Ozark Trail - Instant Cabin Tent with Integrated LED Lights

Just purchased a pop up, 10 person with lighting for a little over $200. I bought it last week from WalMart and used it this weekend. The zipper is awful (snags and all around difficult) but advertised as “anti-snag.” And a critter put a huge hole the side on the first night. I know it’s been used but I want to return it. I feel like for $200+ it should have held up at least 1 night. Any similar experiences and/or has anyone’s tried to return a poor quality tent? I know Ozark Trails is the generic, cost efficient brand but I’ve bought previous versions with little to no issues.

I’m really regretting not buying the tent I originally wanted. It’s like I threw $200 out the window on this heap of junk. It’s unusable now. Didn’t even get a full 24 hours of use. Do you have any recommendations on a brand and/or a material that can withstand a squirrel?

That is about all they are good for honesty. My last one wasn’t terrible but it still only last 2, maybe 3 trips. The quality on this was far worse.

Honestly I didn’t get much use out of it to really know. The fabric was very thin and I feel would be prone to snags and rips. The poles felt very flimsy. They charged, I’d say, $50+ for the lighting which wasn’t all that great. Better off just purchasing your own and saving the money. Would I buy it again or recommend it, absolutely not.

What brands do you suggest? I could tell right away the tent was garbage. The minute I felt the material i should have just boxed it back up and stayed the night in the car. It was a last minutes decision and my options were pretty slim. I still thought for $200 it would have been a little better quality. I previously owned one of Ozark’s less expensive tents and the quality was much better. Did it hold up very long? Not a chance. My bf and I go camping quite a bit so I’d like to invest in something nice. So price tag really isn’t an issue. Especially if it will last more than 2 trips. This one didn’t even last a night. The black out tents have caught my eye but Im not sure if it will truly be an improvement or an inconvenience. Reviews state they are truly black out so you’ll always need a lantern or some source of light. I also feel like it will increase the already hot temperatures in the summer. But i am rambling. Any suggestions will be much appreciated.

Facts!! I’ve been eyeing a black out tent I found at Bass Pro. I should have just spent the extra $100. This Ozark Trail tent is absolute garbage.

You’re speaking facts. It was last minute decision. Walmart trip at 9:30pm kind of deal. I should have just waited until the morning. You live, you learn.

Honestly for car camping we use one of this big instant up multi room tents from Walmart. Cheap, goes up so easily, and we have had ours for years with no problems. Plus the extra space allows for plenty of room for hanging out inside if it’s raining or really buggy, and the dogs have plenty of space. It’s gone through several big storms and never leaked. Sure it weighs a ton but who cares if I’m driving right up to the campsite? Also I like the tarp floors. They stand up to gravel tent pads a lot better

Honestly for car camping with little kids, look at the big instant up multi room ozark trail tents from Walmart. They’re heavy and pack down big, but they’re well under $200, ours has lasted for years and through many rainstorms, and it has enough room to stand up. Also the front room doubles as a screen room which is really nice if it’s super buggy. https://www.walmart.com/browse/sports-outdoors/pop-up-tents/ozark-trail/4125_546956_4128_887708_4094354/YnJhbmQ6T3phcmsgVHJhaWwie?adid=22222222265446360557&wmlspartner=wmtlabs&wl0=b&wl1=o&wl2=m&wl3=74904359694166&wl4=dat-2326704043460416:loc-71240&wl5=108901&wl6=&wl7=&wl14=ozark%20trail%20instant%20up%20tents&veh=sem&&msclkid=28b64cefffd2149f863824cddc429607&gclid=28b64cefffd2149f863824cddc429607&gclsrc=3p.ds I wouldn’t suggest a nice tent with little kids unless you’re actually backpacking. They tend to be hard on things, and the more room the better

I love my OT tent, and I specifically recommend their "instant" cabin tents because they are so easy to get up and down. But I will note that the OT tents are all designed primarily for warm and mild weather camping. They have lots of big windows, and rain flies that only cover the top and not the sides, which means you get lots of airflow but way less rain protection. Coleman and Core tents - the other two "budget" brands - are generally made the same way though Coleman at least does have some tents with more extensive flies. Tents that are built for nastier and colder weather are going to be a lot smaller than the "family" tents made by the budget brands, to start with. Keep in mind that tent ratings say "person" to literally mean the space taken up by one average-sized adult in a sleeping bag, so a "4 person" tent is 4 people laying like sardines, or 2 people with gear/clothing and maybe a modest dog. These tents are less likely to be standing height, and in warm weather they are HOT unless the weather is good enough to take the rain fly off entirely and then you have to hope it doesn't rain and there isn't heavy dew. Also, those extensive rain flies can be fiddly to get staked out really correctly, and can become a liability in high winds. You need to think harder about what direction you face the door and sides if you're expecting any kind of weather. So that's why some people might choose the OT and augment with extra tarps, if they camp in places where rain and cold and wind are less likely to be an issue, and they want the extra space and airflow. We have gotten stuck in some crazy rain in our short-fly OT tent and it would have been fine if it hadn't been raining sideways, but that is going to be a challenge with a lot of tents.

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.

Ozarks Trail has increased a million fold in quality since it came out (late 90s/early 2000s?). I would definitely give it a try and keep the receipt just in case.