Ozark Trail Hiker Dome

With the hopes of clearing up any confusion, this review regards the Hiker Dome tent, by Ozark Trail, sold at Wal-mart. My assumption is that the previous Ozark Trails tent reviews also referred to this tent.

The most important thing in any tent purchase to consider is amount of use. Would I use this to climb Everest? NO. Would I use it on a weekend trip to a state park with the family? 100 percent yes. It holds several appealing features that make it worth the price.

1. It is very space friendly. Not a lot of head room, but you and your companions will feel comfy with room to toss and turn at night. Plus with two people, it's got plenty of gear space. The foot lockers are a nice addition for books and what not. Since they are accesible from the inside as well as the out, they are nice for keeping often used knick knacks close at hand. The detachable attic storage makes keeping items like jackets up off the ground and out of the way.

2. This is the easiest tent to set up, I have ever owned. By myself, and with the rainfly, it goes up in about 12 minutes. The shock cords on the poles make them quick on the assembly, and the large vents in the roof make non rainy nights cool and enjoyable. For me, there is a lot of appeal in being able to lay in the tent and look at the stars.

3. In the first three months of using this tent, I have found the care to be minimal. It went on several camping trips in that time and each time proved to be a value.

I do admit there are a few downfalls. The stakes that come with it are ok, but I would recommend upgrading to better stakes. The factory stakes are really cheap, and could bend easily with heavy use. Also, this tent does require you to water seal the seams yourself, which if done improperly, could result in leaks and such.

Really the bottom line here is the value for the price. I have not seen a tent like this, that comes anywhere close to the price. A tent is nothing more than shelter from bugs and the elements while enjoying the outdoors. Based on the other options available (tents, RV's, cabins, even motels) if you get five trips, that's five nights out of this tent, it has more than paid for itself. On the higher end tents of this style, you may have to use it 50 times to meet the same value per use.

I've had this tent for 7 years and it's never leaked once. In fact, I stumbled across this review section looking to replace the poles which broke recently. I bought a new tent, and it's crap, but I love this Ozark Trail tent (which actually cost less than my new tent) so I'm trying to replace the poles.

If the still sell them, I'd probably buy another one that's exactly like what I got. Reading the reviews makes me wonder if it's the same quality that it was 7 years ago.

Anyway, I rate mine 5 stars. Love it. One of the best values of my life when I compare price to usage.

Anyone first attempting camping should try out this tent. For a mere $30, ample room, and only 4.5 lbs, I have truly enjoyed my outings both solo and with friends. I have used this tent in all three seasons and find it a good tent. I have had the same Ozark tent for the last two years on over 50 backpacking trips. The craftsmanship is not top-notch, and you DEFINITELY need to use 3rd party waterproofing (spray and seam-sealing) but once the tent is prep'd, it does the job.

Some key features:

1) The full mesh upper body gives plenty of ventilation

2) The rainfly provides sufficient clearance from the tent body to control condensation.

3) Rainfly extends to within 6" of ground thereby providing a double wall style.

4) freestanding dome has made this tent very easy to pickup to shake out any dirt.

The limitations of the tent:

1) Although I have endured days of hard rain, with the tent remaining leak-proof, I did experience a deluge rainstorm in which a constant trickle leak appeared in the lower corner.

2) Rainfly is mainly velcro attached to poles, in very gusty conditions, the fly will begin to let go.

3) Poles are fibreglass. Although I have yet to have one break, when in a snowfall or high winds, I keep wondering how much longer the tent will stay standing.
This is definitely not a high performance tent, but for someone who is not mountaineering or full out winter camping, this is a good shelter for a backpacker.

When I started backpacking with a hodgepodge of equipment I had around the house (mostly leftover cubscout gear from my son) I had to buy a few things he did not have (backpack and boots). As I got more involved and knowledgeable about gear, everyone and everyplace said "you need a good tent, not a discount tent from Wal-Mart."

Well, since I already had a $40 tent from Wal-Mart and needed a lot of other gear, I kept using the tent and bought other things I needed but didn't have.

I'm at the point now that the tent is the only Item I still use from my son's cubscout gear, I have used it over three years on well over 20 outings and it works great! Easy to setup solo, Plenty of room for two and gear (maybe not three). I have never gotten wet, and although I have never weighed the tent, it seems light enough to me

I just dont see where people feel you need to spend alot on a tent, $40 works for me

Would any of you happen to have directions for setting up this tent? I know it's fairly simple but I want the girls in my scout troop to try it by reading the directions and I've lost mine. Greatly appreciate it and agree this is a great tent for short weekend camp trips close to home in case it rains! I really like the open skylight star view also.

Very first use of this tent, everything got soaked in a downpour. I am a Scoutmaster, so I know how to set up a tent. I am waiting for replacement poles for my regular, so I purchased this tent. I regret it, and as soon as I can, I am returning this tent. It is Junk.

I have this tent and it is garbage--absolute waste of money.