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A good pizza is a thing of beauty – but can you really get that perfect wood-fired crust while camping in the bush? Gozney says you can with Tread, their new portable pizza oven for camping. But what if you’re a newbie to pizza ovens and not that great at cooking to start with? Let’s find out!
In this article, we’re going to take an in-depth look at the Gozney Tread portable pizza oven, from unboxing to cooking, to see if it really is a game-changer for camping and off-road cooking.
What is the Gozney Tread?
The Tread is a pizza oven and accessory system that is small and light enough to be considered portable. Running on LPG (the 9kg camping/patio bottles are perfect), it weighs in at 13.5kg and fits a 12-inch pizza. External dimensions are 420mm width x 485mm depth x 320mm height. More specs can be found a bit further down.
Gozney knows how to make pizza ovens; their previous Dome design sold out in eight hours and made over $10 million in sales. So they’re not new to the pizza oven game and already have a good rep for a quality product.
This one differs from their other pizza ovens (and most others on the market) because it is compact, portable and has accessories that make it easy for camping, such as a sturdy space-saving stand and a roof rack that transforms the oven top into a prep station.
Unboxing and first impressions
Gozney were kind enough to send the Tread portable pizza oven to us for a test before its official release, and as they included quite a few accessories for us to try out, it got delivered to my front door on a pallet in multiple boxes. Once I finally got it all inside, the first thing I noticed was the matte finishes on the boxes and the black polystyrene packaging. It might just be clever marketing, but it instantly felt like a premium product before I had even unboxed it.
The Tread portable pizza oven itself is of aluminium and steel construction with a removable cordierite cooking stone, so it feels and looks rugged from the get-go. However, the stand and roof rack are what truly set this pizza oven apart. Both are solid, and the four-legged stand even has a leveller on top. Of course, once the pizza oven was on it, I gave it a good wobble to see if it had any give, and it didn’t. One bonus is that once it’s on the stand, you can swivel the pizza oven around 360 degrees to avoid any breeze that might attempt to snuff out your flame.
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In addition to the stand and roof rack, the remaining accessories, consisting of a storage bag, mantel, placement peel, utility peel, pizza cutter and infrared thermometer, are all sturdy and feel nice to the touch. The bag, in particular, was impressive with how rugged it felt. You do, of course, have to pay extra for these accessories, but the portable pizza oven can be used stand-alone on a table without them.
Setup and ease of use
The Gozney Tread portable pizza oven was very easy to set up, even for a newbie like me. When it first arrives, you’ll need to install the gas burner guard to the left-hand side of the oven floor (it slots right in) and also a provided AAA igniter battery in the back of the oven.
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After that, it’s as simple as folding out your stand and getting it level, plonking the Tread on top, connecting the LPG and slotting on any accessories you have. In my case, it was the roof rack on top and the mantle in front. The accessories require no tools and simply clip or slide into place.
When it’s fired up for the first time, Gozney says that you need to put the burner on a medium to low flame for 30 minutes to help cure the oven. This was easily done, and it turns on like a regular gas cooker in that you push the control dial in till you hear a click, then turn it 90 degrees clockwise to get the gas flowing and start the flame. I’ve fired it up six times in total now, and it’s started the first time every time so far.
The Gozney Tread portable pizza oven can reach up to 500 degrees Celsius in 15 minutes. It also cools down quicker than expected, taking around 20 minutes.
So all up, it’s very beginner friendly. However, for anyone unsure, it comes with some easy-to-read instructions, and if you’re not much of a reader, there is also a QR code to scan, which links to some video instructions on the Gozney website.
Let’s cook – testing the Gozney Tread portable pizza oven in the wild!
At this point, I let the kids take over to make the first pizza. Although Gozney has great recipes and tips on its website, we winged it with a pre-made ball of pizza dough from Woolworths. Bad idea. Neither the kids nor myself did a great job of turning that ball into a nice round pizza base. My eldest reminded me that it all looks the same once you’ve chewed it up, so we went ahead and made that pizza on a very dubious-looking base.
They went for a simple cheese pizza and then a ham and cheese. The Gozney Tread portable pizza oven actually cooked them really well (despite the shape of the pizza base) and had that nice, crispy but not burnt crust that you would get on a traditional wood-fired pizza.
Of note is the way the flame works on the Tread, which Gozney describes as a “revolutionary lateral gas burner”. It comes out of the left-hand side and arcs up towards the roof, following the inside of the pizza oven. Going by the thermostat on the side and the fact that I am yet to burn a pizza, it appears to hold temperature like a champ.
Was it a fluke?
Just in case it was a fluke, we tried it again the next day, but this time with some pre-made pizza bases. I’d like to tell you which type of pizza I made, but basically, I threw lots of stuff on it – capsicum, mushroom, salami, avocado, pineapple (sorry – not sorry) and smothered the whole lot in three-mix pizza cheese.
What I did notice this time with a full-sized pizza is that because of the open door on the portable pizza oven, it doesn’t quite cook evenly. However, I was aware of this beforehand, and it can be easily fixed by using the Venture Utility Peel accessory. You simply slide it under the pizza and rotate it a little bit. I reckon I even looked a bit like an expert using it.
So, did it produce that signature, wood-fired style pizza in the wild? Yes, it absolutely did, and I couldn’t be more happy with the resulting pizza.
It wouldn’t be as easy without the accessories
However, I wouldn’t have been able to do this without the accessories. In particular, the:
- Tread Roof Rack: Used to store the hot tools and place the pizza once it comes out. Our pizzas didn’t even make it to a plate. You can just grab a piece off the top and eat it while you’re cooking the next one. Fewer dishes = winner.
- Tread Mantel: Allows you to turn the pizza more easily by acting as a base to slightly pull the pizza out and rotate it with the Venture Utility Peel. It also stops you from accidentally dropping the pizza on the ground while you’re placing it in there and getting it out.
- The Venture Placement Peel: For getting the pizza in and out of the portable pizza oven.
- The Venture Utility Peel: For rotating the pizza while its cooking.
- The Tread Venture Stand: Provides a safe place off the ground for your Tread pizza oven. It doesn’t matter if the ground is uneven, as the four legs adjust individually. At the lowest height, it’s perfect for using the top roof rack as a prep bench, and at the highest, it’s prime pizza cooking height.
There are definitely some accessories that you could do without, like the pizza cutter and infrared thermometer, but in the absence of the ones mentioned above, I think the Tread would lose part of its appeal when it comes to ease of use.
How versatile is the Gozney Tread portable pizza oven?
Cooking
In terms of pizza, you can cook anything up to 12-inches. Beyond pizza, Gosney has quite a lot of recipes on their website that can be cooked in the Tread, from baking recipes to steaks to deserts. I haven’t tried anything other than pizza yet, but stay tuned as I plan to put it up against my Weber in the near future to see who does what better.
Transport
Gozney says it’s the world’s most portable pizza oven, and it might well be so. But at just under 14kg for the oven itself, it could be a bit hard to manage for some people. Carrying is made easier by its shape, which you can carry with two hands by hugging it to your chest or by the handles on the top.
It should be transported in your vehicle inside the carry bag to protect it from getting banged up by your other camping gear, or if you’ve got it on your patio, to stop wasps and other critters making a home in there. But in general, I found it easier to leave the bag in the car and carry the Gozney by the handles to where I wanted it.
How does it handle wind, dirt and other real ‘bush’ conditions
Dirt is easy to manage with the Tread Venture Stand, which keeps it off the ground, and the Tread Venture Bag, which stops dust and other crap from getting in while you’re driving and storing it. The wind picked up enough to blow the flame out while I was using it, but it was as simple as relighting and rotating the portable pizza oven on the stand to avoid it. If it’s really blowing a gale and raining, you’re unlikely to be cooking pizza outdoors.
Who is the Gozney Tread portable pizza oven suitable for?
- Anyone camping with a vehicle.
- Camper trailer and caravan owners.
- Those looking for a small patio-sized pizza oven.
- Anyone seeking a portable pizza oven!
Important questions answered
What are the specs of the Gozney Tread portable pizza oven?
- Pizza capacity: 1 x 12-inch pizza
- Oven weight: 13.5kg
- External dimensions: width 420mm x depth 485mm x height 320mm
- Internal dimensions: width 315mm x depth 485mm x height 150mm
- Oven mouth size: width 315mm x height 85mm
- Fuel: LPG only, 3.7kW, 273.8g/h
- Colour options: Olive or off-black
How easy is it to clean?
I haven’t really made a mess of it enough to answer this one properly yet. I was able to wipe out any bits that fell off the pizza once it cooled down easily enough.
For clearing the inside, a tutorial video provided by Gozney states that: “When the oven temperature exceeds 350-degrees Celsius, it automatically initiates a stone self-cleaning process, effectively burning off any food residue within approximately 30 minutes. Wait for the oven to cool down and use a non-metal brush to dislodge remaining debris.”
For cleaning the external of the Gozney Tread portable pizza oven, just wipe it down with warm soapy water.
How much does the Gozney Tread portable pizza oven cost?
- Gozney Tread Pizza Oven: $899.99
- Gozney Tread Venture Stand: $349.00
- Gozney Tread Venture Bag: $169.00
- Gozney Tread Roof Rack: $169.00
- Gozney Tread Mantel: $149.00
- Gozney Venture Placement Peel: $149.00
- Gozney Venture Utility Peel: $119.00
- Pizza Cutter: $74
- Infrared Thermometer: $79
So, to sum it up, $899.99 for the Gozney Tread portable pizza oven only, $2,156.99 for the oven and all the accessories listed above, and $2,003.99 for everything except the pizza cutter and infrared thermometer.
Final verdict: Is the Gozney Tread worth it for camping?
Even though you can cook more than pizza in it, I don’t see a portable pizza oven replacing a cooktop for those travelling in a caravan for lengthy periods at a time. However, it could rival a portable barbecue (like a Weber or Ziggy) when you’re looking to cook outdoors. I will be testing this out in the near future.
For those not camping every weekend, I do see the Gozney Tread as being worth the expense, as I truly believe it will get a good workout on your patio, in your backyard or even at the beach or your friend’s backyard. All up, it’s a great little unit and would be particularly fun for families, where sometimes pizza is the only thing that pleases every family member.
What we love about the Gozney Tread portable pizza oven
- Does what it says and cooks great pizza.
- Portable and light enough to take camping.
- Works just as well on a patio or in a backyard.
- Accessories fit in the storage bag as well.
- Feels sturdy and of good quality.
- Looks great.
- The roof rack = less dishes.
What could be better
- It loses a lot of its appeal without the accessories, and these cost extra.
- You can’t cook a massive pizza if you’ve got lots of mouths to feed.
How can I get one?
The Gozney Tread portable pizza oven will be available to purchase from the Gozney website and select retailers from Tuesday, 11th March.
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