What's your experience with OZTENT RV Series tent(s)?
- Thread starter Obi-Juan
- Start date
Takes what, 20 mins to setup? Hmmm... Trying to get past that amount of setup time, but also don't want an RTT.
At this point narrowed to an RV5 or maybe try the much cheaper Gazelle tent t4 for a whopping $240.
Already have an awning so I dont necessarily need the awning the RV5 gives though it's nice.
We have the RV-5 with the Foxwing, 2 extensions and sidewalls. It is perfect for us. We hope to get a trailer this fall and put it all on the trailer. Only downside to this setup is the setting up and taking down of the awning and poles if you decide to go out and explore during the day. But for a multiple day base camp it is awesome.
Influencer II
After years of over analysing pros and cons of RTTs vs ground tents, I ended up with an Eyre-2 this summer. It a little lighter material than the standard oztent. I was sick of being cramped into my backpacking tent with the wife and dog. I agreed with @theBROFESSOR, this is a great multiday Base camp tent. Although, just setting up the main portion really is 30 seconds plus 4 corner stakes, so it can be a quick setup if you are just overnighting somewhere.
It is a big packed bag, but it fits nicely on my ARB roof rack. A big plus is that the bag is very easy to get the tent back in, plus the side panels and fly all fit in there as well, even though they come with their own bags. If you have a shoulder or back injury, or are small in stature, I can see how it might be difficult to get up on the roof without help.
The stock pegs are pretty average, but I got a free bag of Bluescrew and orangescrew pegs with purchase for the corners. That being said, I had it out a few weekends ago where it was gusting up to 80 km/h and the tent was solid. I had to go adjust the guylines a couple times, but it wasn't flapping all over the place, and I had a good sleep despite the wind. Our friends had a large dome tent that almost went in the river in the same wind, and they had a bad sleep with all the flapping of the tent.
The awning room is great for escaping bugs or for shade midday, but obviously takes more time to set up and stake down.
It is a big packed bag, but it fits nicely on my ARB roof rack. A big plus is that the bag is very easy to get the tent back in, plus the side panels and fly all fit in there as well, even though they come with their own bags. If you have a shoulder or back injury, or are small in stature, I can see how it might be difficult to get up on the roof without help.
The stock pegs are pretty average, but I got a free bag of Bluescrew and orangescrew pegs with purchase for the corners. That being said, I had it out a few weekends ago where it was gusting up to 80 km/h and the tent was solid. I had to go adjust the guylines a couple times, but it wasn't flapping all over the place, and I had a good sleep despite the wind. Our friends had a large dome tent that almost went in the river in the same wind, and they had a bad sleep with all the flapping of the tent.
The awning room is great for escaping bugs or for shade midday, but obviously takes more time to set up and stake down.
Creator III
Just to add to some of my previous comments about OzTent gear: We have used numerous tents, both ground and roof, over the years. For me, the Foxwing and 2 RV5 s we now have give the best of all worlds for flexibility.
For quick stop overs, the 2 RV5s are up in a minute or two (that's both - the basic tent really is the 30sec tent). The Foxwing without sides, in just a couple of mins and if some sides are needed, again, only a couple of mins to attach and peg down.
For longer stops or setting up as base camp, the Foxwing with both RV5s attached and two sides attached takes a bit longer, but set up for us, is part of the deal, so it's a leisurely affair, while others start to set up beds, prep food etc... etc...
Gone are the days of trying to thread poles through sleeves in a shapeless piece of material, then trying to peg it out properly and keep it in shape.
Cool in the summer, warm in the winter.
Never seems to rot - we've left them packed wet for quite some time before drying out. Also, if packed away wet, the inside always seems to stay dry.
For comparison, we used Khyam quick erect tents for years, of various sizes, from small one/two man tents, up to bigger 4 and 6 man tents and swore by them as being quick and easy to put up and pack away. Only down side was the material wasn't as robust as it might have been, but that's one of things that kept the weight down a bit. In fact, we still use them now, again, depending on the trip we're doing.
Having said all that, there's times when the roof tent fits the bill better, i.e. when there's just the two of us. Regardless of number of nights per stop, it takes about 5 mins to put up or pack away, which, again is part of the deal for a given trip. The thing about roof tents for us is that all the bedding stays in it - no big, bulky sleeping bags, pillows etc... to squash in the rig and it makes you keep tidy - no bags of kit left lying around in the tent, which inevitably ends up taking ages to pack away when you've been in one spot for a few days.
Horses for courses and, as with many things, will always come down to personal preference, experience and usage.
For quick stop overs, the 2 RV5s are up in a minute or two (that's both - the basic tent really is the 30sec tent). The Foxwing without sides, in just a couple of mins and if some sides are needed, again, only a couple of mins to attach and peg down.
For longer stops or setting up as base camp, the Foxwing with both RV5s attached and two sides attached takes a bit longer, but set up for us, is part of the deal, so it's a leisurely affair, while others start to set up beds, prep food etc... etc...
Gone are the days of trying to thread poles through sleeves in a shapeless piece of material, then trying to peg it out properly and keep it in shape.
Cool in the summer, warm in the winter.
Never seems to rot - we've left them packed wet for quite some time before drying out. Also, if packed away wet, the inside always seems to stay dry.
For comparison, we used Khyam quick erect tents for years, of various sizes, from small one/two man tents, up to bigger 4 and 6 man tents and swore by them as being quick and easy to put up and pack away. Only down side was the material wasn't as robust as it might have been, but that's one of things that kept the weight down a bit. In fact, we still use them now, again, depending on the trip we're doing.
Having said all that, there's times when the roof tent fits the bill better, i.e. when there's just the two of us. Regardless of number of nights per stop, it takes about 5 mins to put up or pack away, which, again is part of the deal for a given trip. The thing about roof tents for us is that all the bedding stays in it - no big, bulky sleeping bags, pillows etc... to squash in the rig and it makes you keep tidy - no bags of kit left lying around in the tent, which inevitably ends up taking ages to pack away when you've been in one spot for a few days.
Horses for courses and, as with many things, will always come down to personal preference, experience and usage.
Just received my Oztent RV-3 with fly and mesh floor today. Looking forward to trying her out.
RTTs won't stay dry inside if you pack them up wet. At least none that I know of.
Currently trying out a $240 Gazelle Tent T4, fabric is not nearly as thick as the OzTents so I don't expect this thing to last forever, but it just has to last long enough until our needs and setup changes again (kids are still pretty young at 9 and 6 and prefer to sleep in back of truck).
I've owned an RV-5 for 7 years now and have been very happy with it. I did buy the extra side panels but I usually just use the tent in it's basic form. I rarely use the rear window. I get adequate ventilation control from the other windows that can be accessed from the inside.
Creator III
You should be a member by now (assuming you answered the questions - we've had to add this due to a couple of scammers trying to join).
Let me know if any problem ....
Creator III
We have a Tentco RTT, it's been packed away several times when wet and even in the pouring rain. Only ever had a damp spot a couple of times by the door (always left partly unzipped to let the air out as it's folded up).
Got in, thanks. Just been lurking/reading. Name is Chuck Ball.
IS it me or almost all members there from Europe?
Nothing wrong with that, but if people are buying/selling it's going to be tough for shipping! Haha.
Creator III
It started off for UK members, I quickly realised that we were getting requests from around the World.
Most members are from Aus.
Traveler I
Th RV5 since 2007 and still going strong seen the Sahara and numerous mountains and other rough places only thing that ever broke was the bag for the RV5
Enthusiast III
Not sure where you are but these fellas make some tough bags for the OzTent range. I was a little disappointed in the factory bag not being weatherproof. https://www.drifta.com.au/product/drifta-bags-suit-oztent-rv/
Traveler I
I sawcthem on YouTube unfortunally I live in the Netherlands. Don’t know if they have a store in Europe.
Thnx for the tip [emoji1360][emoji1360]
