By clicking a retailer link you consent to third-party cookies that track your onward journey. If you make a purchase, Which? will receive an affiliate commission, which supports our mission to be the UK's consumer champion.

09 Oct 2024

Best pop-up gazebos for 2024

Find out out which pop-up gazebos are most durable and waterproof and which flew away when the winds picked up

Jonny MartinResearcher & writer

In this article

We've tested pop-up gazebos from Argos, Amazon, The Range, Vonhaus and more, ranging in price from £35 to well over £200, including some gazebos with sides.

Over the past few years we've pitched them for a few days in winds that, at times, gusted above 30mph. Far too many of the gazebos we tested couldn't stand even a puff of light wind without releasing themselves from their pegs' grip and rolling across the field.

However, there's one pop-up gazebo we've tested that's streets ahead of the competition for durability and quality, and it gets our top recommendation.

Only logged-in Which? members can view the pop-up gazebo test results below.

Join Which? to get instant access to our test results and Best Buy recommendations below.

Ease of pitching/collapsing	Durability in light wind	Durability in strong gusts
Easy	Excellent	Excellent
Easy	Average	Excellent
Easy	Average	Excellent
Easy	Excellent	Average
Easy	Excellent	Very poor
Very difficult	Excellent	Very poor
Difficult	Poor	Excellent

Date tested: March 2024, March 2023 and March 2022. Page last checked: September 2024. Durability in light wind was tested in gusts up to 15mph. Durability in strong gusts was tested in gusts of more than 30mph, which exceeds the stated competence of every gazebo we tested. We're not able to show every retailer and cheaper prices may be available.

The pop-up gazebos we tested

All the pop-up gazebos we tested are listed in alphabetical order below.

Only logged-in Which? members can view the best gazebos from our tests.

Join Which? to get instant access to our test results and Best Buy recommendation below.

All Seasons Gazebo

Pros Log in now or join Which? to unlock our test results

Cons Log in now or join Which? to unlock our test results

Most recently tested March 2023

Dimensions 3 x 3 metres

Colour options Beige, grey, white

Gazebo with sides No

Guy ropes Yes

Argos Home 2.7m x 2.7m Garden Gazebo

Pros Log in now or join Which? to unlock our test results

Cons Log in now or join Which? to unlock our test results

Most recently tested March 2022

Dimensions 2.7 x 2.7 metres

Colour options Green

Gazebo with sides No

Guy ropes No

Argos Home 3m x 3m Garden Gazebo

Pros Log in now or join Which? to unlock our test results

Cons Log in now or join Which? to unlock our test results

Most recently tested March 2024

Dimensions 3 x 3 metres

Colour options Green

Gazebo with sides No

Guy ropes Yes

Argos Home Weather Resistant Garden Gazebo

Pros Log in now or join Which? to unlock our test results

Cons Log in now or join Which? to unlock our test results

Most recently tested March 2024

Dimensions 3 x 3 metres

Colour options Blue

Gazebo with sides Yes

Guy ropes Yes

Choose well, buy better and save money using our expert tips Get our Weekly Scoop newsletter – it's free

Dawsons Living Waterproof Premium Garden Event Shelter

Pros Log in now or join Which? to unlock our test results

Cons Log in now or join Which? to unlock our test results

Most recently tested March 2024

Dimensions 3 x 3 metres

Colour options Beige, grey

Gazebo with sides No

Guy ropes Yes

Gorilla Gazebo

Pros Log in now or join Which? to unlock our test results

Cons Log in now or join Which? to unlock our test results

Most recently tested March 2024

Dimensions 3 x 3 metres

Colour options Black, white, blue, grey, green, red, cream, brown

Gazebo with sides Yes

Guy ropes Yes

Master Canopy Durable Pop-up Gazebo

Pros Log in now or join Which? to unlock our test results

Cons Log in now or join Which? to unlock our test results

Most recently tested March 2022

Dimensions 3 x 3 metres

Colour options Grey, black, navy blue, blue, sky blue, beige, white, green, red

Gazebo with sides Yes, it has one side wall

Guy ropes Yes

Outsunny Pop-up Gazebo

Pros Log in now or join Which? to unlock our test results

Cons Log in now or join Which? to unlock our test results

Most recently tested March 2024

Dimensions 3 x 3 metres

Colour options Grey, cream

Gazebo with sides Yes

Guy ropes Yes

Outsunny Pop-up Gazebo Party Tent

Pros Log in now or join Which? to unlock our test results

Cons Log in now or join Which? to unlock our test results

Most recently tested March 2024

Dimensions 3 x 3 metres

Colour options Black, white, brown, blue, black

Gazebo with sides Yes

Guy ropes Yes

Sanheng Pop-up Gazebo

Pros Log in now or join Which? to unlock our test results

Cons Log in now or join Which? to unlock our test results

Most recently tested March 2022

Dimensions 3 x 3 metres

Colour options Grey, blue, green, white

Gazebo with sides Yes

Guy ropes Yes

The Range Garden Heavy Duty Gazebo Marquee

Pros Log in now or join Which? to unlock our test results

Cons Log in now or join Which? to unlock our test results

Most recently tested March 2023

Dimensions 3 x 3 metres

Colour options White, blue, green

Gazebo with sides No

Guy ropes Yes

Toolport Pop-up Gazebo Economy

Pros Log in now or join Which? to unlock our test results

Cons Log in now or join Which? to unlock our test results

Most recently tested March 2024

Dimensions 3 x 3 metres

Colour options Black, blue, cream, green, grey, orange, purple, claret, white

Gazebo with sides Yes

Guy ropes Yes

Trail Outdoor Leisure Dome Gazebo With Sides

Pros Log in now or join Which? to unlock our test results

Cons Log in now or join Which? to unlock our test results

Most recently tested March 2023

Dimensions 3.5 x 3.5 metres

Colour options Grey

Gazebo with sides Yes

Guy ropes Yes

Vonhaus Slate Grey Pop-up Gazebo Set

Pros Log in now or join Which? to unlock our test results

Cons Log in now or join Which? to unlock our test results

Most recently tested March 2022

Dimensions 3 x 3 metres

Colour options Grey

Gazebo with sides Yes

Guy ropes Yes

Vounot Pop-up Gazebo

Pros Log in now or join Which? to unlock our test results

Cons Log in now or join Which? to unlock our test results

Most recently tested March 2023

Dimensions 3 x 3 metres

Colour options White, green

Gazebo with sides No

Guy ropes Yes

Entertain outdoors in style with our pick of the best pizza ovens, BBQs and camping chairs you can buy.

Gazebos pitched in the rain and snow — Gazebos pitched in a field

As well as being a doddle to put up and take down, a good gazebo should be able to handle a bit of wind and rain. Manufacturers recommend that gazebos should be taken down in anything more than light wind, but we know most people don't do this.

We pitch our pop-up gazebos for a week to put them through their paces. Over the years we've tested, we've consistently seen wind gusts around 30mph.

We regularly revisit the gazebos on sale to see if there are any more popular ones and test them.

Find out more about how Which? is not influenced by product manufacturers or retailers and how your support helps us to stay edittorially independent

A gazebo in a gust of wind — Gazebo straining under windy conditions

Wind resistance

Nearly all the pop-up gazebos we have bought came with a warning: 'Don't use in high winds'. Over our years testing gazebos we've seen which will topple in a light breeze and which can stand up to wind speeds of more than 30mph.

Rain on a gazebo roof — Rain drenched gazebo canopy

Rain resistance

Poor gazebos can get saturated roofs that will eventually sag and leave pooled water on top. During our testing week it regularly rains heavily. We rate each pop-up gazebo on how well they stand up to the elements.

A bent gazebo pole — A broken gazebo frame

Build quality

Each pop-up gazebo is rated for build quality. There's a noticeable difference between the strength and quality of the fabric of different gazebos, as well as the robustness of the poles that make up the frame.

Ease of use

We time how long it takes to put up and take down each gazebo. We also rate each one for how easy it is to adjust the height and tighten the fabric roof.

Make more of your garden – get our free Gardening newsletter for top tips from our experts

How to put up a gazebo (and keep it up)

Grab a friend. Although you can certainly put a gazebo up on your own, it's easier and quicker with two people.
Before the gazebo frame is fully extended, put the fabric cover on. If you extend the frame before putting the cover on, you'll find it very difficult to stretch the fabric over the frame. Put the fabric over the frame first, and you'll open the frame and find a nice, taut fabric cover on top.
If working on your own, the action of unfolding a pop-up gazebo is a bit tricky, you'll need to work your way around each corner of the gazebo, teasing the structure out until it's fully extended. If you're working in a pair, you can simply grab two corners each and pull apart.
If it's even a little bit windy, you need to use the provided pegs to secure each corner to the ground. Better still, attach a guy rope to each corner too and peg down firmly at a 45-degree angle.
Buy better pegs. Most gazebos we tested come with cheap pegs that bend easily and don't do a good job of securing a gazebo on a windy day. A set of power pegs will secure it much more robustly than the pegs provided. We use this £12.95 set from Amazon to secure the gazebos we review overnight at our testing field, so that they wouldn't blow away and scare livestock when we weren't around to chase after them.

Yes. Our testing has shown you can get a decent garden gazebo for less than £100, if you pick carefully to take on your next camping trip, or provide shade and shelter in a back garden for your next at home get together.

Yes, but it would be wise to check the weather forecast first. You should only leave one up overnight if you're confident that winds won't gust over 15mph and you've pegged it down, or weighted the legs down properly.

Our testing has shown that in even light winds, some gazebos are prone to flipping over and the frame breaking.

Yes. The covers of all those we've tested are rainproof. However, some provide better protection from the elements than others.

The best covers go on tightly and don't noisily flap throughout the day. The worst have ill-fitting covers that allow water to pool in puddles on the roof, and they're really noisy in the wind, too.