That said, we also feel its applications are somewhat endless. No assembly is required; this shelter is ready to go right out of the box and can be fully deployed in less than a minute. We admit there is a small learning curve to setting up the Escape, but once you’re locked in, popping this canopy into place is really fun and even somewhat addictive.
And compared to some of the tents in the EZ-Up lineup, it sells for almost a 70% discount. One could, in theory, purchase a new Ozark canopy every year (which they might need to!) and still come out ahead over the years vs. purchasing a more expensive alternative. We arrive at a short spur trail leading us to the “Rock House”.
It doesn’t leak during rainstorms and is rock solid in the wind. The massive screened walls keep insects where they belong — away from you. This shelter is also fully surrounded by a 10-inch-wide ground skirt, which goes the extra mile to keep creepy crawlers and flying annoyances at bay. In our tests one camper took less than 10 minutes to put it up on the first try.
The canopy folds down to 52.5″ in length and easily fits into the roller bag with all of the accessories. Slant leg canopy tents are cheaper than straight leg tents because they ozark trail backpack use less material. Aluminum tent legs not only have a larger leg diameter (1” for steel vs. 2” for aluminum) but the thickness (or gauge) of aluminum is twice that of steel.
Most new tents incorporate this ventilated canopy design to increase airflow and reduce the trapping of hot air, helping to keep those in the shade cooler and more comfortable. The legs are locked into place with old school metal push button locks, something you won’t see on many modern pop up tents now-a-days. These push locks get very difficult to use over time, especially if the tent is used on the beach and exposed to sand and saltwater, causing rust build up. Many newer tent brands like EZ-Up use revolutionary thumb lock sliders or larger easy to release buttons, which are a much better user experience when setting the canopy up or taking it down. With the push buttons you need to worry about pinching fingers or not being able to release the button when it gets rusted, which is never a pleasant experience.
The weight of this Ozark Trail is lighter than most of the same size alternative steel frame canopy tents, coming in right about 29 lbs. From a positive perspective, the lightweight design increases portability which is certainly important in carrying the tent to its intended location. From a negative perspective, the weight is indicative of a lack of high quality material and components used throughout the shelter.
Slant leg canopies use less material and have less structural integrity than straight leg canopies. That’s why when you dive into online reviews, you see slant leg tents that have broken at different connection points, and customers complaining that it failed after only a few uses. The Eureka Tagalong scored slightly lower but still boasted an impressive score.
There is no signage on the mountain and there is nothing in FarOut. We coast along the ridge line for an hour, weaving in and out of pine forests with the soft crunch of pine needles beneath our feet. The Eureka Tagalong scored a little lower but still holds its own in terms of craftsmanship. It is a lighter-weight product, which inherently involves thinner, less durable materials. When we compared the Taglong to beefier models, we had to score lower for this reason. Still, when we consider its niche, there’s no denying it has excellent properties, like double stitching, weather taping, high-tensile aluminum, and reinforced joints.
The setup for both was simple; however, they scored lower because of additional variants that affected the overall ease of the process. In particular, the Tagalong takes additional time to complete. The aluminum poles are quite long and awkward to maneuver, and it takes extra time to slide them through the fabric sleeves and bow them into place. We found the V-Series just as easy to set up as the other cathedral canopies we tested; however, it scored a little lower because it still incorporates spring-loaded adjustment pins to lock it into place. These pins are a little harder to use, especially during takedown, and they are more likely to pinch the skin. Over the years, we have utilized an impressive team of experienced canopy tent users, from market vendors to beach lovers.
Two shorter aluminum poles cross to support the roof while four longer poles join to the roof poles at the top of the tent and slide into pegs at the ground. The tent roof is made of polyester taffeta treated with a DWR (durable water repellent) coating. The walls are made of fine no-see-um nylon mesh edged with polyester taffeta. This polyester material is less susceptible to UV damage than the nylon that previous versions of this tent incorporated, but it generally has a feel that is not quite as soft. Despite the change in fabric, this REI shelter still weighs just 13 pounds, several pounds less than many others of this type. Since 2015, I’ve tested camping shelters and large car-camping tents on weekend trips involving more than a dozen families, and I have talked to dozens more about their tent travails.