Our favorite Ozark Trail tent currently is the Ozark Trail Three Room Instant Cabin. This tent’s combination of floor space, livability, and value make it a home run for large groups or families looking to spread out in style, but this 12-person behemoth won’t be everyone’s first choice. If you want a tent that’s fast to pitch, this one is definitely worth considering. I would say this tent makes a great choice for a small family, or a group of friends that want to go on a camping trip. The factory seam-sealed rain fly was also something that caught my eye.
But you should certainly not miss staking it properly, the stakes and guylines are included in the package. A few very small pockets are on the wall, see the picture below, and I find this really inappropriate for such a big tent designed for 11 people. See this Big Agnes Flying Diamond 6 tent which has 16 huge pockets (for 6 people). But there are no floor vents here, and this is not so great if you have to keep the panels on the windows closed.
Cutting down setup time when you have minimal light to work with makes it extra convenient. Another situation where this instant style pays off is if you get to your campsite in the middle of a downpour, as you can trade of a minute or so in the rain for a quick shelter. Your tent won’t be air-conditioned, and things can get stuffy once you pack it full of people.
Even better, they tend to be cheaper than many better-known brands, saving you from a little pain the wallet. Here are some of our top picks that we believe would work great on your next family camping outing. There’s a lot to love here, but as the Ozark Trail Three Room Instant Cabin is still a budget department store tent, you’ll want to be aware of a few shortcomings. First, although this is an instant tent, the unique layout and integrated awning make setup a little more involved than most.
ozark trail instant cabinWith a lot of flexibility, and a center height of 7 feet, there is plenty of space for everyone no matter how you configure the tent. She points out that, when shopping for tents, you will absolutely get what you pay for. Higher-quality tents will have seams already sealed to protect from rain. They will also have a rainfly, which helps when you experience unexpected bouts of rain. She also suggests looking for a family tent that offers good internal storage, like pockets and ceiling loops for water bottles, lanterns and the like. Note also that the packed size is not so impressive, but again, this is normal for instant camping tents that come with telescopic poles.
ozark trail shower tentNobody 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. It will also work for anyone that’s sick and tired of the traditional 2-3 person tents and looking to upgrade. Trailspace’s community of gear reviewers has field-tested and rated the top warm weather tents. During my research on this tent I watched several YouTube videos on how to set up tent by yourself or with two people. This tent is a little heavy because of the steel poles pre-attached to the tent, so I recommend having a partner to help pop up and lock in the poles. Even with all the aforementioned features, the interior of the tent has a few more to increase your comfort level.