Ozark Trail Sports Dome Tent
Ozark Trail Sports Dome Tent Specifications:
Size: 9ft x 8 ft floor
Price: about $30 on sale
Structure: It’s the familiar dome tent, supported by flexible external rods that slide through sleeves to hold the fabric up. It has a separate rain fly that can be removed for maximum ventilation.
Capacity: The tent supposedly sleeps 3 to 4 persons. Realistically, 2 adults can be comfortable lying down in the tent, as long as they are good friends and don’t mind having to crawl on their hands and knees to get in and out. It’s more suited to be a children’s tent.
Rainproof or not? Ozark Trail recommends that you seal the seams before using the tent, using a commercially available seam sealant meant for tents and outdoor gear. We didn’t have time to seal the seams. It rained every day. The tent leaked, but only a few drops, during a light rainfall. I strongly recommend you take the time to seal the seams on the rain fly.
The Good and the Bad about the Ozark Trail Sports Dome Tent:
BAD: The tent has a maximum 4 foot peak height. Unless you are short, you can’t sit up without bumping your head. The only place the tent is 4 feet high is right in the center of the floor. The height quickly decreases towards the edges. We would have been more comfortable in a tent with steeper sides and a higher ceiling.
GOOD: The setup for the Ozark Trail Sports Dome Tent was easy. The tent has the usual flexible rod supports, the instructions are adequate, and the illustrations of the rod placement were accurate. However, I wish they had included instructions for taking the tent down and refolding it, because we couldn’t get it to fit back into its carrying case.
BAD: The stakes that come with the Ozark Trail Sports Dome Tent are nothing more than L-shaped lightweight metal rods. The stakes are difficult to pound into the dirt, and are not very secure. Any sporting goods store will have inexpensive plastic stakes with a flat top that are easier to handle. I recommend buying them.
GOOD: The tent has what the manufacturer calls “foot lockers”, two little wings next to the door with separate zippered openings. This is convenient for storing hiking shoes or snacks because you don’t have to open the main tent door.
BAD: The tent’s door mat was useless. It’s just a flap of material and didn’t do much to keep the interior of the tent clean. The next time we go camping, we’ll pack a regular doormat.
CONCLUSIONS:
The Ozark Trail Sports Dome Tent is an adequate, inexpensive tent for summer camping in mild climates. I wouldn’t want to be in it during a windy rainstorm because the rain fly barely covers the ventilation panels. It has too much screening to be useful for fall or winter camping, unless you like sleeping in cold drafty places.
