Gazebo Tent

Another kind of quick-erecting tent is the gazebo tent, which unpacks quickly and then goes up with an unfolding, concertina-like action. These basically have the expandable metal frame underneath the roof area.

Erection is simple enough, and can be done by two people in a couple of minutes. The gazebo frame is pulled open to almost their full width and breadth, and then the roof is thrown across the frame and secured to the four corners and the tent expanded fully. Then the extra pieces are fitted to the four legs, to take the tent up to its full working height.

At this point the walls (if you are using them) can be hung around the base of the roof, rather like a set of curtains, and steel tent pegs can be hammered into the ground next to the four legs to stabilize the structure. Alternatively, bricks or stones can be placed on the metal feet. 

These gazebo tents are the large-ish, square, type canopy shelters which are often used as fairground-type trading stalls or police scene-of-crime protective screens. These portable shelters are often 3x3 meters or 10x10 feet square, or multiples of that size.

The longer gazebos, such as the 6x3m (20x10 ft) and even bigger marquee tents also work well as temporary car ports. They can shade your automobile, RV or camper, protecting your investment from fading paint work and minimising the inevitable rust and corrosion.

Some people like to use these gazebos as party tents or dining shelter tents to keep the rain or summer sun off their guests. They can also do a good job at a fixed camp site if you are feeding a group of happy campers.

Some gazebo tents have a full-height rear wall and table-height walls on the two sides and front. Others shelters have full height walls on three or four sides and while there are simple gazebo tents which have just a roof, with no side walls at all.

You need to decide exactly what tent you need and look around carefully for the structure which come closest to your ideal gazebo shelter. Check several camping supply stores and don't make any purchase in a hurry. If you plan on buying online, such as from eBay or other web sites, then find out how much you are going to have to pay in postage or courier charges, and possible taxes or customs duties if the tent must be sent interstate or overseas.

I am sure you don't want to pay too much, but that you will also expect your gazebo tent to last you a decent amount of time.

A much smaller type of camping tent you might need sometimes is the shower tent or toilet tent.