Shade is everything when you camp in the heat. We took the Adventure Kings gazebo to Wilpena Pound Campground in the Flinders Ranges in December, when the temperatures were very high, and it came in very handy: it really helped us keep camp cooler.
What You’re Getting
A 3 × 3 m folding pop-up gazebo: a square-reinforced, hammertone-finished steel frame with 30 × 30 mm legs, a quick-release central hub and a blue Kings canopy rated UPF 50+. The legs have pin-locks with four height settings, the feet have plates you can peg down, and guy ropes hold the corners. Kings sells gazebo tents, walls and mesh flooring to go with it. It’s a simple gazebo: don’t expect super good quality, but it does the job. Packed, it’s a long, heavy load at 159 cm and about 22.6 kg, so it’s one for the car rather than carrying far. We paid about $120.
What we like
- Very budget-friendly
- Solo setup in under two minutes
- 30 × 30 mm hammertone steel frame
- UPF 50+ canopy
- 4-stage leg height adjustment
- Walls, tents and floor available
What we don’t
- Footprint is really 2.9 × 2.9 m
- Seams can leak in heavy downpours
- Corners and joints need guy ropes
Quick Specs
| Spec | Details |
|---|---|
| Brand | Adventure Kings |
| Weight | About 22.6 kg packed |
| Size | 3 × 3 m |
| Packed size | 159 × 24 × 22 cmin its box |
| Frame | SteelHammertone finish30 × 30 mm legs |
| Peak height | 3.12 to 3.32 m |
| Canopy | 420D Oxford polyesterPU-coatedUPF 50+ |
| Head clearance | 2.18 to 2.38 mleg settings |
| Legs | Pin-locks4 height settings |
| Feet | Foot plates with peg holes |
| Tie-downs | Guy ropes |
Setting it up
Setup is a one-person job. The quick-release central hub lets you open, pop up and lock the whole frame in under two minutes. You then set each leg with its pin-lock, which has four heights to clear low obstacles or even out uneven ground: head clearance goes from 2.18 m on the lowest setting to 2.38 m on the highest, with the peak of the roof at 3.12 to 3.32 m. On the red dirt we pegged down each foot plate and ran guy ropes from the corners.
Shade in the heat
This is what it’s for, and it did the job. At Wilpena Pound in December, with very high temperatures, the gazebo gave us a big patch of shade over the camp table and chairs, and it really helped us keep cooler.
Rain and wind
The fabric is PU-coated and waterproof, but in heavy downpours it does get minor leaks along the stitching and roof seams. The roof is a lighter 420D Oxford polyester; the upgraded Kings Plus gazebo has a heavier 550D roof with anti-pooling vents. The corners and joints are the weak points too, so protect them with heavy-duty guy ropes.
The 3 × 3 m size is really a 2.9 × 2.9 m footprint. Kings’ own walls and tents fit, but generic third-party walls or inner tents can sag or not fit properly.
Conclusion: Kings GazeboConclusion
The Adventure Kings gazebo is a simple folding gazebo that gave us a big patch of shade in the December heat of the Flinders Ranges, and it really helped us keep camp cooler. It sets up solo in under two minutes, but the seams can leak in heavy downpours, the corners need good guy ropes, and the footprint is really 2.9 × 2.9 m. It’s a simple gazebo, so don’t expect top quality, but it does the job, and for about $120 it’s a good pick for car campers, 4WD tourers and families who camp in hot weather.
A simple folding gazebo that made a real difference in the Flinders Ranges in December heat.
Not top quality, but it does the job, and good value at about $120.
- Car campers
- 4WD tourers
- Families
Yes. I paid about $120, and in the December heat of the Flinders Ranges it was one of the most useful things we had.
