In between trips, we turned a neighbor’s large, flat yard into an ad hoc camping-gazebo testing ground. We erected our shelters just in advance of a 24-hour rain and checked for leaking and rainy-day ambience midstorm. We also timed setup and breakdown times for each shelter, and we repeatedly zipped and unzipped doors and windows, looking for annoying snags. I sometimes enjoy not knowing exactly where we’ll stop to spend the night. I include links to some items mentioned, but am not endorsing products or sources.
So, right off the bat, you’re saving money because there is less soft goods material. The first trip was an early-February expedition to Indian Cove Campground in California’s Joshua Tree National Park, where our highly exposed group campsite made daytime temperatures in the high 70s feel like the 90s. We used the shelters for sun protection, setting up camp chairs inside one and a play mat and toddler toys inside another, and placing the large Clam shelter over a picnic table piled with markers and coloring books. One thing we love about Ozark Trail canopy tents are the accessories that can be added to the shelters.
The one downside with integrated rain flies is the lack of ventilation and temperature control. We had great weather – not too hot and not too cold – but it did rain for about 5 minutes. Fellow campers and sun-baked spectators consistently gravitated toward the REI shelter over the L.L.Bean.
I only walked about a mile away on a dirt trail to the showers but it was not a flat surface and ozark trail canopy the equiptment on my back was stable. OT maps are a great resource to help identify places where you can access water. If it’s manufactured correctly, each leg should form a 90-degree angle with the floor.
I managed to fit my headlamp, lighter, map, compass, and some tp in the pocket. Prior to taking it out on the trail, I did give it two coats of silicone spray so that it would shed water. Whether you’re planning an epic thru-hike or an out-and-back ozark trail backpack weekend excursion, this guide will help you get started on your Missouri adventure. Mostly divided into linked sections, the trail winds through 390 miles of rolling hills, stone bluffs and cool streams in central and southern Missouri.
Like the REI and L.L.Bean canopy shelters, this Clam tent has a generous fabric skirt at its base that is designed to keep determined insects—and pooling rainwater—out. If we were camping somewhere infested with mosquitoes or no-see-ums and could fit the Clam in our vehicle, we’d prefer it over any of our other picks. In early March, we took our second trip to the oceanside Sycamore Canyon Campground (PDF) near Oxnard, California. A later check of the weather at nearby Point Mugu Naval Air Station confirmed top recorded wind gusts of 40 miles per hour. We later used the shelters on group trips at Wheeler Gorge Campground near Ojai, California, and at the La Jolla group campsite at Point Mugu, as well as on a trip to the El Mirage Dry Lake in the Mojave Desert. A canopy tent is a purchase most regular car campers consider after stocking up on the basics.
The biggest issue in all of this is the inability to withstand any rotational pressure during medium and high impact weather conditions as the joints become unstable and collapse at the mid points. In windy conditions high stress is applied to each side and the frame begins to break down at the unreinforced joint connectors. That is why we always recommend tents with a full truss structure as they are able to withstand rotational pressure since the cross section of the main support runs through the tent’s center as opposed to outer perimeter.
Similar to the Ozark Trail cooler, the Pelican features orange wheel rims and also has orange clasp accents. A handful of REI customers complain that the tent is not stable in strong winds. Though the previous version came with four guylines—the stabilizing lines that allow you to stake out the tent for added security in windy conditions—the current version does not, which is inconvenient. “It is very simple to set up and very sleek. I love that it already has a hook for a lantern. It’s also great that I can stand straight up in it at 5’7 without any issues. The tent has pockets for storage and two large windows that can unzip.” We set up the REI Screen House Shelter and L.L.Bean’s Woodlands Screen House side by side in the Mojave Desert in 100-degree temps.