OZTENT Question?????

Hi Voxson:

I have had both versions of the Oztent and think they are terrific. I believe the material is some canvas/polyester (polycotton) fabric, which I know to be tough. Both of mine have proven to be waterproof, even in extreme conditions.

I recently bought an Ozpod for my new model Oztent (peak roof) and it is terrific - makes loading it onto the roofrack so much easier, plus it protects the tent to a great extent. The fly is mainly designed to ward off bird droppings etc, but it also has additional waterproofing qualities by preventing water landing on the sleeping area of the tent.

I am pretty certain that a very close inspection of the fabric will reveal any faults (mildew/rot etc), but I think they can handle a fair bit of storage. Both of mine have been put away for extended periods with no problems.

Jack

Agree wholeheatedly - the oztent is superb quality and wears extremely well. Mine, which is now 5 years old, has had a rather hard life exposed to the elements and still looks like new. They are expensive but so too is any good quality tent. Oh and the after sales service from the oz tent people in Wetherill Park is outstanding.
Cheers
Pete

Hi Voxson

We have a 2m x 2.4m x 1.9m Oztent Ranger. I think it may be an earlier model as well as I cannot find it in the catalogue. We are very happy with it and I posted yesterday(post 254620 on some repairs I had to make. The tent is waterproof as we have tested it on some severe rainy days.

The only complaint I have is that the tent bag isnt waterproof and it is a very tight fit on the roofrack. I am considering a bush trailer so the tent will be going there in the future. We paid $400 for ours second hand which had also only been used once.

I have 2 Oztents and swear by them. Would love a pod for ease of sticking on the roof & better waterproofing on pooring days. At $500- for new, I reckon its too good a bargain to pass up. Almost worth the drive over the Nullabor

Voxson,

The outlaws bought one about 7 years ago for storing stuff outside their caravan (that's some luxury). When we went away with them Jenny and the kids would sleep in it andf I'd go in a little two man job; we couldn't all fit in the one they had and I snore like a sick Massey Ferguson.

The FIL has since died, and it got sold, so I've no idea how they last.

It was a snip to put up and quite waterproof. However, very bulky to store. That is the trade off. If you've got the space it is a good trade off. So fast to set up, takes the grief out of camping.

Cheers,

Jim.

Voxson
I have been contemplating an Oz Tent and with respect to storage on the vehicle, I have in mind to get a tailor made roofrak basket to cover say 70% of the normal width (subject to check measurement) & leave the other 30% of plain roof rack bars free to strap the tent to. In this way you get the tent up & down relatively easily ( unless you are vertically challenged!)
Have also contemplated having roof rack bar extensions on the tent side that slide inside the main bars when not in use.
The idea here is to load one end first and then the other so the tent doesn't scrape down the side of the 4by. then push the tent in to travel position on the bars, strap it down and slide in the extensions and lock in with say wingnut grub screws.
My theory is that it would make it an easy one man operation.

Some one like Sunshade Products in Enfield SA would be able to do this or any fabrication shop for that matter.

Regards

John

Geocatcher
It's a bit unclear, but think you may refer to the quote I use at the bottom of my postings. If so I'm slightly puzzled by the reaction. I've used it for several years (including in all of my books) without receiving any adverse comment.

The quote is not mine - that's why it's in inverted commas. I cannot therefore change it. It comes from the US Ample Power Company - and they say it encapsulates their experience of several decades.

It' a universal comment and applies equally to myself.

The point is that (particularly in my own field of vehicle electrics) a huge amount of misinformation masks reality. The hardest task for a technical writer is not so much to explain how and why stuff really works - but try to persuade people that , for example the more fundamental laws of physics apply to (say) their batteries. That, for example, one simply cannot charge a conventional 12 volt battery from a 12-volt source.

Although I've spend the better part of 50 years in this field, when researching my books I found that I too believed some stuff that simply wasn't true.
Collyn Rivers

Voxson
These tents have many supporters and are quick to erect.

As an alternative, you can buy a new Coleman Classic 4 for the same price or cheaper. Not quite as quick to erect but it is more roomy and has better headroom. I am tall so I go for more width and height. Pack will fit in boot.

I don't want this to become X versus Y, both are good and it is about use and value for money.

cheers
EV700

Geocacher

Thank you for raising the issue. Quite honestly I had not previously seen that quote as being interpretated as widely as you are doing - but if one person sees it that way it's probable that others may. And I do not wish to offend people deliberatly.

Interestingly I have already in fact replaced it in my new book, 'The Camper Trailer Book' by the following - (it was John F. Kennedy's commencement address to Yale University in June 1962).

'The great enemy of the truth is very often not the lie - deliberate, contrived, and dishonest - but the myth - persistent, persuasive and unrealistic."

It's not the same as the Ample Power quote - but what I'm trying to get across is this: people can and are sometimes misled by dishonest advertising. But a bigger problem can often be that what people have believed for yoinks may not NECESSARILY be true. One one hell of a lot of problems may thus arise (particularly in vehicle electrics) through seeing stuff through 'distorting lenses'.

One example is that almost everyone assumes that (quite wrongly) that the (say) 4 mm cable you buy in an auto parts store is the same 4.00 sq mm cable specified for example by a 12-volt fridge maker. It's not - 4 mm auto cable is only 1.8-2.0 sq mm - half or less that specified and thus twice or more the voltage drop.

That's why a hell of a lot of 12-volt fridges perform badly. But before having people use the specified stuff - I must remove what may be a belief (myth) held for most of someone's life! And so on...
Collyn Rivers

One problem i know about is bent frames from own experience. Mainly because they are square and flat. They are alot better quality now then what they used to be.