Great for backyard overnights, this simple dome-style tent is for anyone who doesn’t want to spend more than $150 on a tent but also doesn’t want to buy another one next year. The easiest models to pitch are pretty much always “instant tent” shelters, which use a system of preattached ozark trail canopy poles than only need to be unfolded and locked into place. With that being said, we have yet to see an Ozark Trail tent that’s actually “difficult” to set up, so there’s no reason to limit your search to “instant-only” if you don’t mind putting your own poles together.
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In high winds, it took us a maximum of 10 minutes to pitch and fully secure the tent fly with extra lines and stakes. Mountain Hardwear’s plastic clips and aluminum poles handled well and fit together easily. After our longtime top-pick tent for two people ran into some stock issues in 2021, we decided it was a good time for an update to this guide. We researched new models and redesigns, and we assembled a new batch of small tents for testing in March 2022, this time on Oahu.
Two hanging pockets plus loops for a ceiling hammock provide simple yet effective additional interior gear storage. The tent body simply clips onto a set of aluminum poles that dock into grommets at four corners of the tent. These now-common clip-style setups are generally intuitive and can be accomplished in minutes—certainly this was true of the Mineral King 3, as under good conditions one person pitched the tent in under five minutes.
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. 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. Let me just tell you this, it doesn’t make a difference what model your tent is.
There is a zip-out section on the floor right beneath the stove jack, which is a really neat feature as it will save you from getting any tiny holes from sparks and ash that fall out occasionally. Nylon Loops at Base of Sidewalls and Doors – These loops, which are featured every 3′, allow you to stake your walls and doors down to keep them held taut. Weighing just 7 pounds (or 6 pounds 1 ounce without extras like the tent bag), the tent is light enough to double for backpacking trips, especially if you divide the pieces among hikers.
When pushed, most of those we talked to estimated five to 10 years, though the actual lifespan will vary widely depending on care and frequency of use (for more advice, read REI’s excellent tips). In conducting research for this guide, we heard multiple tales of careful campers who had been using the same tent for 15 years or more. We were surprised at first to see the Mineral King 3 come out on top. It was the only three-person tent—and therefore technically the smallest—in a test group that consisted primarily of four-person tents.