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. Large dome tents are also an option, and although they’re a little less flashy, they have some perks of their own.
The main thing to know going into an Ozark Trail purchase is that you need to do your due diligence not to overstress the materials because a heavy hand can absolutely damage them. Take time to inspect your tent when you first get it (damages from shipping are common), and don’t ever “force” anything when setting up or tearing down your shelter. Livability describes the overall day-to-day experience of owning and using a tent, and tents that are more comfortable, convenient, and easy to use score the highest in terms of livability. If you’re expecting no rain at all, this is a great, reasonably-priced tent. For pros, the Ozark Trail 10-Person Cabin Tent is very, very inexpensive, and is by far my least expensive tent for the size. The 14 steel stakes that came with the tent are just your standard tent stakes, nothing impressive.
Second, the tall vertical walls and “L” shape make it about as far from aerodynamic as they come. Do NOT phone in the guyline portion of set-up (regardless of the weather) or you’ll risk damaging the tent. Finally, the material of this shelter is noticeably higher quality than many Ozark Trail tents, but the 68D polyester is still not as thick as we’d like. No Ozark Trail tent is perfect, but as far as full-size family camping tents go, this is the one to beat. 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. As far as fairweather shelters go, however, this one may be the best value in terms of livability for your money.
It is fully floored and its side walls are all double-layer with mesh and zippered panels. So it offers full protection just like the back room, but it can be converted to a pleasant screen room as well. All of them are double-layer structures with mesh and zippered panels for protection and privacy. I’ve always wanted an instant tent and heard how easy it is to pop up. After I ordered the product at Walmart.com, I went to the store to pay cash.
Also, I’m not tall enough to attach it without some help, but if you’re slightly taller you should be able to attach it no problem. There are 2 windows along the length of the tent, and 1 window on the width of the tent. There is lots of mesh around and on the ceiling, so this will work great if you use the tent in a warm climate.
Unfortunately, the steel pole in the back of the tent did not lock into position, so this tent is defective. I did not continue to set up the screen porch (which has no floor) or put the rainfly on. I did go inside the tent to stand up and not hunched over and noticed the mesh ceiling with lots of ventilation. I’m sure this tent is good during a wind storm and rain/condensation issues. This isn’t an instant tent, but ease of use is still a high point of this model thanks to the simple setup.
Ozark Trail 12-person instant cabin tent sets up in under two minutes! This 12-person tent requires no assembly because poles are pre-attached to tent, just unfold and extend. This three-room, cabin-style tent has large windows on all sides and room to stand up with a huge 6’10” center height. In addition, it comfortably fits three queen airbeds or up to 12 campers in sleeping bags on floor. Two internal room dividers allow you to create separate sleeping and living spaces. Keep cool with oversized ground vent that also fits an air conditioner.
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. Take time to treat the entire tent with a DWR coating like Nikwax (not just the rainfly) and never leave the house without a tent repair kit in case disaster strikes. Despite what you may have read, you can absolutely enjoy an outdoors experience in an Ozark Trail tent. Having room to spread out inside a tent is great, but unless it’s after dark or raining, chances are you won’t be spending any more time inside your shelter than you absolutely have to. Nobody wants to spend all day sitting in direct sunlight either though, and that’s where a tent with a screen room like this Ozark Trail 9 Person Cabin comes into play. Every year, thousands of new campers get their first taste of the outdoors in an Ozark Trail tent.
All the windows and doors also have to be closed, because otherwise, the rain would drip right into the tent. Even in light rain, the rain does get on to the window and door mesh, so it’s best ozark trail instant cabin to keep them full closed. To accommodate 10 people in this tent, it’s almost shoulder-to-shoulder sleeping, although there’s some space down the middle for just a tiny bit of camping gear.
There are three of these large floor-level windows along the walls of the tent, plus the giant mesh doorway that can be left open in good weather. Apart from the roof though, there’s not a lot of mesh from the 5 windows and the door, because they’re not very big. Because it’s ridiculously inexpensive, the quality, design and weather protection isn’t the best, though I think it’ll work decently in summer (without rain, of course). They do not provide any info about its waterproof rating, but this is a tent with a minimal fly that covers the ceiling only. The windows and doors are with panels as mentioned above so you have all protection, but with so many zippers and windows, it is best to use it in areas without much rain. Tent with Built in Cabin Lights is a 10-person 2-room freestanding easy to use pleasant summer camping tent with a great price tag.