Because adventure is not a destination; it’s a lifestyle. The ozark trail wagon very well might be one of the best selling 10×10 tent brands of all time. The easily recognizable logo has been seen by nearly everyone at youth soccer tournaments or beach vacations in recent years. That team is also pretty helpful to have when our marketing team needs to explain why a straight leg canopy has more structural integrity than a slant leg canopy.
The canopy fabric is made of a lightweight denier polyester, offering water resistant features and 50+ UPF, which we love. Being protected from the suns harmful UVB rays is probably why you wanted a canopy tent in the first place, and this Ozark Trail tent meets all criteria in this department. The one complaint we have is that there is no vents in the fabric at the peak to release the build up of hot air under the canopy. Most new tents incorporate this ventilated canopy design to increase airflow and reduce the trapping of hot air, helping to keep those in the shade cooler and more comfortable. Slant leg canopy tents are cheaper than straight leg tents because they use less material. Aluminum tent legs not only have a larger leg diameter (1” for steel vs. 2” for aluminum) but the thickness (or gauge) of aluminum is twice that of steel.
The frame is powder coated aluminum and steel with push button locking on the frame and height adjustments. The heavy 400D polyester top provides 99% UV protection and is water and fire resistant. There are 4 walls included and one of the walls has a zipper in the center for easy access under the canopy.
The canopy folds down to 48.75″ in length and easily fits into the sleeve bag with a pocket for the walls, stakes and guy ropes. One thing we love about Ozark Trail canopy tents are the accessories that can be added to the shelters. These include sidewalls, weight bags, and a host of other great add-ons that can really increase the use and versatility of the canopy tent. Perhaps our two favorites are camping tent additions that connect to the frame of the shelter and leverage the stability of the 10×10 frame to support a camping tent structure. The legs are locked into place with old school metal push button locks, something you won’t see on many modern pop up tents now-a-days. These push locks get very difficult to use over time, especially if the tent is used on the beach and exposed to sand and saltwater, causing rust build up.
I feel empowered knowing that even when I am tired, I can still push myself to do more. So, for those of you who are enticed by the cheap prices of slant leg canopies, we’re here to warn you to not waste your money – even if it only costs you $75 or $100. I have a Sawer Squeeze—obviously—and will store water in a 1 L Platypus and a 2.5 L Osprey bladder in my pack.
It’s advertised as a 10×10 tent, but your canopy is actually 7.8’ x 7.8’, for about 61 square feet of space under the canopy. If canopy coverage is important to you, this is a very good reason to go with a straight-leg option. But as you look at different slant leg tents, you’ll also notice the frames use less steel and have fewer plastic connection points. Here’s a sketch one of our engineers made to explain the slant leg design.
So, right off the bat, you’re saving money because there is less soft goods material. The weight of this Ozark Trail is lighter than most of the same size alternative steel frame canopy tents, coming in right about 29 ozark trail chair lbs. An argument can be made as to whether this is good or bad. From a positive perspective, the lightweight design increases portability which is certainly important in carrying the tent to its intended location.
If it’s manufactured correctly, each leg should form a 90-degree angle with the floor. Getting our hands dirty with the top-rated 9×9 Neso Grande lightweight beach canopy tent. We’re more than just custom pop up tents — TentCraft is a premium fabricator of all things experiential marketing and outdoor advertising.
As I mentioned in a previous post, I’m wearing Altra Lone Peaks for shoes and will pack a pair of Crocs for camp shoes. For socks, I’m bringing three pairs of Darn Toughs and a pair of Injinji toe liners to prevent blisters. Yes, toe socks are silly, but I’d rather be silly than in pain. Like many other hikers, my sleeping quilt is from Enlightened Equipment. I’m also bringing a lightweight liner from Cocoon, as I imagine many nights it will be much too warm to sleep in a quilt. While I’m sure this list will change somewhat during my hike, I wanted to make an initial record, as I found looking at other hikers’ gear useful in my preparations.
I don’t have the patience to blow up a pad every night and don’t want to worry about getting a hole and, again, being SOL in the middle of the woods. It does make my figure a little wider when slipping through narrow openings between trees and rocks, but it’s a lot cheaper if I need to replace it and is more usable when damaged. We find a really cool waterfall coming out over some flat rocks!