Nobody wants to spend all day sitting in direct sunlight either though, and that’s where a tent with a screen room like this Ozark Trail 9 Person Cabin comes into play. The Ozark Trail Three Room Instant ozark trail canopy tent Cabin takes our top spot as the best Ozark Trail tent. With room for 12 and nearly seven-foot ceilings, it checks all our boxes for a big family tent, but even as cabin shelters go, this one is special.
During my research on this tent I watched several YouTube videos on how to set up tent by yourself or with two people. This tent is a little heavy because of the steel poles pre-attached to the tent, so I recommend having a partner to help pop up and lock in the poles. The fabric choice of polyester keeps the tent lightweight, while giving you adequate shelter to block UV rays and wind. The legs and frame are fashioned out of lightweight steel for strength and durability during intense conditions.
That doesn’t mean they all leak when it rains or collapse when it’s windy, but they simply aren’t built for bad weather. Light wind and rain should be fine, but you’ll want to take some steps to prepare for both (more on that below). This shelter may be the least expensive in our roundup, but it still packs some sweet features worth noting. Our favorite is the “storage locker” which gives you a protected place to store items like muddy shoes outside the tent, but can also be accessed from inside using a second zipper. It’s a great spot to stash your “middle of the night bathroom break” shoes and anything else you don’t want taking up space inside the tent. Every year, thousands of new campers get their first taste of the outdoors in an Ozark Trail tent.
Tyler has hiked every mountain range in the US and summited Highpoints in several US states as well as Germany. His favorite outdoor destinations are the Canadian Rockies, the Black Hills of South Dakota, Mt. Tongariro in New Zealand, and the San Juan Region of Colorado. This helps transport it to and from your campsite, and the 48 x 11 x 11 inch size means it stores out of sight once you are back home. It has received a lot of positive reviews as it is laden with accessories, has a good quality build, and is priced affordably.
But this only assuming that you ignore the declared capacity of 11 people. This is an instant tent with telescopic poles and the setup typical for such a tent, but there is a bit more to that because of the third room, more below. The walls are very tall and straightened as you would expect from a cabin-style tent.
While that one commands a higher price tag and slightly bigger dimensions, the Ozark Trail 9 Person Instant Cabin Tent is a more budget-friendly tent, with an equal amount of family-orientated features. Chances are, though, you won’t want to spend half your trip setting up your tent. Manufacturers have found clever ways to make tent setup easier, including attaching ozark trail instant cabin the poles to the material so there are no pieces to assemble. Some family tents can be erected as quickly as 60 seconds, especially once you’ve gotten the hang of it. Shawna Newman is the editor-in-chief of Active Weekender, a website that provides resources — from gear recommendations to beginner tips — to people looking to plan outdoor adventures.
We also don’t recommend this tent for high winds because although all the poles are steel, Ozark Trail uses a thin-walled alloy that can bend under stress and plastic hubs that we wouldn’t trust in serious storms. As far as fairweather shelters go, however, this one may be the best value in terms of livability for your money. Plus, there are room dividers so you can create up to 3 rooms for separate sleeping spaces. Again, Ozark Trail tents are mainly fair weather camping tents (so you won’t be hiking into the backcountry with them) which means weight and packed size aren’t a big priority.