What's NOT to like about the Oztent?

[wobbly]

Which RV model is it?

 

[wobbly]

And does your King Goanna stretcher fit in it?

 

[Chris]

Here's a clue.



There are two Goannas in there at the moment. Might kip in the garden tonight. Just 'cos I can.

 

[Scott]

I do think the bus shelter bit though will be a very fast set up and good for fast set up and tear down

I have known people to just erect the main tent (in 30 seconds), chuck their clothes bags and stretchers in and be ready for the night, no pegs, no guy ropes. I guess this is ok if the weather is fair and expected to stay that way.

I have the RV5 for when not using the RTT, I do like the option that if you rock up to camp in the rain you can erect the main tent quickly, post the misses in there all nice and dry, and chuck her the stretchers etc so that she can be getting on with making camp in the dry. Whilst you can then focus on putting up any of the extra parts.

Although you theoretically can sleep multiple people in the main tent, there is no privacy as its all one space. If you have kids you could get them to sleep in the front section, but that doesn't work so well if you want to stay up past their bedtime. Different arrangements work for different people.

Enjoy your first night in the Oz.

P.S There appears to be some mud on your drive

 

[froggy Steve]

mmmmm, jane fondle..........memories memories! there is an awful lot of kit there!

 

[Chris]

My thoughts exactly Scott. Still not a perfect solution. Start at a hotel and work backwards I think. Last option is camp fire and a blanket. Everything else is somewhere in between.

That's not technically mud on my drive. It's actually drive on my lawn.

 

[fast but dim]

I've had my RV 4 for four or five years, and still really like it. For quick stops in good weather all you really need to do is chuck up the main part, and put poles under the front, which in reality takes a minute or two:


Once your gear's inside, I finish unloading the car,open a bottle and affix the front and sides. This can take up to an hour, depending on the size of the bottle


We took our Oztent to the alps (photo's are in Six Fer Cheval) a couple years ago, and the Oztent was perfect: quick to erect for overnight stops, but roomy enough to be comfy when staying a few days. IMO the front and side panels are essential, and the solar fly a great addition for comfort.

 

[moggy1968]

some nice errections there chaps, very jealous!

one day it will have to be an RV5 I think!

 

[stumog]

Here's a clue.

View attachment 13568

There are two Goannas in there at the moment. Might kip in the garden tonight. Just 'cos I can.

View attachment 13569

how much room is there between the two strechers please chris?

how are you finding the oz tent?

 

[Chris]

I like it Stu. I think it's more a pull up, sleep and move on tent, a bit like a ground mounted roof top tent. I like the bell tent more as a static tent. With a Goanna and a King Goanna bed in there it's full. Married and courting couples only I'd say. You could get four friends on the floor on mats, sure, but I like to be comfy. I put the large bed at the back and the smaller one by the door. This means I can get up, go around and get out without mauling the current wife.

Very waterproof, but not a cheap thing.

 

[David]

I agree about the fly sheet, we pack our RV5 up with it still attached, We often only put the side panels on then pull the truck awning over it seem to make a nice dry place to be

 

[Ben]

I'm going to order an RV4 within the next few weeks and I'm trying to work out what accessories I should buy with it.

Is the fly sheet necessary in hot weather?

 

[fast but dim]

The fly sheet is designed for hot weather: it's silvered to reflect heat. A massive bonus (alongside the extra waterproofing and reduced condesation) is it keeps the tent nice and dark in the morning.

We leave ours attatched too.

 

[Ben]

Thanks, I will order it at the same time.

 

[Chris]

Ben, I am in two minds about the side and front panels. If I was based for a few days at a time, I'd take the bell tent for sure. If I am one stopping then I wouldn't use the front and side sections. It's too long to mess when you should be drinking. In short, great pop up, but not sure about it for static camping.

BUT, what I found very useful indeed was the extra long vertical poles and the ridge poles that come with the panel kits. The ridge and vertical extra poles allow you to point / pitch the awning section and really strengthen up the set up by connecting across the tent. Basically, it's the full set up but without the panels in place. I have them priced here in the UK and they come in around £70 delivered. If you don't want the front and sides, I'd really recommend that you go with 2 of the longest poles and 2 of the ridge poles. They all fit in the main bag no problem. I am going to buy them, daft as it sounds so that I can leave the panel sections complete in each bag without robbing bits each time I go out.

 

[fast but dim]

I use a couple of harris (or similair) extendable decorators poles as extra poles for the front awning (£6 ish) each, and use standard guys (£5 tops): a massive saving over oztent's offerings.

 

[Aaron Schubert]

We've had an RV5 for a while now, with all the accessories

A couple of things

- We pack everything bar the ropes, pegs and poles into the main bag (this is the tent, peaked sides and the front panel). We detach the front room and put it on top of the tent in the bag. It is a tight fit!
- The length of the tent is a pain, and having to lift it onto the roof rack gets a bit tiring but we live with it
- It takes longer to get the tent off the rack than to set it up. The front part of the tent takes about 5 minutes with 2 people - 3 zips and its done
- We removed the fly as it flaps around in with the wind and as far as I could see didn't really provide any benefit
- When we just set the tent up, we only put 6 pegs in - 4 across the back and the 2 from the guy ropes on the sides nearest the front.
- This tent has been hammered in the nastiest winds up north and never once had an issue; they are built well!
- If you can get a second hand one you can save a fortune; we got ours that had been used 3 times, for half the price with all the accessories

They are a great tent overall, and I highly recommend them

Aaron

 

[Ben]

Thanks guys, lots for me to think about.

 

[Chris]

Well the answer to this thread is ....not much.

as in there's not much to not like abo.... Oh you get it.

The 30 second claim is utter hokey though. Yes, I can get it out of the bag and up in under 30 seconds but if you call that ready then you must have put it up in your front room. This is the UK not some sun drenched beach. By the time I have put it up, pegged all the necessary guys and the Solar Fly, my mate was just finishing putting up his Vango Icarus. It's not so much quick as very easy in my view.

It was glorious on Friday and I needed all the vents open. It was lovely inside. Friday night's sleep was blissful on my King Goanna. Seriously good. Next day it got colder and slightly wetter so I out the porch sides on. Very easy really. And what a difference. Total shelter from the wind. We sat under there eating olives and cheese with the gas lantern burning which heated the place nicely.

Now last night. Man. It went for it. It blew an absolute gale and the rain lashed. The main tent never let a drop in and actually never felt as though it was going to move an inch. The awning flapped like a hen on acid but never shifted from its moorings. There was a small puddle out there this morning but given the gaps that do exist where the sheets meet at the corners I was surprised that it was so little.

We started tearing down about 08.00 in fine weather and then the second wave hit us. Dodging the worst I ended up just cramming the entire thing in the back of the Cruiser and was away for 09.00 in a downpour. Set it up on the drive three times when I got back and was beaten by rain every time so I threw it in the garage and went inside. It dries very fast, just not in the rain.

I like it a lot. It's a lot of money for not much tent, but it's a good tent. If I pitched it on a nice beach or sandy soil, I'd get the shovel and pile dirt on the skirt to seal it against flies and bugs. You could use rocks but all we had was sheep and they wouldn't stand still.

I think if I spoke to their design team I would mention a couple of bits maybe but overall, yes, I like it.

 

[moggy1968]

You could use rocks but all we had was sheep and they wouldn't stand still.

They do if you put their back legs in yer wellies