It’s simply an impossible tent to do anything other than the most basic car camping with, and even then will take up the vast majority of our car’s trunk. I’m wondering if you can recommend a tent that could be a decent more compact replacement. The big appeal of this tent is its very easy set up, but that comes at the cost of massive size. So yes, the Ozark Trail is an absolute steal of a deal if you’re into the bell tent design, but there are a few shortcomings you’ll want to be aware of if you’re considering it.
However, something like the Ozark Trail 10 person 3 room tent will force you to get a little more creative, given the sloped curves of the walls. Yes, we all want a big spacious tent with room for plush sleeping quarters, but we also recommend looking for the little features that can elevate your camping experience. Interior storage is a great example, as all those little mesh pockets help keep things organized and off the floor. Screen rooms, shade awnings, storage vestibules, and privacy dividers are also great examples of livability-added features. These features all work together to make a tent feel more like your home away from home and less like a makeshift shelter in the woods. Able to fit up to 9 people, it has a very large 189 square feet of interior.
ozark trail shower tentThe easiest models to pitch are pretty much always “instant tent” shelters, which use a system of preattached poles than only need to be unfolded and locked into place. With that being said, we have yet to see an Ozark Trail tent that’s actually “difficult” to set up, so there’s no reason to limit your search to “instant-only” if you don’t mind putting your own poles together. Again, Ozark Trail tents are mainly fair weather camping tents (so you won’t be hiking into the backcountry with them) which means weight and packed size aren’t a big priority. The Ozark Trail 9 Person Cabin shares the same shortcomings as the other discount cabins found in the Ozark Trail lineup, most notably being its weather protection and durability. We also don’t recommend this tent for high winds because although all the poles are steel, Ozark Trail uses a thin-walled alloy that can bend under stress and plastic hubs that we wouldn’t trust in serious storms.
ozark trail canopy tentIt comfortably fits two queen airbeds or up to 10 campers in sleeping bags on the floor. Keep your gear organized with the included hanging gear organizer. Also included are tent stakes to secure the tent, and a carry bag for easy portability and storage when not in use.
Ozark Trail tents are pretty much all “fair-weather” shelters, but dome tents get the advantage here. Shape wise most Ozark Trail tents either come in a cabin or dome shape. Cabin tents typically have more room inside to stretch out thanks to their high ceilings and vertical walls, so most Ozark Trail shoppers will likely want to focus on cabin tents. Ozark Trail is all about big family camping tents on a budget, and few are as big and budget-friendly as the Ozark Trail 10 Person Two-Room Cabin.
The fabric choice of polyester keeps the tent lightweight, while giving you adequate shelter to block UV rays and wind. The legs and frame are fashioned out of lightweight steel for strength and durability during intense conditions. Also included with the tent are 18 steel stakes that secure the structure firmly to the ground. First, if you are not a fan of setting up tents (or manual labor in general), this one can be pitched in one or two minutes. Second, most campers head into the woods after the work week has ended. This means its highly likely you will get to your campsite sometime after the sun has gone down, making for pitch black conditions.
With a lot of flexibility, and a center height of 7 feet, there is plenty of space for everyone no matter how you configure the tent. She points out that, when shopping for tents, you will absolutely get what you pay for. Higher-quality tents will have seams already sealed to protect from rain. They will also have a rainfly, which helps when you experience unexpected bouts of rain. She also suggests looking for a family tent that offers good internal storage, like pockets and ceiling loops for water bottles, lanterns and the like. Note also that the packed size is not so impressive, but again, this is normal for instant camping tents that come with telescopic poles.
But you should certainly not miss staking it properly, the stakes and guylines are included in the package. A few very small pockets are on the wall, see the picture below, and I find this really inappropriate for such a big tent designed for 11 people. See this Big Agnes Flying Diamond 6 tent which has 16 huge pockets (for 6 people). But there are no floor vents here, and this is not so great if you have to keep the panels on the windows closed.