Although Ozark Trail offers tents in the two to five-person sizes, their bread & butter are the larger sizes. If you find a brand that specializes in the size you want, you’re likely to end up with a great product. Like the 12 person tent, it also comes with a T-style door, so you can move camping gear and furniture without having to fangle it through a small, D-style door. Ozark Trail makes tents of all sizes, but we’ve found larger family camping tents to be their forte. With that being said, Ozark Trail does a good job of seam-sealing their tents from the factory in most cases, and with a little help, these budget-shelters can keep you dry when unexpected rain hits.
But if you want a tent that’s going to last for 10 years of heavy use, you’ll probably want to up your budget and go for something more bombproof like a Browning Big Horn. The most popular product in their line is the 10×10 Instant Slant Leg Tent with a blue canopy top. It is made with a steel construction frame and polyester material for the canopy, which is in line with just about every shade tent on the market today. The accompanying Ozark Trail Camping Chairs rainfly offers great additional waterproofing, but you can easily roll it back to open the roof vents and enjoy a clear view of the night sky. Campers who want to enjoy the views of their surroundings can simply open the nine large windows and take in the breathtaking sights of the lake, river, forest, or mountains. Best of all, the tent is built for maximum waterproofing, with taped seams on the lower walls and roof.
None of these tents are designed to hold up in a serious thunderstorm. They’re not built for heavy winds, and they certainly aren’t made to stand up to heavy snow. Shape wise most s 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. Despite what you may have read, you can absolutely enjoy an outdoors experience in an Ozark Trail tent. This shelter may be the least expensive in our roundup, but it still packs some sweet features worth noting.
Once it’s set up, you’ll be amazed by just how spacious the cabin tent is—both in terms of sleeping space and headroom. The tent has enough space for 2 queen mattresses, but you can also tweak the layout to accommodate 5 single air mattresses or 8 (possibly 9) sleeping bags/pads. The room divider will split the tent into two sections, offering both privacy and ease of organization for all your gear. Thanks to the rainfly and factory-sealed seams, you and your stuff will always stay dry no matter how heavy the rain is.
If you’re looking for a durable, reliable tent that won’t break the bank, Ozark Trail tents may be a good option for you. However, keep in mind that they are not as high-quality as some of the more expensive camping tents on the market. So, if you’re planning a long-term camping trip or are particularly rough on your gear, you may want to consider a more expensive option. The floor of the tent is made up of a durable PE, again, pretty standard for camping tarps or other heavy-duty fabrics.
The “Lodge Tent” shape offers a high roof (93 inches at peak height) and walls that rise vertically for 24 inches before sloping inward. This design maximizes floor space and keeps you comfortable when in bed, but still provides the durability and stability offered by dome-shaped tents. The interior is spacious enough for even taller users, offering plenty of headroom and floor space for comfortable sleeping.