Ozark Trail 16x16-Feet 12-Person 3 Room Instant Cabin Tent with Pre-Attached Poles

I got this tent for a three night camping trip in the white mountains. Set up and break down was very easy. I don’t think the rod can take a lot of bending so take your time while setting it up and taking it down. Once up it was very stable. Two of the nights had huge rain storms. No wind but a ton of rain. The walls oozed a little and some water pooled in on room but that room wasn’t on a tarp (didn’t bring one big enough), so that may have been an issue. I hadn’t had time to test it before the trip and add water proofing so that may fix the oozing. Very experienced campers have told me you should always water proof your tent before using it, even if it’s new. I figure I’ll need a lot to cover a tent of this size though. Water did pool at the edges of the rain fly where it becomes an awning over the open part of the L-Shape and pulled out. Stake that I hadn’t set well but it wasn’t a big deal. There is only one ceiling hook for a lamp in the center room which I wish the other two rooms had but the rooms are spacious enough for two cots and gear. All in all, I think it is an excellent tent for the money.

The media could not be loaded. Huge wonderful tent, just the size I needed for a big family. I was excited to find big storage pockets inside. See picture of pockets. I was also happy to see that I don't have to spray water proofing on the tent, in fact the instructions say to not, that the waterproofing was already done in manufacturing.Unboxing I was disappointed by the amount of cardboard used to package it, even after I thought all the cardboard was off, there was a piece of cardboard taped around each joint.I was surprised that the windows do not have ties to roll the open flap into, so they hang loose down when open, see picture. I was also surprised that the windows do not unzip all the way to the bottom of the mesh, see picture from the outside with a fully unzipped window. Not a big deal about the windows but surprising.I was able to get it to fit in the back of a very small car (Prius picture for reference) but one seat had to be folded down, big tent is too long for the small car back otherwise.First time take down by myself took only 15min to get everything back in the bag, see time lapse video. I did have to unzip the secondary expansion zipper on the bag, that is very helpful.After quite a few uses this summer, a small black piece popped off when folding it away. I took a picture of it and where it snaps right into the top as a joint cover. Not a big deal.

So I bought this tent to camp with my 4 kids. We've owned an Ozark Trail tent in the past and it held up for 3 summers (probably 30 camping trips, including wind, rain and a tornado a mile away) So my expectations of this tent were high. I bought the Instant because hey, who doesn't like less hassle when putting up the tent?The set up: The directions are not clear. There are no words, just pictures you have to try and decipher. After finally getting it up we did not put the rain fly on as it was gorgeous outside.The sleep: had plenty of room for the air mattresses plus bags. Kids liked having their own entrance. We liked the extra little area outside the door that provided some shade. When I laid down and was able to look out the screened door and just see stars and lake, that was awesome. I was digging the new tent!The weather: Around 7am my phone started giving alerts to rain rolling in. I jumped up and had my oldest help me get the rain fly on. While attaching it I though "hmmm, that's weird. Usually they attach to the pole and then you stake them down" This rain fly attaches to the tent, in a little loop, sewed into the seam, then you stake it down. So we get them all hooked up and staked. The wind is blowing but nothing too bad. Rain comes in, so far everyone is dry. Winds about 20 mph, nothing my old tent hadn't weathered before and I had high expectations for this one! My kiddo inside says "mom, something is hitting the tent" I walk to the back corner and see that the stake had come loose and the rope was hitting the tent. So I grab the rope about the time a gust of wind (25-30mph) comes thru and rips 1-the rope out of my hand and 2-it ripped the tent. That weird hook for the rainfly? Yeah, it ripped right a that point, all the way up the seam. The corner of the tent just flapping in the wind.I am so disappointed. This tent was not worth the money. I expected much more, especially for the money that was spent. I strongly advise against anyone purchasing this tent! There was no reason for it to rip. The other tents around us held up well. This one is poorly designed!