This screened-in shelter also gets high points for its price, which is always a selling point with an Ozark Trail tent, but this one represents a particularly good value considering all its features. This model comes with a removable rain fly that easily attaches to the legs. While you can leave it on or off, there’s really no reason to not attach it, as it has skylight panels that line up with the tent’s mesh ceiling, allowing you to watch the sky or let light into the tent at any time.
Second, Ozark Trail tents are affordable because they use very basic materials. All Ozark Trail poles are either steel alloy or fiberglass, and the fabrics used throughout the tent are typically on the thinner side. Again, not a deal-breaker, but don’t expect these tents to stand up to the same use and abuse as their premium alternatives from brands. Strategically placed cut-outs in the rain fly correspond with the mesh ceiling panels of the tent to let you watch the night sky at any time. The ceiling panels can be zipped up at any time, allowing you to control light, airflow, privacy, and how dry you stay when it rains.
It’s also straightforward to set up, and it is made with sturdy, light materials. Great for backyard overnights, this simple dome-style tent is for anyone who doesn’t want to spend more than $150 on a tent but also doesn’t want to buy another one next year. As for ventilation on rainy days, after the 15 minutes of light rain, I checked the windows of this tent and found that the mesh was already kind of damp. The 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.
It can also be used as a power source to fire up electrical heaters or stoves. While the secondary room stays wide open for enjoying the outdoor environment in a bug-protected enclosure. Families will also benefit from having the parents in one room, and the kids in another room.
In terms of drawbacks, this is a particularly budget-friendly model from an already budget-focused brand, so you’ll need to be mindful of a few shortcomings to get the most out of this shelter. First, Ozark Trail uses sealed seams on this tent, but the fabric itself isn’t made for a rainstorm. You’ll want to give the entire tent a thorough Nikwax treatment before taking it on the road. Second, ozark trail canopy tent the fabric feels thin, and a few users have reported ripping it during setup, so you’ll need to take your time both setting up and taking down this tent. At $500, this modified dome-style tent isn’t cheap, but it represents substantial value. Many tents with similar profiles—such as the Big Agnes Dog House 6—either cost more or require you buy the tent body and attachable vestibule separately.
The tent weighs just 16 pounds, less than any other family tent we tested for this guide. Marmot uses color coding smartly to help you position the tent as well as set it up. Both of the doors zip open to the side that’s color-coded blue, as opposed to zipping open to opposite sides. In other words, one partner—or one partner’s gear—is always going to get a dose of weather when they head out. To test the tents, we first opened them, splayed out their parts, and tried to put them together without consulting the instructions.