When it comes to camping, overlanding or exploring and enjoying nature, you become reliant on your gear to take you there and bring you back. Not everyone is Bear Grylls: Man Vs. Wild, or an extreme survivalist—nor do you have to be by any means. You just have to have a little bit of curiosity, be ready for adventure and have the passion to explore the great outdoors.
When you trek out into the unknown to see the hidden beauties of the world or take that road less traveled, you need a place to lay your head at the end of each day. There is no shortage of tents on the market to purchase, but it’s up to you to find that right one for you. Everything from ground tents, to rooftop bed rack-mounted tents. Personal preference is a key factor in deciding what is right for you.
When it comes to overlanding and offroading, most adventurers prefer rooftop-mounted tents.
Deploying the tent and packing it back up is quick and painless. Another benefit is you are suspended off of the ground eliminating the trace amounts of dirt and mud that always get in the tent and getting away from the critters. No matter how careful you are, it always finds its way in. Always!
Although the positives to the rooftop-mounted tents seem endless, some downfalls may be overlooked. The price of these tents can cost an arm and a leg, which makes them less desirable. If you take your furry four-legged friends on your adventures with you, which most of us do, getting them in and out of the rooftop tents can be a pain as well. Unless, of course, you can train your dog to climb a ladder.
Another overlooked aspect is the weight of these tents. Once mounted to the vehicle it can add an extra couple hundred pounds. That excess weight, paired with the other gear you have mounted to your rig, can affect your ride and your fuel economy.
Setting Up Camp
For the traditional campers, like me, ground tents are the way to go.
When it comes to finding a tent there are a few features you want to look at before committing. The material the tent is made out of, the rating for weather conditions, and the ease of set up. I cannot stress enough the importance of the ease of set up.
I can remember camping with my father when I was a kid and the tedious task of pitching our tent. Even though we used the same tent time and time again, it never got any easier. It seemed as if the aluminum poles never matched up, or we assembled them wrong and had to start all over. We even color-coordinated them with paint to ensure we paired the right ones together, yet somehow we still struggled.
There is nothing more frustrating than spending 20+ minutes trying to figure out which rods go where just to set up camp. Especially at the end of the day when it’s a race against the clock, and the sun is setting quickly. The Gazelle T3 Hub Tent has mastered the process of setting up your tent fast. No more fumbling around in the dark or struggling with support rods.
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Deploying Tent
Gazelle advertises that the T3 Hub Tent can be set up in 90 seconds or less. When I first received the tent upon ordering it I wanted to test it out.
I had my doubts because every tent advertises how quickly their tents can be set up. Well, I am here to confirm that it does just that! I was anxious to test it out, so much so that I set it up in my driveway.
The pop-up method
The T3 Hub tent utilizes a pop-up method with pre-sewn webbing loop handles in the center of all four walls of the tent. Simply lay the T3 Hub Tent in the desired spot you plan on setting up camp. Then grab a hold of the loop handle, and pull outward until the wall pops into place. Walk around the outside of the tent, doing this to each side, until the tent is free-standing. Once the tent is upright, relocate to the inside of the tent and push up on the bottom of the roof hub until it pops into place.
When the tent is set up fully, you can now attach the rain fly if necessary or wanted. The rain fly can be attached with the roof popped into place, or before popping the roof into place. Simply drape the rain fly over the top of the tent, and insert the rain fly connector pole to the roof pole. Do this for all four corners, then attach the rain fly corner hooks to the hub loops located in the center of each wall on the outside of the tent.
All of this took me less than 90 seconds to do, without staking the tent to the ground. I was truly impressed that Gazelle delivered exactly what they promised. A tent that sets up in 90 seconds or less.
Tent Features
As I mentioned above, the tent utilizes a pop-up method which eliminates the headache of inserting and weaving aluminum poles throughout the tent.
No more figuring out which poles go where, or worrying about them snapping or bending upon insertion. Every camper feels my pain when I say this.
Gazelle T3 Features
One of the main features is the detachable flooring to the T3 Hub Tent for easy cleaning after trips. For the stargazers out there like myself, the tent has six tight-weave mesh windows, two D-shaped doors with tight-weave mesh screens, and four tight-weave mesh screens on the roof.
The inside of the tent has two side storage pockets, as well as wall-mounted pouch pockets on all four walls. The T3 Hub Tent is waterproof with a shell rating of 2,000mm, and a floor rating of 5,000mm. I was fortunate enough, if you want to call it being fortunate, to test it out during a stormy night. I was impressed at how well it wicked water away, especially with strong winds and heavy rainfall.
I was also very impressed with the amount of room inside the tent. After harboring my spouse and me, as well as our 90lb German Shepherd, there was still plenty of space for extra storage. When the tent is fully collapsed it measures at 55” long which allows you to store it into the backseat or trunk of most vehicles. It takes up very little space and that makes transporting it efficient.
The duffle bag it comes packaged in is waterproof as well, so you don’t have to worry about it getting soaked if you toss it in the tailgate or up on your roof rack. I pack my T3 Hub Tent behind my storage bin in the bed of my truck, and I haven’t had any issues.
Final Thoughts
If you are looking for the most bang for your buck, and a super-fast set-up tent then look no further.
I was truly impressed with the Gazelle T3 Hub Tent, and it met every one of my expectations. From durability to the ease of set up. No more struggling with poorly written instructions, and fumbling with 6 different aluminum poles trying to figure out how to set up your tent just to go to sleep.
With the Gazelle T3 Hub Tent, you can spend less time setting up camp, and more time exploring the trails and enjoying quality time with family and friends around the campfire.
Finally, at the time of publication, the Gazelle T3 tent is currently sold out in most major retailers. You may be able to find a few remaining tents online if you really get to searching. We spoke with Gazelle and they informed us that the tent was undergoing a redesign and will be debuting sometime in late 2020.
The T4, however, is still available. The only difference is that the T4 is larger. The design is the exact same.
