Gazelle T3X Review - SELL YOUR ROOFTOP TENT AND BUY THIS INSTEAD | Car Camping Tent | Overland Tent
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 22 มิ.ย. 2021
- We recently sold our rooftop tent and purchased a Gazelle T3X in its place and we couldn't be happier. In this video, we will review the product briefly and talk about other tent options for overlanders and how they compare.
Gear and Mods Links:
Gazelle T4: amzn.to/3vZRTHI
Gazelle T3X: amzn.to/3ztKdiQ
Overland gear:
Best Long Travel Shocks: amzn.to/2EY9vxX
Best front springs: amzn.to/37nJsdN
Best front shocks: amzn.to/3fiRyXw
Best rear springs: amzn.to/30yaNIF
Best inexpensive tablet for navigation: amzn.to/2C29acd
Diff Drop: amzn.to/2B3Myri
Diff Breather: amzn.to/2B3hHuB
amzn.to/2BZasVe
Cheap yet great overland fridge: amzn.to/3hkj88R
Power for everything: amzn.to/3j7bySr
Photography and Video
Our favorite drone: amzn.to/3qgvxxW
The Best Photo/Video Camera for Hiking/Trave Filmakingl:amzn.to/3g8gHIk
The Most Versatile Lens Ever: amzn.to/3gchd84
Camera Cleaning Kit: amzn.to/2PAZ8FD
The Best Gimbal for Traveling: amzn.to/3v4uXqL
Cheap Lens for Astrophotography: amzn.to/3c70SxI
Mini Tripod: amzn.to/3uWfed1 - แนวปฏิบัติและการใช้ชีวิต
I wanted to answer a few questions that got asked after we had produced the video.
1. Does the velcro floor have any spots where critters and bugs can get in the tent? Like in the corners?
No. The floor velcros together securely and leaves no gaps.
2. Are the zippers of good quality?
Yes. They are easily the best zippers I've ever seen on a tent. Far better than the ones we had on our rooftop tent. They don't ever get snagged on the tent material.
Shocked it has a velcro bottom. I'm worried about pulling off water under the tent seeping in. Isn't that a deal breaker?
@@jamesm9560 so the floor Velcros in but it’s still a bathtub style floor. I have no concerns about water seeping in.
Oh okay. But.. When would my wife ever want EXTRA SPIDERS?!? Ha
@@TheFraziers I just have one question before purchasing this tent. Do you think it will hold up to a good rain?
@@robbywhite4291 Totally! It held up great during pretty heavy rain back in May.
I'm a new T4 Plus owner. I've been on two primitive camping trips...i love my tent. I can set this up and break down so fast. I have limited use of my left side, surgeries; I'm a senior...and I can still put this up by myself as a solo female. I'm camping again, w/my dogs and loving it! Like Lincon said...Thank you Gazelle.
7:16 if you are going to use a tarp/ground cloth under a tent you should make sure it does not extend past the floor of the tent. Set up the way you guys have it the tarp will funnel and possibly pool water under the tent floor. Ideally the tarp should be about 4-6 inches smaller than the floor itself so it doesn't hang out past the tent floor. This will avoid excess water getting under the tent floor.
Yeah, I found this out the hard way. I thought it would be nice to have a little tarp "porch" area just outside the door - tarp is 6 x 8. I had a small pool in the center between tarp and tent after a rain.
I disagree. I use my tarp to avoid condensation on the floor. Any part of the bathtub that contacts the ground will be wet in the morning & has to be fully dried before packing away.
I'd much rather risk an occasional rain than guaranteed condensation. Pitch on a slope or rise & pooling water isn't a concern.
Just got the T4 one and love it. Good choice.
I’m getting the Gazelle T3X for my partner. She’s going to love it! When we overland cold weather camp, we use my Crua Duo Maxx with the Culla. Keeps us toasty warm! Great video and review! You’ve earned a like and follow! Happy Camping!
I feel like the rooftop tent trend makes people feel like they have to buy a $1000+ tent before they can even start camping, so thanks for this video and dispelling that myth! haha and keep up the great content!!!
Yup. It bothers me how many “overlanding” channels feature them. They are really non essential for camping.
They have their place and are a huge convenience when going on long overlanding trails. Otherwise they definitely aren't necessary, just convenient. I overland with a ground tent and always get asked the same question "Why don't you get a roof top tent?" and sure I wouldn't mind having one. They're quick to setup, no dragging anything out of your vehicle, they don't really get dirty, they give you a good view of your campsite. But they're expensive, heavy, take up all of your roof storage space, you have to climb a ladder to go to sleep or go down to pee in the night, take up so much room in your garage, hit your mpg a little too...
I don’t know many people that get roof top tents. They just aren’t very versatile at all and they are ridiculously expensive for what you get.
Great work on this review. Was hoping for a run-down of your new tent. Keep up the good work.
Great review guys
Really good and thorough video! Well done
You are awesome, Great honest review!
I like mine. I bought the t3x hub for 239.00 bucks when they first came out just this last year and looking at the price of them now I'm glad I bought mine when I did. There more of a darker green than the previous t3x which was a lighter green. Nice tents!
Very helpful review - thanks!
I LOVE my T4. Best tent I’ve ever bought and will be the last tent I buy.
It’s a GREAT TENT! Love it!
Great reivew. I like these colors better than the hunter orange. Also you'll want to tuck the ground cloth under the tent so no exposed areas will gather rain and funnel it under the tent.
I own both a rooftop tent and a Gazelle T4 and I love them both! My rooftop tent is the Yakima Skyrise I bought used for $700 about 4 years ago and it’s been great. It’s extremely lightweight and easy to put on and remove from the truck. If anyone is still considering a RTT buy used. I think rooftop tents are great for those campers who stay at the campgrounds like state parks, beaches and lakes. I’m one of those campers. I purchased the Gazelle specifically for National park & Forest camping. I find myself driving to destinations while visiting those parks and the Gazelle is perfect. I can see overlanders ditching RTT’s especially because putting up/breaking down camp daily can get tiresome. This past weekend I took both tents camped at the beach in Malibu and used my Gazelle T4 as my closet. Highly recommend both tents!
Pleasant easy to watch review on a good tent
I think you're spot-on about being budget-minded. Because being budget-minded isn't just "find a cheapest garbage." It's about, you know, having something that is worth the money, it's all about value, like for instance... I bought a $1,400 Jeep Grand Cherokee as my first 4x4 and it was great for a year two but you can't expect that buying the cheapest possible thing in a particular segment is going to be the best value you know? Smart buying is where you out smart the consumer cycle of nihilistic smarty pants.
I know it's two years later, but i really appreciate your review and comparison with roof top tents. Most reviews are basically box opening videos and you don't get a sense of how they actually used the tent. THANK YOU.
For what its worth, we still have this tent and still enjoy it. We did find that it needed a little bit of a seam sealer added but overall, still a great tent for us!
I ditched my Smittybuilt XL RTT for a Gazelle T4+. Agree with your assesment.
A minor quibble: removal of the rainfly cannot be done without collapsing the top. Just as you can only install the fly when top is in collapsed position. What little rain or snow collects on the domed shape, can be slapped off with a hand from under the fly.
As another noted, always make sure your footprint and/or tarp under the tent doesn't extend out beyond the tent si1 persondewalls. Rain drips from the wall, onto the tarp below, then runs under the tent floor.
I originally purchased a T3, which had a zipper failure due to a dust devil experienced on the Alvord Desert. It was covered under 1 yr. warranty, but they were out of the T3, and didn't have the T3X yet - it would've been months before I could replace my tent, so I upgraded to the T4 Overland Edition. That one had zipper failure as well. Still under 1 year from original purchase, they replaced that one with another T4 Overland Ed. About to go back on the road with this one. It had a couple of leaks, but those have been sealed.
I do think it's a good value, but could stand some re-engineering/redesign of the doors, I think. Too much stress put on the zippers by the hubs, IMHO. Quality control should've ensured the seams were better sealed. All things considered though, I do like mine. Very roomy for 1 person.
Camped with my sister recently. I was in a straight T3 she had a new 10x10 of a style she'd liked in a smaller size. I was up in 90 seconds as advertised and it took two of us and ten minutes to get hers up, and it wasn't as sturdy. She came home and ordered a T4. suggestion on the rain... just go around and shake the edges of the rain fly before you take it down. Better yet, wait a couple of hours with the sun on the tent if you can and it will be dry as a bone. Fold the edges of the tarp so you can't see it under the tent and you won't have any problem with water collecting between the tarp and the bottom of the tent.
I respect the Gazelle, but nothing beats my Roam XL Mattress
Hmm this looks like an attractive purchase... I sold my blazer and now I’m camping with an 80s corolla haha I want as much comfort as a can!
Thank you for the video..!!
Thanks for watching!
Such a nice review. My tent has been ordered and on its way. Past two years it was out of stock all the time. I paid 299.00 with free shipping on Wish. Amazon has them too. They do sell out fast. You seem like such a mellow couple. I could never understand the rooftop tent. So expensive and climbing in and out is a hassle. Can't wait to get my tent.
You won’t be disappointed. A year later, we still love this tent just as much.
Enjoyable and informative! Keep it up!
Count me in. I had 3 different roof top tents (Smittybilt, Tuff-Stuff Overland and currently have the most desired one with a year wait time - GFC Superlite). Ready to pull the trigger on T3X or T4 and sell the RTT. I guess will be going with T4 as T3X isn't available anywhere until 2022.
Nice to hear another opinion. The only downside to the gazelle tents in my opinion is that lack of availability. Seems like they need a new production method.
This looks like an attractive purchase... I want some comfort when camping since I sold my blazer and use a 80s corolla now haha
A nice big tent like this and a foam pad and you’ll sleep like a baby
... I love her hoodie haha
Otter makes the same style tent but it's insulated for winter... just thought I would mention it..
agree regarding "budget." "Buy once. Cry once." for some things can be the fiscally responsible thing to do. The T3 will last forever, even with weekly use. Also, all of the parts are replaceable and available from Gazelle.
I am a huge fan of Gazelle tents, but a hardshell RTT is also a great solution. The softshell tents are so cumbersome to deal with.
We just got rid of our hardshell tent and honestly found it to be one of the worst products we've ever tested. The setup and break down were honestly just as bad as a soft shell tent.
@@TheFraziers I’m referring to wedge shaped hardshell tent, super simple setup/tear-down in my experience. Regardless, what works for you is the only thing that matters.
Do you think a queen air mattress would fit?
I would be glad to help you test out if 4 people can sleep in the tent comfortably!
We’ll give it a go in a few months 👍
Curious what you are using for a mattress in the tent? I have a rtt and thinking of ditching it. Only thing is the comfort the rtt has. I am just over the taking it down part to go see something new to only come back to same camp spot.
We're actually just using these innexpensive foam mattress things you can buy at Lowes/Home Depot. Like this: www.lowes.com/pd/Tenex-24-in-x-72-in-White-Foam-Sheet-Multipurpose-Flooring/1002893038?cm_mmc=shp-_-c-_-prd-_-dcr-_-ggl-_-LIA_DCR_266_Home-Accents-and-Furniture-_-1002893038-_-local-_-0-_-0&gclid=Cj0KCQiAxc6PBhCEARIsAH8Hff1ngKfsWIPumoXJncui5XwGeUCDcEEyMpGD4e5aD3fEuic2nnmU_usaAnN_EALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds
We just set two of them on the ground next to each other and its almost as nice as our bed at home.
@@TheFraziers thanks
yes its hard to get now. i just got mine from a third part on amazon.
Awesome find! Let us know how you like it!
I would get one if they would get rid of the mesh ceiling. I do most of my camping in cold weather & can't have all my heat going through the ceiling.
If you’re winter camping I’d look at a big canvas tent. This tent really isn’t intended for winter camping.
Thank you for this video!
Hey, how is the Sequoia holding up? I can't seem to find a good used 4wd like yours. At least for a good price. Is the 4wd absolutely necessary for the trips that you guys mostly go on?
We could likely get away with 2wd about 99% of the time. Our 4wd gets used mostly during the winter. Our valley gets about 100 inches of snow annually so it’s really important then. For camping trips, we could get away with 2wd if we were careful to avoid “sticky situations” haha
Also, it’s holding up great. Over 250,000 miles and still runs silky smooth. The original alternator did just go out, but that’s understandable given the age and mileage.
@@TheFraziers thank you! You guys inspired me to look for off road worthy used vehicles that are affordable. I've found that particular platform to be one of the most reliable, and serviceable. I seem to have found an abundance of 2wds that are basically the same size, but obviously lacking the prowess of 4wd, lockers, etc. I live in central Arizona, and the off road trips I've taken so far to camp spots mostly required a decent suspension, and the ability to air down and up along the way. I may just grab a 2wd and throw on a lift, and some larger tires and rims.
Thank you for getting back to me. And thank you for sharing this particular video review. You may have just saved me hundreds on a nice tent purchase.
@@TheFraziers hey! How do you like the refrigerator that you have listed for your gear as well? Do you know that the power source that you have listed below is not sold anymore?
@@johnryan115 We've been quite pleased with it. I have heard from other sources that it's not the most insulated fridge but it's good nonetheless. I'd probably check out Revere Overland for good information on fridges. I just updated the link for power. Thanks for the heads up.
Why did you get rid of rooftop tent? Gas mileage perhaps? My sequoia gets 12.9 average so trust me… I know the pain and with gas prices in California… further about it! I love the new tent by the way
Gas mileage was one factor but there were many more reasons. We despised the setup and especially the breakdown. We found it was not as easy as people would claim. It also was impossible to do without climbing on the roof and risking life and limb lol. I despised climbing up and down to use the bathroom at night. We hated being stationary to one spot after setting up. We'll likely make a video on this topic soon.
I know we are talking about camping lol but, How often do bugs get inside the tent? Factoring that the floor is Velcro.
The Velcro is pretty secure. We’ve never had bugs get in
@@TheFraziers thanks for such awesome review. Great team work! That was a fast response, thanks again have a great day. Keep on camping 🏕 ☀️
Snacks in the tent…must be no bears where you are.
Dont know if you are aware of it, but staking the tent is part of the "set up" so the time you gave to "set up" the tent is misleading.
With this tent being as sturdy as it is and with the design already allowing for close to maximum interior space, I'd say staking out is optional except with windy weather. We often don't stake it out and it works great still.
whats the dimensions
Is Google broken???
Can't wait to watch your... Pitch... For Gazelle.... Okay I'll leave.
Haha nice one!
All I can think about is bears and Cougars. Have u guys ever come across wild animals while your sleeping or cooking food???
The only time I can think of is when I (Dillon) had a large moose approach my tent around 3am when I was out solo backpacking. I just yelled and clapped my hands and it left.
People have used ground tents for a long time. Animals are pretty much never a problem if you handle food correctly.
We have camped with this tent in grizzly country and made sure to be extra carefully with storing food and carried our bear spray and firearms with us.
And you think a roof tent is going to prevent bears or mountain lions from reaching it? Lol. The thing is to mind your food storage, I’ve never been in Grizzly territory but plenty in black bear and cougar country, so far no problem, 40+ years ground tent camping.
The Velcro floor is kinda gimmicky. Getting it installed again is a major pain. You are better off using a broom or shop vac to clean the tent floor.
I have never taken all out and I’ve own a T3 for several years but is convenient to open up about 10” to toss out the dirt after I’ve swept it, then just close again.
No way you can fit 4 people, I have it and 2 people is all, 3 is pushing it.
Love my Kodiak tent. It’s super high quality and I love being able to stand up in it at 6’2”
I was definitely tempted to get one. They look great.