Berghaus Easy to Pitch Inflatable Air Shelter with 4 Side Panels, 3m x 3m Event Shelter, Camping Shelter, Gazebo, Ideal for Camping, Garden Parties and Outdoor Events, Camping Equipment

Product Information

Many campervans and tents, especially large family ones, have add-on shelters or awnings, usually designed specifically for that model, but we’d argue that a freestanding gazebo is far more versatile. The best gazebos can be used to create a cosy porch, a communal living space between tents to eat or relax, a playroom for the kids if the weather’s bad, or just a bit of shade at a summer party. It’s made from a hard-wearing woven polyester recycled from 100% plastic bottles – a trend we love seeing in outdoor equipment – that’s also Global Recycled Standard certified so, in theory, it can be turned into more tents at the end of its life. It is a little expensive, but considering the usable space, the durable design, and the fact it utilises Vango’s superb 3,000mm HH waterproof Sentinel Eco fabric – made from recycled single-use plastics – you get plenty for your money. The flysheet is waterproof to 3,000mm HH and offers UV 50+ protection. And, thanks to the tunnel shape, so long as you’re mindful of the wind direction, you can remain sheltered from the breeze as well as the sun and the rain, while the gently arched sides still offer enough through-ventilation to prevent a strong gust from causing havoc.

If you’re keen to use your gazebo as somewhere to escape the sun, or to relax as a group, then a domed design will be perfect. Look for an easy-to-pitch gazebo with four poles and plenty of guy ropes, pegs and straps for stability, as gazebos can easily come loose in strong winds. The metal components should ideally be made of stainless steel or aluminium. The Trigon AirHub also comes with a groundsheet, and there are four triangular doors that unzip and fold away easily, opening up whichever sides you want. The remaining triangular sections also feature insect mesh windows if you need extra ventilation. It’s a great design for windy and cold conditions, but be warned: baked by the sun, it can get a bit hot, even with all the sides removed. You may come across the term Hydrostatic Head (HH), which is how fabric water-resistance is measured. This is accompanied by a number, such as 5,000mm HH, which means that the gazebo fabric can hold a column of water 5,000mm tall. So, the larger the number, the better the material at battling the elements. With that in mind, the gazebos we have selected here are all very easy to pop-up and pop-down, so treat it well, keep it clean, and don’t leave it standing out when not in use, and you should get many years of use. The large 3.6 x 3.6m shelter provides a shaded area for up to eight people and associated furniture, while the four removable zippered mesh sidewalls, complete with mosquito netting, protect from sunshine (UPF 50+) and rain.Made from 6,000mm HH polyester and featuring taped seams, the Air Shelter offers the same level of weather protection as many tents, and it will take hours, if not days, of relentless rain before the fabric gets saturated. Two sides feature doors with full-length mesh panels, the other two have windows and curtains, and the roof has skylight panels, giving you a wide range of options for adjusting interior lighting conditions. Inflatable gazebos and shelters are starting to become both popular and affordable, and they cut pitching time significantly – just pump and peg out. You’ll need a compatible pump though, and these aren’t always included. What size is best? Key specs – Main material: Weathershield Redux polyester; Weight: 8.5kg (approx); Dimensions: 230 x 230cm; Height: 230cm

With no poles to slot together, All Seasons promises that it will only take you a couple of minutes to get this foldable gazebo up and ready to go. And, once you’ve got the roof cover on, you theoretically never have to take it off again, which makes it a great option for assembling in a hurry when the weather turns sour. An inflatable option, there are no pesky poles to be bothered with or even anything to push into place. Simply pump it up with the included two-way double efficiency stirrup pump and pressure gauge, and watch the Berghaus, complete with four zip-away doors (two of which feature mesh windows and curtains) and skylight roof panelling, arise before you and any envious neighbours. The Hub 2 employs hardwearing, difficult-to-tangle guy straps for securing it to the ground, and there’s a ground sheet included which can be removed using the simple toggles in each corner.With 16m² of space beneath it, this great value shelter from Outwell is absolutely enormous. Perfect for group camping trips, or huge families, it has a generous peak height of 2.45m and the entrance height is 1.8m, so only the very tallest will need to stoop to seek cover. If you’ve ever struggled with assembling domed gazebos, you’ll find this a refreshingly easy pitch, although the tunnel design does still make it a two-person job. We’ve selected some of the best freestanding gazebos on the market and have included an option for most budgets; however, before we launch into our recommendations, we’ve put together a brief guide to buying the best gazebo for you.