Customer Reviews

Evenflo Crosstown Soft Portable Travel Gate

5 star:		(94)
4 star:		(39)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(20)
1 star:		(33)

 

 

I love the neutral colors. The sides are brown and the mesh and top and bottom are tan. The included travel storage bag is nice (it is about 39.5" long and 11" wide and has a carrying strap). The gate is approximately that size when folded for storage or travel and is only as thick as the gate (about 1.5"). The fabric sides/mesh middle of the gate cannot be removed, only spot washed. I imagine you can wash the travel bag but I have not tried and I didn't see any washing instructions. The gate is easy to put up (it's all one piece/ no assembly) and works great for my 42" opening at the bottom of my stairs. I even have a baseboard that it works with since the top and bottom bars can be adjusted separately. There are bars in all four sides which helps keep it sturdy. The top and bottom bars are spring loaded and have rubber ends that grip and protect your walls. Although I do think it is easy to install, I do have to mention that it is not intuitive. We took this gate on vacation with our extended family and no one could figure out how to take it down or put it up unless I showed them. It does take a few steps in both the putting up and taking down process. It is held mostly by the spring loaded bars but then you have to twist another part to tighten it the rest of the way. Not difficult, but not intuitive. I don't like taking it up and down all day because it takes some time and both hands. I don't really like stepping over it either, but that is what I have been doing. For this large of an opening and this low of a price for such a large opening it is a good deal. Just be prepared to either step over it a lot or spend about a minute or two every time you want it put up or taken down.

Our boy is 10-months old. He loves to crawl. He'll be walking soon. It was time for a few gates in the house. My wife and I looked around and selected the Evenflow Crosstown pressure-mount gate as a start for his bedroom door.

When we attempted to put it up, we found that it was too wide for the door. It's our fault for not measuring first, but keep the dimensions in mind if you purchase. Fortunately, it could be installed from the hall walls outside the door and that worked just as well. It was a real struggle to install the first time. All the controls are under the cloth and are very awkward to use. We had difficulty getting both the top and bottom rails installed with the same pressure. If the top was tight, the bottom was loose and vice versa. Finally, it was installed and works rather well although it is rather awkward stepping over with the baby in our arms. It opens wide enough that we probably can install it several other places in the house and, as he grows, we'll probably do just that. Fortunately, no screws or anything like that are required. It's portable so we can take it with us when visiting other houses.

I have mixed feelings about this gate. Right at the moment, I wouldn't buy a second one. However, it serves it's purpose and it was relatively inexpensive.

Gary Peterson

I bought this gate for a wide opening into our kitchen. The directions are easy to follow. Set up is a breeze. The tightening feature really secures the gate in the doorway. My 17 month old tries to climb it, but it holds up well. The mesh is nice and sturdy. I am 5'6" and have no trouble walking over the top. So far, it has held up well. This is a great gate for the price.

We spent a lot of time running between stores buying and returning gates that did not work. It wasn't a question of price (though the cheaper ones were certainly more than subpar) we just wanted one that worked. Many of the gates we purchased said that they were wide enough for the space we had but they flimsy when stretched beyond a normal doorway width. Also, many of the gates with swinging doors had extensions to fit the doorway but one extension was always too small and two too big. The crosstown has a smooth sliding expandable frame that adjusts at the top and bottom. Also, it has tension mechanisms that fine-tune the fit at the top and bottom--if you have uneven molding or slanted walls, this is helpful. It is easy to take down several times a day and you can pack it and take it with you in its case. Awesome!! We also love that the gate is soft mesh so there are no injuries when my daughter rams her face into it repeatedly (hypothetically speaking). I will say it can be annoying when I have to lift my 4year old over it because it has no door, but the peace of mind and ease of use outweighs the minor annoyance. And, Amazon gave me a great price and it was at my doorstep the next day. Now I just need to return all the other craptastic gates I bought!!

I have never reviewed a product....that's how much I like this gate! It's amazing. Let's just start by saying, I also don't like pressure gates. It always seems that you can't get them tight enough, or that they mark the walls. So when I needed a pressure gate for the bottom of our stairs in our basement, and it needed to be extra wide, I struggled with the decision of which one to purchase. I came across this one, and decided to try it. I absolutely love it! It is super easy and quick to put up, and just as easy to take down. If you read the directions, it comes down in a breeze. It stores away in a nice soft sided bag, which also makes it easy for taking to a grandparent's house. The gate gets very tight against the walls without leaving any marks. Our little girl shakes it very hard and it doesn't even budge. You also can't beat the look of it, or the price. If you buy this gate, you won't be sorry...

If there was an option to give this product 0 stars, I totally would. Because it is a fine example of declining quality of seemingly everything these days. Let me explain. I initially considered this gate because of the good reviews it received on the Amazon. Also, a friend of mine had this gate for a year, and it works very well for her. A no-brainer, I thought. Not so! As it turns out, I should have payed closer attention to the dates of the good and bad reviews on this gate. Almost all of the good ones are for prior years, and almost all of the bad ones are for this year, 2011. The "bad" reviews say that this gate broke within weeks or days of use...Guess what? That's exactly what happened to mine as well! Used it for about two weeks, and one day it just slipped off the wall, and when we tried to put it back, it would not work - the mechanism that controls the desired length of the top rod simply stopped working, and there was no way to fix it. DON'T waste your money - there are better alternatives out there! (hopefully....)

I purchased this gate to fit in a hallway for the purpose of keeping kittens contained. I obviously did not want anything expensive but fairly durable and wider than the average gate. It worked beautifully for the purpose I had intended and actually ended up surpassing my expectations by being the perfect gate after the kittens grew a bit. While they were very little, up to about 8 weeks old, they could not pass the gate. The mesh was perfect since it allowed my other pets to see and smell the kittens standing on the other side but could not reach them. At 9 weeks old when I felt that they were old enough to explore and meet my other pets, but were still unable to leap the height of the gate, the ones who were mature enough learned how to climb up the mesh sides, and with a chair or plant stand of some kind on the far side, make their way over to freedom. They simply climb back over when they want to return to their area. I keep it up because the kittens and mother can come and go, but the dog cannot enter.

Now...many reviewers complained about the difficulty of putting it up and down. It took less than 5 minutes to put up but I have never taken it down and moved it so I cannot say how difficult that is. I do have to step over it, often carrying something including kittens, but it is not overly high and this has not been a problem. HOWEVER, if it was in an area where I would be walking all of the time, and I did not mind spending the extra money, a door in the gate which opens and closes would be nice, especially if carrying a human baby is involved.

For the purpose I intended it has been a perfect gate and an excellent value. For use with puppies I could see it as being particularly effective since they, as far as I know, cannot climb vertical surfaces. For kittens up to about 8 weeks old it will contain them very well while allowing them to see and smell the outside world. I would recommend it for this purpose.

This gate is awesome!! I am using it for a home daycare so its gotten its fair share of abuse already and it has held up strong. I was worried that since its a "travel" gate it wouldn't be as sturdy as others but it really is. Its tricky to get it placed in a space that is 60" wide as my arms don't stretch that far but its possible to do it alone if you need to. The colors are very pretty and classic. Will blend into your decor nicely

I loved this gate until it broke suddenly after about 4 months.

The locking mechanism on the top bar suddenly broke.
I was lucky my little guy wasn't hurt.

NOT RELIABLE!

We have a 60" wide cased opening in our living room and we found this gate. It does the job that we needed it to do. Initial setup reminded me of the Pack and Play. Now that it is up, it is very easy to deal with. Our baby is 11 months and has run into it, tried to move it, and it won't budge. For the money, it is great. Biggest drawback is the initial setup and it not having a swinging gate opening. Best Features are the price and the bumpers don't scar up the openings. It is also lower than other gates. I find it very easy to step over.