Thanks for the pics. Looks like it may work out well for us!
Gazelle Tent
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pnwcruiser
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For a family of 4, is the T4 enough space? The T4Plus looks great, but the extra room seems to be unusable for PNW weather or am I missing something about it's weather proofing on the extra room? The packed size seems crazy huge for a tent. Setup looks fast, take down looks like a pain. Would love more info from people using for a family of four or more in the T4 and T4Plus
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I am also interested in the rain resistance of the screen room/vestibule.
Enthusiast III
I hesitated to write this review but decided I should share my experience with the T4 tent. I got my tent from the OB store. I was looking for a larger, easy to erect tent. Based on reviews and the sale price I decided to take a risk and ordered one.
My first impression was the tent was of a very clever design but made of very cheap material (More on that latter). It is very easy to put up and take down. The interior is very roomy. You would have no problem putting cots in there. The doors and windows were more than adequate and the zippers very functional. One con is the door and mosquito netting have to be opened separately instead of a single unit. I had no problem getting the tent into and out of its carrying case.
We drive an FJ Crusier. The tent will go in the cargo compartment with rear seats down. You either have to lay it diagonal in the compartment or have it protrude into the front. No matter what it takes up lots of volume. I wound up carrying it on the roof rack. It is heavy but not that hard for two people to put on the roof. We have a Gobi roof rack and the tent rode well there.
We took the tent on a 4 day trip to Death Valley. Camped at 5000 ft. Temperatures were below freezing at night. It did not rain and wind was light. The tent worked fine but almost immediately I noticed small holes starting to appear in the floor, main canopy, and carrying case.
On our return, I contacted Gazelle about the issue since the tent was still under warranty. The only things they wanted were for me to send them pictures of the holes and the serial number of the tent. They told me I could keep the old tent and they sent me a brand new one that arrived in less than a week.
That was outstanding customer service and I am more than satisfied with how they handled the problem. Maybe I just got a lemon, but I suspect this is a known problem to them and they have seen this issue before. I have no clue if this is limited to a single production lot or a more universal problem. As I said the material appears very cheap when compared to my backpacking tents. Since l don’t totally trust it, I’m debating keeping the new tent or moving to something else.
My first impression was the tent was of a very clever design but made of very cheap material (More on that latter). It is very easy to put up and take down. The interior is very roomy. You would have no problem putting cots in there. The doors and windows were more than adequate and the zippers very functional. One con is the door and mosquito netting have to be opened separately instead of a single unit. I had no problem getting the tent into and out of its carrying case.
We drive an FJ Crusier. The tent will go in the cargo compartment with rear seats down. You either have to lay it diagonal in the compartment or have it protrude into the front. No matter what it takes up lots of volume. I wound up carrying it on the roof rack. It is heavy but not that hard for two people to put on the roof. We have a Gobi roof rack and the tent rode well there.
We took the tent on a 4 day trip to Death Valley. Camped at 5000 ft. Temperatures were below freezing at night. It did not rain and wind was light. The tent worked fine but almost immediately I noticed small holes starting to appear in the floor, main canopy, and carrying case.
On our return, I contacted Gazelle about the issue since the tent was still under warranty. The only things they wanted were for me to send them pictures of the holes and the serial number of the tent. They told me I could keep the old tent and they sent me a brand new one that arrived in less than a week.
That was outstanding customer service and I am more than satisfied with how they handled the problem. Maybe I just got a lemon, but I suspect this is a known problem to them and they have seen this issue before. I have no clue if this is limited to a single production lot or a more universal problem. As I said the material appears very cheap when compared to my backpacking tents. Since l don’t totally trust it, I’m debating keeping the new tent or moving to something else.
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pnwcruiser
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Enthusiast III
That's not a good sign. Backpacking tents are intended to be super lightweight, so durability of a heavy tent should be even better. Thanks for the honest review. I'll have to keep looking. Any holes in the bottom of a tent here in the PNW would be a no go.
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Just wondering if you had anything under it to protect from rock punctures when you walk on the floor. Also, wouldn't it be prudent to place a piece of flexible carpet material on the inside floor area ? I haven't camped for years now and the tents I've had in the past had really good canvas material. Everything is cheaply made these days and real canvas is out of reach on cost, probably too heavy as well which affects the cost of shipping drastically. I'm about to pull the trigger on a T4 but after reading your post I have real doubts about buying one.
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I usually use floor protection under my tents. On this tent I didn’t have anything to fit so I didn’t on this trip. The floor is made made of a heavier material than the rest of the tent and is held on with hook and loop so it is easy to replace So in theory a damaged floor would be easy to replace. Points to conside: 1) issue was not confined to floor but included low stress areas like sidewalls and the carrying case, 2) we were careful to remove all sticks and stones so tent was erected on flat, sandy surface, 3) we only walked in bare feet inside, and 4) I may not be the world’s most experienced camper but I’ve owned and used many tents over the years and this issue seems abnormal to me.
If the damaged had been confined to just the floor I’d have just patched it and keep my mouth shut. I got concerned when I saw it on the side walls. I should point out this was not a catastrophe failure. We continued to use the tent and did not suffer because of these holes. It’s the long term use Im concerned about.
I really hesitated to post this because I didn’t want to start something. Lots of people use these tents and are clearly very happy with them. Their customer service was outstanding. Maybe my experience was unique But I felt I should share it.
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pnwcruiser
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Enthusiast III
I think you're being fair. I also feel you got good customer service, and for many this tent is a great product. Being a consumer in a very wet/cold environment, I have a different threshold for gear requirements than people in more dry and warm climates. I've used 4 season North Face tents where I didn't even need to sleep in a sleeping bag and another camper in my group got frostbite in a cheaper quality tent. I'm an old Boy Scout, Be Prepared.
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I'm also in the same geographical dilemma, and had been considering the T3 (it'll barely fit in the bed of my truck, T4's packed size is too big), but just not sure. Have you found any other options you're considering (as far as ground tents go)?
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Is Four Season the name of the tent yourvtalking about ?
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I'm pretty sure "four season" is just referring to the ability to use it in all four seasons (ie winter/snow)
Pathfinder III
I also purchased a T4 last year and used a few times. As other confirmed already, the tent is big and kinda heavy. Good news is that I can fit it in the back of my 4Runner, putting down a single seat in the back row. It seems to fit just enough to close the hatch (which also helps to keep in place while driving).
So far I only camped in summer. The ventilation could be better. We got windy and rainy nights, no issue with that. Regarding durability, I sadly had a similar issue as @Edward Ruth. After the first night, I notices that the floor (that since to be made of a sturdier material) had a couple of small holes. I also contacted the customer support that very quickly sent out a new floor. The good thing is that the floor is detachable (hold in place with velcro) so that was an easy fix. The second floor held fine so far after 3/4 additional nights).
The closing process is a bit annoying if you are by yourself but after a few times you can improve and make it faster.
Overall, I am satisfied. Very big and quite tall, very easy and quick to setup. I hope the rest of the tent, especially the structure, will hold fine in the next years. Downsides: it's big and heavy. If I could go back I might buy the T3 instead.
So far I only camped in summer. The ventilation could be better. We got windy and rainy nights, no issue with that. Regarding durability, I sadly had a similar issue as @Edward Ruth. After the first night, I notices that the floor (that since to be made of a sturdier material) had a couple of small holes. I also contacted the customer support that very quickly sent out a new floor. The good thing is that the floor is detachable (hold in place with velcro) so that was an easy fix. The second floor held fine so far after 3/4 additional nights).
The closing process is a bit annoying if you are by yourself but after a few times you can improve and make it faster.
Overall, I am satisfied. Very big and quite tall, very easy and quick to setup. I hope the rest of the tent, especially the structure, will hold fine in the next years. Downsides: it's big and heavy. If I could go back I might buy the T3 instead.
Pathfinder III
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Are you alone on your outings ? As much as I like big I have been thinking like you, maybe a T3 will do just as well. $100 cheaper too. I don't know how well I could handle the weight of a T4 anyway with my arthritic knee and hip (on opposite sides) Thanks for the post, it will help me make up my mind about tents.
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It's usually me and my wife, even if I handle the tent by myself without any problem. The T4 is pretty big, we can fit a double mattress with plenty of space left for clothes, small table and chairs.
If it is just for you, I would go for sure with the T3.
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Just me, I think your right. The cost savings will allow me to buy a better cot for my bad back or a buddy heater for the tent. :-)
Thank you very much for posting your experience. I don't think you should be concerned sharing any real-world experiences with a product as these are exactly the type of anecdotes that help users pick what will be best for them.
I can second the fragility of the floor, I didn't think to mention it in my posts about this tent and I feel a bit negligent for that. I damaged my floor on day one by clumsily unfolding a cot and pinched the material, putting a 1/2" cut in the material. I chalked it up to my own mis-handling and patched it right up with a tent-patch kit I have on hand. Whenever I set this or any other tent up I make sure I have some sort of ground sheet that I expect to be more durable than the floor itself (blue walmart tarp) to protect from rocks and sticks. Then my wife usually insists on some thing laid out inside as well for her comfort. ( ) have been really nice I must admit.
These precautions have prevented punctures and wear/tear for several multi-day uses now and I'm confident in it's long-term use.
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Perfect, exactly what I would do with any tent or canopy-awning situation. Thanks, I was looking for an outdoor carpet but I think this item is better because of the waterproof bottom. An underlayment for the tent is a must in my opinion.
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I follow a couple's u-tube channel Staples-n-tents they have the T4 plus and it seems very practical because of the extra porch especially in inclement weather, you have shelter to remove dirty shoes before entering the tent itself, I would think that it would be great for base camp but for daily set-up and tear down to move to new locations not so much. I remember our first OB trip, how long me and my wife took to pack up our stuff using our regular ground tent, ever since I have been trying to pair things down. We currently don't use a tent at all. Set-up my rig to sleep in and use a stand alone awning next to my rig . We are going to use this set-up until I finish building my off road trailer.
