Ozark Trail Tent

Let me just tell you this, it doesn't make a difference what model your tent is. The main thing is is that the zippers that you put in these tents are so substandard that it doesn't last more than one or two camping trips. If you made better zippers than you would probably have better business and more customers but since your zipper breaks so easily and you're made with such substandard equipment that your tents are probably no more worth then I'd say 10 bucks for any tent. You set a new low in tents and the damn zippers you put in them. What are they plastic or made out of pewter.

And before you guys cop an attitude, I have been camping since I was at least 4 years old and I am now in my mid-50s.

I have been camping all of my life and I know camping gear. This is just to let you know of my background and my knowledge. Your zippers break down easy and fast. Your tents are not even good for more than two or three camping trips before the 10 has to be replaced because of your substandard zippers you put on the front door. I have had them break while pulling on them.

The question I put to you are you making this material out of pewter or real metal. What more descriptions do you need, my finger went on handle pulled it down it broke. Is that simple enough for you for a description. The people who make your zippers should quit and get another profession. Your zippers are the worst in all camping gears I have bought.

I'm going to Coleman for now on because you are incapable of making a zipper that doesn't break so damn easy on the door. And if it isn't the breaking off the zipper then didn't in order to use the zippers the tent must be perfectly level why I hate to tell you this when you're camping out in the forest the ground isn't always perfectly level so once again it pulls back to your zippers being so fragile so weekly and poorly made that you can't use them they break down they stretch out they fall they breaking out.

Now that you have wasted my time I'm sure you were going to do nothing about it and continue to sell substandard crappy tents with pathetic zippers on them because you're too cheap to do a good job and be proud of your name on these products. Doesn't craftmanship mean anything anymore.

Background

It sucked the trip the camping everything because the damn zipper broke and I got beast up on by mosquitoes and bugs. My experience is buy Coleman equipment not yours.

I have the JW-7607 which is a 2-3 (read that as two) person tent. I have had it for years and am thrilled with it. It has held up to kids camping in the living room and back yard, many camping trips to desert / forest / lake environments and even survived a bear "attack" with only a small tear. The bear was only checking us out really.

The only drawbacks to this tent are that there is a weather protecting flap over the door zipper that is kept in place by an elastic band which causes the flap to pull in toward the zipper and snag occasionally. It comes loose easily enough but over time this has put lots of little holes in that flap.

The other drawback is the tiny ground stakes that come with it. They won't hold up to much more than a 5 mile per hour wind. The tent held up very well to 30 mph winds but I had to use heavy duty stakes for it.

Overall this is a wonderful tent that has held up well to many years of family camping.

The Ozark Trail tent I purchased is model HKD 08055R. I have a design change suggestion but I do not see an email address anywhere; therefore I cannot submit it to someone who can do something about it.

I have pitched the tent twice in my back yard and found that I could pitch it by myself in about one hour. That is a good thing. It is roomy and looks nice. I watersealed the seams, as per the instruction sheet inside the carrying bag but I have not been rained on yet.

The design change I want to comment on concerns the little "laundry room" that protrudes out the back of the tent. The short pole supplied for that protrusion splintered in two places and poked about four small holes in the black fabric of the laundry bubble. Better instructions on how it should be installed would have prevented the splintering, but I would rather have seen the "laundry room" not be an outside protrusion from the back of the tent. Rather it should have been a large pocket on the inside of the tent that requires no pole at all. There is a little cost savings in that design over the one that caused me to ruin my tent when the pole splintered and the appearance of the tent will be enhanced if the little black add-on at the rear is not there.

I am preparing for a camping trip of 10 days and nights down in Florida where it rains a lot and the wind sometimes is pretty strong so I am wondering if the fly will stay put. There is a large space between it and the top of the tent that might be a trap for strong wind so the fly gets ripped off. I think I will go shopping this week for another tent that I feel better about. Otherwise I like the tent but do not trust it to hold up in severe conditions.

James L Smith, canary7@hotmail.com

Expensive for something that you could get a better deal from a closeout store.

As an American soldier who is nearing 30 years of service, a soldier who has lived in tents for months in Iraq and Afghanistan, a soldier who knows what a good tent is and what a HORRIBLE tent is, I say do not, Do Not, DO NOT buy an Ozark Trail tent.

This piece of crap promises the buyer a lot for a lot of money, but what you get is something of lesser quality than if you bought a tent from the local Dollar store.

Like I said, I am a soldier. I put the Ozark Trail tent up in my backyard so that we could camp out with my seven-year-old daughter who wanted to know what it was like for a soldier living in the field. April 15 in Tidewater, Virginia, was warm, no rain, no breeze, clear skies, and 78 degrees. The damn poles which were supposed to hold up the tent snapped in half WHEN THE BREEZE BLEW.

Over a hundred and seventy dollar Ozark Trail tent completely fell apart on me and my daughter. I had to tape the tent together with military issue 100-mile-an-hour tape. Yes, I had to tape the tent poles together at night because the snaps failed miserably when the wind blew gently and caused the tent to completely collapse… in great weather, with little wind, and no rain.

Again, I AM a soldier with nearly 30 years experience in putting tents together. This Ozark Trail tent is, sorry to say this, a POS. Do not, DO NOT, spend your money on this.

Not half bad. Rain tarp is a little cumbersome though, since it gets in the doorway while getting in.

I got this as a present just before I turned 11. It is an Ozark Trail Dome Tent that is a 4-person tent. It is 9x8 with its height being 4 feet tall.

The first time I got it set up was about that same day. My parents decided to do it and the setup was decent. However the next time I used it, when I was 17 and in a neighbor's yard (I was rarely allowed outside of my yard even when I was 18, and an outcast), and the tent stake bent, the poles I had to push into the ground for stability, and the sides sagged.

There was a breeze so I put bricks around the edge, and the rain tarp didn't cover the whole of the window like it was supposed to, but that was it was a little hard to set up so it was understandable. It worked well that night and I got some rain in but nothing serious. Now a few years later I erected it in the backyard just for fun.

Now the real pain is putting it back in the pack.

Background

It's decent. Not the best, but certainly better than other shelters I've stayed in. At least it is easy to clean and provides bug protection.

I just bought the 9'x7' backpacking tent 2 days ago, because I want to do some bikepacking here in FL. It is easy to set up and take down, and I loved the fact that it has three windows for lots of circulation in the heat and humidity.

However I set it up in the back yard so that I could seal the seams and apply some silicone water proof spray to at least the bottom 2.5 - 3ft of the tent for extra protection from the rain. While sealing the seams I noticed that there was a small spot near the bottom corner of the door where they completely missed the polyester fabric of the tent wall when installing the zipper.

I left it to dry and when I went to check on it about two hours later I found that the fiberglass pole for the rain fly had broken in the center, it was about 84 and not windy at all there was no reason for the pole to have broke.

I called North Pole (the makers of Ozark Trail tents) not to get much help! Rather than continuing to wait for the company to come up with a soulution and stop questioning me on proper use or abusive weather conditions! I decided that for the $40 I spent on it, (knowing that you get what you pay for) I would sew the gap and seal it really well and get a thicker gage replacement pole for the fly. 

My repairs seem to be working out well.  All and all for a cheap tent from Walmart I think it's ok. I don't know that I would recommend it for a beginner who doesn't know his way around a tent.

Cheap and leaks.

I got soaked when it drizzled for a hour or so. Crappy tent! I will be going with a Coleman on the next purchase. Trust me, it's worth the money when you are soaking wet a long distance from your car.

I received my Ozark tent from my grandparents, which I used 9 years ago when we went camping with them.

When you buy anything from Walmart it is made cheap so it can sell for cheap. This I do not think a lot of people realize. But I do not plan on buying a new tent anytime soon.

When something says "waterproof" it does not mean it will not leak. It is made of nylon and nylon does not keep water out. It is simply a way to keep you from direct weather contact. And as with any experienced camper, we all know that tents are not waterproof, even if it says money back guaruntee. That's why you buy a tarp to put over and a tarp for under. It will leak. So next time you go camping instead of relying on a Walmart special, use your head.

Buy a couple of tarps...because you will need them.
If and when I buy a new tent, I will go with Ozark again, and will not buy it from walmart....if you watch a doc. called "Walmart, the high cost of low prices" it will explain to you why the product there is so cheap.

4th of July Family Camping Trip in Tahoe, 80 degrees, only in the tent at night. Bought a family tent, one that sleeps 8, so one would assume that it would be made with good zippers and seams. Noticed that the zipper was getting stuck, but didn't think much of it. Then the first time my 8 year old went into the tent to get his sweatshirt on the first night the zipper on the front door completely broke.

We spent the next 4 nights shoe lacing the front door shut, which was fun when one of the kids had to get up to go potty, which happened SEVERAL times a night and was even more fun trying to get them to sleep because they thought the broken zipper was going to let bears in.

Thank you OZARK for making camping nights with small children just a little more difficult!!!! Good thing we are all troopers and we didn't let your HORRIBLE product ruin our trip. We'll be buying Coleman from here on out.

When I bought the "tent" little did realize that I was also getting a PARASAIL at no additional cost, nor did I also realize that I was not getting a tent but getting a screen dome with a tarp over it. Had I known that I would never had bought it.

I have tried to use it at our local beach and when ever the wind gets to 7-10 mph off we go chasing the tarp and that leaves the screen dome uncovered and in blew the sand. Once we tried it at the lake wind came up, off comes the tarp that with a light rain everything got wet.

We have never been able to sleep in it and makes a poor storage room. I am 67 yrs old and have used Ozark Trail tents for years, but this covered screen dome turned out NOT TO BE A TENT. I would not even think of unloading it on my worst enemy.

My husband and I decided to head to the Texas coast for our 10yr old's first camping trip. We bought the 10person, 3room tent. I LOVE the room first of all , and the looks were very eye pleasing too. We set the tent up in the yard, only took us about 15min. first time.

We, like some others, know that tents are NOT waterproof, so we sprayed the seams etc. with water replant. When we reached the beach everything went great, first night 30 mh winds. Tent shook a little but held fast. Next night still calm, took cover off and loved looking up at the night sky. Third night 30 mh winds again and rain. All was well in the am.

The bag was big enough to fit all pieces in again easily. The only thing I would have changed was adding ties for the window flaps. Thanks Ozark for making our trip more comfy:)

I've been backpacking up and down Central America for 11 years using my $30 7'x7' Ozark Trails dome tent that I bought at Walmart in 1996. I wouldn't trade it for Paris Hilton!

Before my treks, I set the tent up with the rainfly on it and spray the fly with a silicone water repellent and let it dry. It has NEVER leaked. The bathtub style floor has NEVER ever leaked in all the time I've used it. I've even sat out a few tropical storms on some islands and was as dry as a popcorn fart. If you can find one of these (and they are hard to find) buy it!

P.S. The secret of keeping your tent in shape is to NEVER loan it out, and NEVER let anyone enter your tent that cannot treat such an important shelter for your survival with the respect that it deserves!

I bought this tent and put it up twice. My son loved the looks of the tent, he is 4.5 yrs old and just went through chemotherapy (diagnosed with Burketts Lymphoma in Primary = Salt Lake City and completed his Chemo at UNM in Albuquerque). His heart was broken when we went out and two of the end poles split in half literally and one of the poles ripped into the tent.

The only place I put up the tent was in the backyard. We must have had some wind but not tornado force/ hurricane force winds. I have block walls all around the property. I just wish who I need to contact to get a new tent shell and two end poles that are made of sturdy material would contact me and make good of it.

I set up the tent in the yard prior to camping. It is a big tent and I set it up myself, not easy but doable. Nice tent. Taking it down poses a problem. There is no way in hell to get it back in the bag. You guys must laugh at nite thinking about us trying to pack up. Good joke.

I crammed it in and tied the poles to the outside of the bag. If and when I rip this tent with these antics, I will definitely remember Ozark Trail and buy a different brand. Seriously, the bag needs to be 50% larger than is currently used. I don't have the luxury of trained factory workers and a big clean floor. (I unzipped the bellows and got an extra 1/2 inch. Big deal.)

I have bought two Ozark Trail Tents. The first one that I bought, I loved it! But the door zipper broke on it, but that was after 3 years of having it. But this second one that I bought is worthless. I was setting it up and one of the poles went through the top of the tent. Then I was staking it down and one of my finger nails went through the side of the tent and that was with no force. I am not happy with it at all!! I will not buy another Ozark tent again. I looked for someone to contact about it and there was nothing, with my search here, this was the only thing I have found. I am not happy at all with OZARK!!!

This is my second Ozark Trail tent and I love it. I am and have been for quite sometime a Boy Scout leader so my tent is used regularly.

I must say that nothing is waterproof, water resistant is a better term. I have found that the seams of the tent do drip a little when it rains (after all machines put tiny holes in things when they are sewn together) it is nothing that cannot be fixed with a little time and patience. I bought a $3 bottle of seam sealer followed the directions and have not had a single issue with water since.

Also using a ground cover under the tent (seems obvious to me) will help prevent water from coming in from the underside of the tent.

Its a cheap tent!

I purchased an eight-man Ozark tent in 1998 to take my little brother camping. I silicone sprayed the entire tent on the first day. I finally retired it after 20 years of service. 16 days a year in that tent since new and had some zipper problems. That's it!

Look you get what you pay for. Ozark is a cheap tent manufacturer. If your tent leaks, you didn't seal it. Another rule, when it rains, don't touch the sides!!! EVER!!!

Take your time and prepare your tent for camping. It pays off.

My fiance and I spend a lot of time camping. Not sure what season our tents were but, we had to get 4 of them.

The 1st we bought this season was not until the end of July, now it is Sept 28th. Took the last one back Labor Day weekend. How many weeks is this to go through 4 tents? Not many! Every single one of them fell apart!!!! This is bu**sh**!!!

Every single one of our camping experiences has been ruined because of the OZARK tent. I would like a response to this please and I do expect some compensation of some kind! Every time we put some faith in these tents we got let down.

Thank you,
Rhonda Morgan

Ozark trail tents suck! I will never buy again. I could make a better shelter out of cardboard boxes and scotchgard. Pure trash.

They claim they are weather tested, but I feel they don't include rain or wind as elements of the weather.

Background

Personal

Easy setup. Pole broke when trying to set back up to air out after our campout. One-time use tent for $35.

Rain fly is too big — it needs one side cut differently to allow to get in and out of the tent. It needs a little bit bigger bag for storage.

I live in Canada and find these tents to be very good. NO TENT is waterproof whatsoever!! If you a experienced camper like myself you would know that you have to use a tarp to cover your tent so that the water does not get inside when it rains. And you have to make sure that the zipper is closed well and also sprayed with a water repellent. But unfortunately, they are many morons out there that don't know the first thing about camping.

I purchased this tent to take to music festivals and such, because it is like a small house. The tent's first outing was pretty good. However, for its second trip it just fell apart. One day into a 3-day festival, I returned to camp to find both of the large poles snapped right in two.

So I called the company requesting new poles and a month later I have yet to see my new poles. I will not ever purchase from this company again.

Door zipper catchs flap. Tears flap. Destroys zipper.

Was easy to set up. Only complaint was the zipper hangs on the front door flap, destroyed flap and zipper.

Think I put it on twitter see how many people had this problem. All I can do now is throw it away.

I bought this tent and the first night I spent in this tent it rained and I was very disappointed. This tent had no protection against the rain. All my things got wet. I was very upset with this tent, there was no protection for the rain. All of the seams leaked, and all of my blankets got wet!!! Why did I pay $100 for all of this I do not know, but I am very unhappy!!!!!!!!

I had bought this tent thinking it was going to be dry, man was I wrong. This tent leaked water more than i had ever seen. I will never buy an Ozark Trail tent in my life and I will tell everyone I know that if they buy one what to expect. And that is you will never be dry in one because they suck bad.

This tent is ok...I bought with the money that I had saved up and I really wanted a cool looking tent. This tent is awesome. I think that this 35 dollar tent could outlast the expensive ones. Mine is red and black and the rainfly covers everything except for a tiny place to get in.

i bought this tent and was very dissatisfied, two off the poles snapped right where they connect in the silver part. I would not recommend this brand to anyone. this is the first time to use this tent so it was brand new. no unusual weather conditions. 85 outside so this should not have happened.

We just bought this tent over the weekend and put it up. It started to rain and every seem leaked. The tent filled with water. It is a 7 person dome tent. I really liked the way it looked and the space but will not be able to use it due to the leaks.

My Ozark tent was set up in my wooded acerage all summer long. I used it for three summers. I completely wore the tent out! I was so pleased with the quality that I upgraded and bought a bigger Ozark tent. I am very pleased with the quality of these tents.

I bought this tent last year. My family and I have used it a total of 3 times and the seams have ripped. There is no way we can camp with this tent, if it would rain it would ruin everything.

I recently bought a new gold and black Ozark tent. First night we set it up and it rained. Had the fly up and water leaked through the windows and seams.

Totally worthless tent. Do not buy this brand again.

It's absolutely terrible.

Why would you make a tent that is not waterproof? The label on the package says "weatherproof," but that obviously does not mean waterproof from rain. This tent is worthless!!!

Brand new tent. First night of rain it leaked. Will be returning it to Walmart.

Why would you make a tent that is not waterproof????

The tent is crap. It lets water in. DON'T BUY IT.

The tent is open at the top with a weather rain fly that fits over the dome. The fly is so small it allows rain to blow up under and then runs into the tent.