30 SEC OZTENTS.....Any good ?

They are a must have in my opinion if -
- you are on the road a lot,
- have a companion of the fairer sex who has had enough of the flies or rain for the day
- have the room for it
- love to sit tight in your instant bar sipping beer after a long days adventure watching the others fumble around for 40 mins to pitch any other tent.
I would never have considered takingit unless a frind insisted I take his on a 2 week tour - even though Id built a bunk into the patrol it was brilliant

kezza

Browny,

They are very popular in our club, but like everything, theres good and bad. The upside is the ease of putting them up, and the square walls. Downsides are that they can collect water on the roof if it rains, and you have to put them on a roofrack because of their stored length. Someone told me the first ones had better canvas than the later ones. The rain problem is overcome by buying the fly sheet, which has lots of ropes etc, so it then takes ten minutes!

The oztent made springy tents are great, if you're happy to have a tent you can't stand up in. They cope with the wind very well too.

My favourite is still a tent called a Breezeway made by Halls Canvas Goods in Adelaide. 12x9 twin centre pole that doesn't encroach on floor space. Square packet, quick to put up, can stand up in it, and about the same price as the Oztent. Downside is the packet is a bit heavy because of the thick canvas.

Phil

Browny,
I have a camper trailer and I fumble around for the forty minutes, I still enjoy it. Some of the members in our club have Oz Tents and the hardest parts seems to be getting it on and off the roof rack, usually takes two people. It's up quick and they are the people usually walking around the campsite with a beer having a chat first, I must admit I've never been on a campsite when it's been raining so I don't know about the rain issue. Seem to be Ok to me but I still prefer the creature comforts of a camper trailer. Keep the shiny side up

Hi Browny welcome to the site , I had a look at the oz tent but was put off by the lenght that ment storing on the roof this was also a ploblem due to the weight ,off setting the centre of graverty in the end I oppted for a dome tent it was light compact and only takes a few minutes to put up , the one I got had a small room at the front which is great for storage and also a place to take off wet weather gear before entering the main tent we can stand up in it quite easally also the area at the frount can be used to cook in if the weather turns bad this tent only set us back $159.00 at Ranger camping .Before you buy an oz tent I would recommend seeing if you can lift it onto your roof rack easilly ,hope this helpsBorn to drive a 4x4 , not a keyboard
Peter York 4x4

If 19kg is an issue, remember it will be more if wet.
Happy camonig......Mike

Hi Browny:
I have a "Ranger" model and love it.
Advantages include quick and easy to put up, you can stand in it. It does go up in 30 seconds, but if you are staying a while and want to "nail it down", put up the annexe, fly etc, it takes a little longer. But then, don't they all?

Downside? 2.4m length means it goes on my roof rack (on the top of everything else) and is lashed down with a ratchet strap. Not much of a problem and I don't have any trouble getting it up there.

I looked at the newer model Oztents at the 4WD show in Sydney and noticed some improvements, especially in the side walls, which are now zipped on instead of the silly "toggles" that are on my model. This is a positive move.

On our travels we decide in advance on the type of setup we will have, depending on length of stay. The "Budget" setup, with no annexe, fly etc takes 30 secs ... which is great for an overnight stay (or setting up in the rain). The "5Star", with everything, takes about 5 minutes.

I have had no breakages or anything, but know there is a full list of available spares from Oztent. You will find all this on their website.

Cheers
Jack

Personally Im looking at Southern Cross' One Pole Canvas Tents...

brilliant design and quality, and what can be better than 1 pole!!! (you can get a pole kit to move it from center to the sides)

You peg down 4 corners, and then crawl inside, stand u with one pole up the middle, and start drinking.

Can even get awnings for them if your basecamping.
http://www.southerncrosscanvas.com.au/tent.htm

Hi all
I am interested in oztent too does anyone know if oztent is somewhere on display in Melbourne, I like to see before I bay.

The simplest solution to your question would be to join a 4wd club in your area, borrow a tent and go for a couple of weekend trips and compare what the others have this way you can get an idea of what suits you best
RegardsDodg

Many thanks to you all for your replies, some great info there.
I mainly do overnighters or weekends no real long term stuff, usually in my persuit of a fishing destination, I,ve been very happy with my swag for years, (quick & easy) but maybe I'm getting a bit soft and the thought of some storage space and being able to get dressed while standing in the dry is becoming more appealing.

Thanks again.

Happy Days....Browny

Gday, just done a 6 week Simpson trip with a new model Oz Tent. Its the RV series they are now an olive green colour. Its bloody unreal!! Side walls zip and velcro on, and the awning is peaked for no water pooling. Got the screen room which hangs on the side of the tent awning if you want to save poles. Was great to sit and have a beer and watch the flies and mozzies outside. Ive got plenty of pics if you need any.