We set the tent up in the yard, only took us about 15min. Over a hundred and seventy dollar Ozark Trail tent completely fell apart on me and my daughter. I had to tape the tent together with military issue 100-mile-an-hour tape.
When the fly is fully deployed, the tent has two vestibules, which provide additional gear storage and also help ventilate the tent in inclement weather. And in a stroke of design brilliance, a small loop sewn into the top of the fly makes it possible to roll up one half of the fly, exposing the full mesh canopy while still providing shade and privacy. The Mountain Hardwear Mineral King 3 Tent is the best car-camping tent choice for couples. It has everything you need for three-season camping, with the bonus of being light enough to double as an occasional backpacking tent.
This design does a better job shielding the tent from incoming—and sideways—wind and rain. The Tungsten’s two brow poles create an especially effective awning over the tent door, so very little water gets in when someone comes or goes. Our only quibble with the Mineral King 3 is that it comes with only six stakes.
The tent weighs just 16 pounds, less than any other family tent we tested for this guide. That mesh also keeps the tent feeling airy and cool in hot climates. Though the Wireless’s fly kept water out of the tent’s interior, it took longer to fully dry once the rain stopped than some others we tested. It uses a 1200mm waterproof coating on 68 denier ozark trail canopy fabric, which didn’t seem to bead as well as higher-rated fabrics, such as those on the The North Face Wawona 6 or the REI Co-op Base Camp 6 (each of those have 1500mm coatings). If you don’t have time to let the fly dry before you pack the Wireless in its duffle, we recommend laying it out when you get home so it doesn’t mildew in storage.
I purchased this tent to take to music festivals and such, because it is like a small house. One day into a 3-day festival, I returned to camp to find both of the large poles snapped right in two. Every single one of our camping experiences has been ruined because of the OZARK tent.
When pushed, most of the reps we talked to estimated five to 10 years, though the actual lifespan will vary widely depending on care and frequency of use (for more advice, read REI’s excellent tips). In conducting ozark trail canopy research for this guide, we heard multiple tales of careful campers who had been using the same tent for 15 years or more. We also appreciated the shepherd’s hook stakes that come with the tent.
Note that these tents are strictly meant for car camping; the Base Camp 4 and the Base Camp 6 weigh 16 and 21 pounds, respectively, so you won’t want to carry either one very far. Both come with storage sacks that you sling over one shoulder. The separate fly, which covers the upper half of the tent, ozark trail chair uses a third, shorter “brow” pole to form protective peaks over the door and the back window. In our tests, an experienced camper took only about six minutes on the first try to set up the tent body alone and stake it out. Getting the fly placed and staked properly took about five more minutes.