We’ve also put together a handy buyer’s guide down at the bottom as a resource for shoppers who are new to the Ozark Trail brand, so make sure to check it out. There you’ll find all the info you could ever want on the materials, build quality, and weather-worthiness of these affordable tents. Store the sun shelter when it is completely dry to prevent mildew. Slide one of the short tent poles into the sleeve on top of the shelter body, with the pointed tip toward the front of the shelter.
After my rain test, I found that my Coleman Instant Tents, I have both the 10-Person and 4-Person versions, were able to stay dry for about 10 minutes under heavy rain. I’ve camped in lots of Coleman tents over the past few years, and even an Ozark Trail Cabin 10-Person tent, and here are my thoughts on both brands. If you’re looking to save money but still want that cabin tent experience, the Ozark Trail 10-Person Two-Room Cabin is tough to beat. If you’re willing to spend a few extra bucks (emphasis on few), the Ozark Trail 9-Person Cabin with a screen room gives some added livability at a similar price point. The three-room cabin is definitely one of Ozark Trail’s more expensive models though, so if you’re shopping on a budget, there are plenty of other models worth considering. The Clip & Camp dome is particularly affordable, and also happens to be one of the most dependable models the brand currently makes.
The fabrics are often thinner and less technical (regular polyester rather than ripstop, etc.), and the poles are pretty much always made from cost-saving materials like fiberglass and thin steel alloy. Generally speaking, if you go into buying an Ozark Trail tent with reasonable expectations, you won’t be disappointed. None of these tents are designed to hold up in a serious thunderstorm.
I actually made a great video that shows you how to set up the Ozark Trail instant sun shelter. Sometimes it’s easier to watch someone set it up and talk about it, rather than read a review. Feel free to check out the video below, or you can scroll on down and read more about the sun shade. I am all about saving a few bucks with Walmart’s camping gear.
It has generous mesh D-windows, and a full rain-fly. The gear storage sacks are situated on opposite corners of the room. I broke out the Ozark Trail Sun Shade on my first outing this season. It took me a few minutes to figure out that the flaps on the bottom ozark trail screen house are designed to be sandbags for use at the beach. I appreciated the directions being attached to the storage bag so they did not get lost or misplaced. It was helpful that I happened to have a hammer to pound the eight stakes into the hard ground.
Oddly enough, Ozark Trail’s most basic, base bones shelter takes the title of most durable. We chose the Ozark Trail Clip & Camp because unlike larger cabins with plastic hubs and countless poles, this traditional two-pole dome has the fewest number of parts that can potentially fail. When you’re looking at what you want in a tent, consider how many people are going to be using it.
In overall is great, but the poles broke after some uses, in less than a year. I take it everywhere, and I’m able to set it up by myself. The poles I think are a bit fragile though so I am extra careful when setting up no to put too much stress on them after setting up however they hold out quite well even with ozark trail screen house very strong breeze. We found out in the morning from a ranger who had came to check on us, that during the night the ridge we camped on took winds up to 65 mph during the night, and tent did not sustain any damage from the winds. The canopy is easy to take down; simply follow the directions in reverse.
While it might not sound like much, that is a difference of 64 sq. Ft. of shade coverage which we find to be quite significant. You’ll be able to comfortably fit up to 4 chairs underneath the 64 sq. The benefit of the slanted legs is that these tents are more stable laterally which can increase the stability of the frame and make it less prone to toppling, an important benefit if on a windy beach.
It doesn’t have to be perfect, but it beats sitting in the actual rain trying to control an umbrella. It kept anyone out of the sun who chose to be that day. Whether you were just hot, or starting to sun burn, it definitely served it’s purpose.