Escape the ordinary with the Ozark Trail 12-Person 3-Room Instant Cabin Tent. This freestanding tent boasts a spacious 3-room design, including a screen room, and sets up in just 2 minutes, so you can spend less time pitching and more time enjoying the outdoors.
Important characteristics
- Instant Setup: Get your campsite ready in a flash!
- Spacious Interior: Two separate rooms plus a screen room for bug-free relaxation.
- Excellent Ventilation: Stay cool and comfortable with ten windows and three doorways.
- Panoramic Views: Enjoy the scenery from all angles.
- Tall and Roomy: Plenty of headroom to move around freely.
- Freestanding Design: Pitch it anywhere with ease.
- Outstanding Value: All these features at a price that won’t break the bank.
Where to Purchase
- Snag this tent for a steal on Amazon-US!
- A blue version is offered on Amazon-UK (at a premium), and it’s also stocked at Walmart.
An overview of the features
Ozark Trail is well-known for its massive family camping tents, especially those designed for 12 people. While this particular tent might look rectangular from the outside, it actually features a unique Y-shaped internal framework. This design creates distinct areas within the tent, which can be a bit confusing at first. To help visualize the layout, I’ve created a simple sketch of the floor plan based on observations and questions I’ve seen from other campers.
This spacious tent boasts a unique three-room design, as shown in the image. It’s earned a spot on my list of the best three-room tents thanks to its thoughtful features, like dedicated doors and multiple windows for each room, ensuring both privacy and ventilation. With a peak height of 76 inches (193 cm) and vertical walls, this cabin-style tent offers ample headroom.
What truly sets this tent apart is its unusual ground shape, resembling a “Y.” This distinctive design maximizes usable space and creates separate areas within the tent. The images below illustrate the floor plan with and without the room dividers, highlighting the innovative layout.
The images above showcase the tent’s versatile design. With ten windows at your disposal, you have complete control over ventilation and privacy. Fully close them for security and protection from the elements, or open them up to enjoy the breeze and surrounding views.
The screen room
One of the standout features of this tent is the fantastic front screen room, pictured below. Many people have been curious about this space, so I want to highlight that it’s a fully floored area, seamlessly integrated with the rest of the tent. There’s no difference in flooring between the screen room and the main living spaces, creating a cohesive and comfortable environment.
This tent’s screen room is truly exceptional. It features double-layered screen walls with both panels and mesh, providing superior protection from the elements and pesky insects. Access is made easy with an oversized, inverted T-shaped door, as shown in the image. While the other two room entrances are standard width, they boast impressive height for easy entry and exit.
What sets this screen room apart is its versatility. The expansive mesh windows on three sides offer excellent ventilation and views, making it an ideal space for relaxation and enjoyment. It’s no wonder this tent has earned a spot on my list of the best tents with screen rooms!
A tent that is set up quickly
For campers who love to explore different locations, this tent’s quick and easy setup is a game-changer. Officially, it takes just 2 minutes to pitch! The images below demonstrate the simple steps involved in raising the tent from the ground, making it a breeze to set up camp wherever your adventures take you.
Setting up this tent is incredibly easy thanks to its pre-attached telescopic poles. Simply unfold the tent, extend the legs, and you’re practically done! The images above illustrate this straightforward process: expand the frame first, then extend the telescopic leg poles to achieve full height. This user-friendly design has earned it a well-deserved spot on my list of the best 12-person instant camping tents.
As you can see, this is a truly freestanding tent with a robust structure. Even without the rainfly, it maintains its shape and stability. The image below provides a clear view of the tent’s sturdy pole framework.
Even with the rainfly on, it’s easy to turn the tent or move it a little bit. You can also tie it down with ropes if you need to, but I don’t think it’s necessary.
Just look at the pictures below! The inside of the tent is amazing. It’s so big and has windows everywhere. It’s like a real castle for camping!
Who is it intended for?
This tent is definitely big, but it’s not really made for 12 people like they say. It measures 20 by 18 feet, but that’s just the ground space. The actual floor area inside is smaller, about 56 square feet per room.
So, even though they say it fits 12, it’s more realistic for a family with a few kids, maybe 4 at most. Two couples could also use it comfortably since it has separate rooms and a screen room for hanging out.
You could fit three queen-sized airbeds inside, but that would take up almost all the space. It’s better to put two in the separate rooms and use the screen room for storing your stuff and relaxing.
This tent is best for summer camping trips in places where you might encounter rain and some wind. It’s designed to handle light rain, but heavy downpours could be a problem. The rainfly covers the top, and the tent’s height helps block wind, but I wouldn’t recommend using it in very strong winds.
The top of the tent is all mesh (see picture below), so it’s great for keeping cool in warm weather, but you’ll get chilly if it’s cold outside.
This is a heavy tent, weighing about 45 pounds. It also takes up a lot of space when packed, so you’ll need a car to transport it. But remember, it’s a very big tent with lots of room inside!
Regarding materials and construction
The tent and rainfly are made of polyester with a light waterproof coating. They don’t say what the floor is made of, but it seems different. All the seams are taped to keep water out.
The tent is heavy because it uses steel poles. This makes it strong, and you can even replace the poles if they get damaged. It also comes with 17 stakes to secure it to the ground, so use them!
This tent has great ventilation thanks to the mesh ceiling (see picture below). But if it rains, you’ll need to close the windows and doors. Don’t worry, there are small vents in each room to let air flow through. These vents are too small for an air conditioner, though.
Other characteristics
- While the tent offers some storage with six small gear pockets on the walls, it would have been nice to see more storage options in such a large space.
- One handy feature is the built-in E-cable port, allowing you to easily run an electrical cord into the tent for powering devices or lights. You can see it in the image below.
Specifications
- Type: Cabin-style instant tent
- Capacity: (Claimed) 12 people
- Weight: 45 lb (20.4 kg)
- Dimensions: 20 ft x 18 ft (610 cm x 549 cm)
- Floor Area: 168 ft² (15.6 m²)
- Peak Height: 76 in (193 cm)
- Packed Size: 50 in x 12 in x 12 in (127 cm x 30 cm x 30 cm)
- Warranty: 6-month limited warranty
Final thoughts
Just a reminder that this is my own honest review, and I haven’t been paid or sponsored by Ozark Trail. Feel free to leave any questions or comments below. Have a great day!
