murder and having your father start yelling at a bear. Neighbor was dragged 3 feet out of her tent. But ya she kept her toothpaste in a pocket in her sleepingbag.. bear found it and got it... if you ever see a bear with pearly whites say hi from me.
Wow thats wild!!!
You wanna keep bears away. This is what you do. Get a few pounds of bacon and burn it. Bears hate the smell of burning bacon.
🤣🤣🤣
Thanks for the great review! Mine’s on the way. It seems to have about the best headroom in the smallest footprint of any of the tents I’ve looked at.
I’ve been using the same 10’ x 12” monster tent for over a decade and it’s been an awesome tent. But, I realized on my last trip that I’m just tired of setting it up... if I can even find a big enough flat spot to set it up:)
thanks, you will enjoy for sure.
Bacon and eggs every morning have not yet had one bear problem in Michigan, Idaho, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Arizona or New Mexico
Nice
I use a 357 as my bear repellent as I don't think I have the nuts to wait for a hungry bear to get within 10' of me before I hose him down with a spray can hoping he will run off and not just get passed off !
I use similar approach!!
Best rule don’t shit or eat where you sleep
I have the idea that if you staked the corners it would be a lot easier to just walk around and pull those tabs. For every action... the other side ought to stay put. For this tent, it's the other side. Great rain fly toss. I'm jealous. For dummies like me I'd have a line on each side, then attach one side and toss the line over or walk around and pull on it.
I'll cook inside my rain fly - no worries. It's a fly, 360 degrees of GTFO and my JetBoil (contained flame) is on ground not on the bottom of a tent that's going to move if something happens to the wall. In my tent I'll cook in the vestibule but always off to the side making sure when I do set fire to the tent I've got a clear path out. Mostly I make coffee, I cook eggs, veggies, no meat, nothing really food stinky-yummy like bacon. A friend told me she was in a tent camping with her sister and a bear showed up. She hit the remote for the car alarm which made the bear back away. They quickly loaded up and drove home. To avoid an encounter, make noise. If you think bear, make noise. When I encountered a bear in Japan, I was already just explained that I was walking this way, minding my own business
In the 80s saying an outdoor product had a YKK zipper was sort of meaningless - everything had a YKK Zipper. Not true for about twenty years. I wax my zippers and attach pull strings to them. I've found you can make a long tent zipper take those turns like a Shelby Cobra if it's got some wax and you're pulling on a string at least 8 inches long.
The mesh is critical. I think 440 holes per inch or better are what's needed. A lot of gear is only about 250. (I made a PDF Tester that you can print out and lay your mesh over and tell just by looking. I should post that somewhere) I bought a tent at Target and the noseems on Cape Hatteras just went in and out like it wasn't there. A 10% pyrethrin spritz and letting it dry before you leave seems to take care of most bugs.
The removable floor also makes it usable as a beach tent.
I used to use ground sheets and then I realized the ground sheet was an extra hassle, unnecessary weight backpacking (I know this isn't a backpacking tent) , and at worse it got muddy. So why bother. I've had tents for years, good Big Agnes tents, cheap Target tents. It's not the floor that goes bad.
The wind test was good. Tents are bubbles they all flop around and make odd noises. A rain fly is low angle and all triangles. In a storm it's like the weather is on TV, and if you hear an odd noise, it aint the fly.
I like the idea of yank it out of the car and pop it up. But the duffel is just too big for my small car. Thanks for the review.
Glad you like the review. Also glad you reminded me I needed to pick up some Permethrin.
Ummm, you asked how we dealt with bears wandering around the area we camp in; for me, it isn't that big of a deal ---- I just stay home and set the tent up in my backyard, 'til it's time to go to bed -- my bed is comfortable. Stay outta the bears woods and ya' don't worry abt them eating your food OR you. Enj'd the review; had wondered abt the Gazelle; thanks for sharing!! Y'all Be Safe!
Thanks.
This review sold me on the T4, I bought one. I had a rooftop tent (not hardshell) and it was just annoying, especially carrying my dog up and down the ladder.
Yeah that's one of the reason we can't do an rtt is because of dogs.
@@SirWilliamGoes not to mention if it rains a lot and you dont have the ceiling space at home to open the rtt to air dry, forcing you to remove it off the rack to open. Every time. I live in the Pacific Northwest
When my kids were little, we did a lot of tent camping, and nowadays, I'm sticking to "camping" on the patio, and the main things I like about this tent is the ease of setting it up, not crawling in and out of it, all the windows, the quality, and the doors! A great presentation for a really nice product! You have beautiful scenery there, and it should be a pleasure to camp out. Remember to lock your vehicle doors to keep the bears out, because they can easily open unlocked doors!
If a bear wants in it’ll just tear up the door or even easier it will bust the windshield and get in, after is done chewing everything including upholstery it’ll probably leave a steaming present if you catch my drift. Best if there’s no bear box in the campsite you’d have to place cooler in the car and cover it, they know what a cooler looks like and what it has. I live in the mountains and also been camping for 40+ years in the Sierras in California with lots of black bears. So far taking precautions I’ve never had issues.
My whole deal is keeping warm at night. I realize it’s not a 4 season tent but hopefully it retains heat in zero degrees.
0 degrees your gonna need a different setup. Something like a canvas tent with a wood stove or a shift pod with a diesel heater something that gives off heat, not this tho
Great Review! I just bought the T4 Overland edition. Only done living room setup so far - it barely fit, this thing is huge!! - but looking forward to taking it out. I do wish I'd been able to find the green one though, the orange is pretty bright!
The only difference between the T4 Overland and the T4 in this video is yours comes with a footprint, better stakes and a water resistant carrying bag.
So if you buy the T4 Alpine Green (the tent in this video), upgrade the stakes yourself (optional) and buy a tarp of your choice for a footprint (optional).
There is about a $70 difference in price between yours and this one depending on where you buy it.
You then have that much to play with to buy those upgrades if you like.
Pee 25 yards away from your camp
Oh really!!! I didn't know that was a thing too!!!
The bag the tent comes in do you think it would hold up if you was to strap it down on top of vehicle to make more room inside
Yes that’s what i did. Works great but beware of thieves!
Try a Kodiak Canvas Flex-Bow tent. I have never had any condensation in mine. Easy to set-up. Shakes off wind and rain. I had mine in 40-50 MPH winds, it shook and rattled a bit but stayed standing.
Nice. I like those but they look a bit complicated to set up
@@SirWilliamGoes The first time you set one up will take 20 minutes. The second time is a breeze. Stake 4 corners, put the flex-bows in the roof and the uprights.
Northern Rockies. Inside tent cooking is death. To many predators
Ive since learned!! I was in Montana last month and came to the conclusion that I wont be tent camping there!!!!
My encounters with bears have always been on the trail, never in camp; one encounter with a mountain lion as I was answering the call to nature but it reeled and ran off when I yelled for my buddies to come help. Squirrels and chipmunks seem to find a way of getting into my trash bag which I hang like a bear bag from a tree but they are just being rodents...no big deal. I never cook in my tent except to boil water for coffee only. I affix a Smittybilt awning to the hatch on my Jeep SUV and cook on a stove or BBQ on a portable grill/fire pit. If I don't sleep in the SUV I will set up a cot or a One Tigris Bungalow at one end of the awning and sleep there. My best sleep occurs during rain storms...absolutely love it. I returned the Gazelle T3 as it was taking up too much space in my car and bought the OneTigris Bungalow which I love (great backpacking option, too).
Man great info, thanks!! I'll have to check the bungalow out. That's the only downside to a gazelle, too much space
Stake the floor first!?!
Hi !! Thanks I order it today T4 Alpine Green !!!!
Hi I had a question, please. Another person who did a review said they love it but it is hot inside due to the screen so no airflow and must leave door open to get cooled off. Thank you
I have heard people talk about the air flow but I haven't experienced any issues.
The biting flies are flies or noseeems.
i went camping in yellowstone and two bears came to our campground the first night. that scared me enough to not eat even as much as a candy bar in my tent lol
I bet
Sir William...Per your request, I own 11 tents. Never have I ever , nor will I ever cook inside one. In Michigan's U.P. one word says it pretty much why...BLACK BEARS!
I can see cooking inside, first night, if it's just heatin' up some soup or making coffee, but I'd never fry bacon, fish or grill a steak anywhere I didn't want a bear to tear into. I can definitely see cooking in a separate screen house, too. And I'm not afraid of black bears while I'm IN camp. It's all about them tearin' your shit up when you're away. I've camped in tents in grizzly country, but we always did our cooking separate from where we slept. I'm always armed when I'm camping. Might just piss off a grizzly, but if it gets to that point, all you can do is leave your mark on the SOB, because you're toast if it wants you and it's within 30 or 40 yards.
This one of the under-reported virtues of an AR-15. It's easy to handle and it's powerful enough to give you a chance with a griz. Much-maligned self-defense weapon.
Thanks for the tip
Greta point
We do not cook in the tent.
I've camped in Wyoming, Montana, Alberta Canada etc. If you cook near where you camp you might as well send up a flag as you will probably die. Dogs only attract Grizzlies in these places. I now live in NM and I wouldn't hesitate cooking in a tent. In NM there are no bugs in the dry areas...most areas...so I don't use a tent at all. Enjoyed your video. Straight forward comments just like a real camper would say and do. Thanks.
How far away from the tent would you cook in grizzly country
@@SirWilliamGoes Actually I wouldn't cook in grizzly country. Truck camping with a rifle, maybe, but I wouldn't want to kill one of those critters. I love nature and like to let it be. When I was younger and backpacked in those parts I mentioned I would never cook. I used homemade gorp for my meals and let that do it and then dreamed of going to the nearest restaurant after a few days on the trail. Usually I would suspend my pack a hundred yards away so I could sleep well. I've been lucky as all the bears I've encountered ran in the opposite direction. Luckily too that they weren't females with cubs. Again, great video and very helpful.
I can't wait to order mine! It's good to know the tent handles well in the rain and wind. Maybe a snow test next time? ;)
Burr!!!!
This is a really good review. Most reviews are first set ups in the back yard and not really reviews. Just first impressions. Thanks for this in depth review!
Glad to see the review up. I remember your frustration trying to chase the storms.
I like the simplicity of it. But the size for transport, it's kinda big.
Size is a bit big I understand that
I bought a Gazelle T4. I did not tuck the footprint under the edges of the tent. When a storm came water got between the tent and the footprint. Inside the tent wherever there were pressure points on the floor such as under the cooler and under my air mattress water seeped through the tent floor. I contacted Gazelle and asked if the floor was breathable? They responded and told me to spray both sides of the floor with a water resistant spray.
That's interesting I haven't had that same issue
@@SirWilliamGoes Good to know. Gazelle didn't comment on whether my floor was typical. Thanks for the reply.
Rule #1 of ground tent camping....always tuck your tarp or footprint under the edge of the tent! You won't have that issues again.
@@84shortyota what do you mean? Do you have a link with pictures of how it should be?
Just roll the edges up underneath the outer edge of the tent. That's it!
Sorry, in my previous comment about cooking in the tent I forgot to thank you for an outstanding review and video, so informative and down to the points. Thanks.
Lol, first world camping problems you know. Best bear deterrent, claymores lol.
Great review
Bears? i've read quite a bit about bear problems, well.... what to do if you are confronted by one.... forget your gun, experts have said not to because you will be so scared, there is a real good chance you won't be able to shoot straight. lol plus in most cases, no need to kill a bear when you don't need to.... so.... i use two things personally .... one is bear spray, and the other is an airhorn. BTW... really good review!! (i have the Gazelle 4 person Overlanding Tent).
I have a Gazelle T3 tent and was in a couple of storms with high winds including hail last week in Texas, and the tent has held up beautifully.
Just gotta tie it down
Thinking about purchasing the T3 - how is for standing up inside (i'm about 5''8). That's why I'm considering either a T3 or T4
Great review! Thanx
Best review by far of the gazelle t4!!!! Really enjoyed it and just got myself one!
Glad you enjoyed
The “intense” “in-TENTS” joke never gets old 😂
Needs a larger rainfly. Should not be having any seepage. Thanks
A rain fly that doesnt cover the entire tent is not a rain fly.
Very good review. You hit every aspect of a good tent. Thanks
Glad you enjoyed