Ozark Trail - 3-Person A-Frame Tent

I have that exact A frame Ozark Trails. It's great until the rains come. Still use it all the time on quick trips. It's fast to put up, so if you aren't planning on doing anything but sleeping in it, it's my first choice.

I honestly think nearly every new camper/inexperienced tent-buyer should immediately go to Walmart and buy the $30 Ozark Trail 7x7 that they always have. It's probably good enough for 80% of the folks out there that don't know what to get, it's insanely easy to set up and take down, small enough to do what you say - things like "just pick it up and shake it out to clean it" - and heck, it would probably last most folks a decade, but if somebody wanted to immediately upgrade, just give it to the next homeless person you see. Shoot, I've spent more for 2 people to eat at McDonald's this past month.

Hang out here long enough and you'll see plenty of posts touting either Coleman or Ozark Trail. OT is the one I usually recommend. 3P for $29 and 4P for $39 and Walmart, and unlike other cheap import trash, it's actually a well-made tent with decent poles and rain fly. (I can't remember but it might even include stakes.) It's not a one-season tent - if you make sure you dry it fully before storing it, and don't abuse it, it'll last years. A 4P is just about right for a couple with a full-sized air mattress and a pack-n-play for the little one. I see your request about size and respect that - larger units are available. But since you're going for such a short time, and this is your first time, I'd like to at least make a case to consider something VERY budget-friendly. There are a lot of other things you'll need to get and this will conserve budget for things where spending money matters more (air mattress, cooler, kitchen setup, etc). The 4P is a bit over 8' square, not much smaller than you were asking, and a foot shorter than you were asking but let's face it, when you say 6' tall, you're not standing in it - in a budget dome tent, that 6' mark is only at the center. If you're crouching when you climb into bed at the sides anyway... Anyway, YMMV, it's a very subjective decision, but it's worth a look. If/when you want to upgrade, this particular tent is so popular that it's super easy to resell or give away. Just a thought.

I have a couple ozark trail 1 and 3 person tents that are fine, but a 6 person one that is very difficult to set up. They are not great tents, but they are cheap and mostly usable. And because they are cheap, if you use it a few times and throw it out you don’t feel bad about the cost.

I'll start by saying that we camp in the Catskills in a remote area with zero amenities or other campers around. My son started staying in his own tent around age 5 or 6, my aunt had given him an Ozark Trail, probably 2-3 person. His tent was reasonably close to ours, and the dogs slept with him, and I would give him the key fob to my truck, if he were scared or needed us in some way he knew how to use the "panic" button on the remote. He used that tent till the wheels fell off, until I bought him a small Kelty when he was like 17 I think. My daughter started sleeping on her own a little later, probably 7-8, but would switch between our tent and her big brother's for a couple years before that. But same for her, she got the dogs and the key fob and an inexpensive, well reviewed Amazon tent that got replaced in a year or two with a Kelty since since her first tent had gotten damaged, not by her.

Their fabric is damn thin. Do not use this tent in rain. You will regret it, I promise.

It should be just fine for your use case if weight isn’t a factor. I own expensive tents but I also have a cheap $30 Ozark trail tent I bought in 2019, only use it for local 1 nighters and it’s still fine. Only thing I’d recommend is hit all the seams with water proofing spray, especially around the bottom where the fabric is stitched to the tarp floor. I just buy the 3M stuff that is recommended for outdoors, think it has a tent picture on the spray can.

I have the same one. Perfect for one.

Ozark trail makes some solid stuff for the price. I say go for it.

This will not be a popular answer lol. I usually do 3 to 4 night backpacking trips. I bought a $30 Big Cat tent off of Amazon and used it regularly for two years until I broke one of the poles. I had a trip planned so I stopped at Walmart and picked up a $19 Ozark Trail tent. I used it all week and it was exactly what I needed. It was super easy to set up. I would recommend a footprint, though. The flooring of the tent is not the best quality but hey, it was $19.

Ozark Trail and Coleman make decent and easy to use car camping tents that will hold up better than you'd think. I always steer people who don't know if they're going to be super into camping yet towards those brands. They'll keep you dry and covered for the night without breaking the bank. My last Coleman Skydome lasted at least 60+ nights before one of the corners started to wear through.