Ozark Trail - Instant Cabin Tent with LED Light (6-Person)

I've had fantastic luck with Ozark Trail tents. I started with a 3 person dome style, moved into a 4 person cabin style pop-up and then got a 6 person cabin style pop-up. The only reason I replaced the dome style was because I wanted to be able to stand up in the tent. The only reason I replaced the 4 person is because I wanted it to be bigger to accomodate my cot and bedding. They have never failed me, until I've tried to get them back in their dang bags - but that's when everyone becomes a failure, right?

Ozark trail is my choice for cheap I would " float " a nylon tarp over it if you aren't stargazing and there is a potential for rain I have had water penetration as the fly on our 6 man does not go all the way to the ground

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.

Go to Walmart. You obviously won’t be doing anything crazy. Get an ozark 6 person tent. Get some ozark 30 degree bags. Get the klymt static V pads they have there, or just even a basic air mattress. That will be low cost and much better than what is on amazon. Bring your own pillow. Camp pillows suck.

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.

I have an Ozark trails 2 person tent that I haven't had any issues with, that I've used for week long camping trips in all 4 seasons. However I've found their larger tents 6-8 person tents to be unreliable once the wind picks up or it rains too hard.