Just picked one up and can't wait for some summer camping. This tent looks like it can be a life saver on a hot day with a breeze, I can see all the awnings up stopping the sun on the side of the tent making the tent a sanctuary from the sun. The tent for our family for years of camping has only really been a place to store belongings and sleep in when the day has cooled off, I think next summer camping in this tent is going to be different 🤞
I don't need the lighting nor the darkness features. But i really want the frontal shading feature, all across the front side. Which other brand and model tents, have this feature, of a full frontal awning setup? Anyone knows?
Coleman have a similar tent with both the blockout fabric and lighting, CureCreation, but if you don't want this feature then you can achieve something similar with the Outdoor Connection Brampton, but you do need to purchase sidewalls separately - www.snowys.com.au/brampton-3-room-dome-tent. ~ Ben
G'day Duane Horn, that's a great question. I'd happily go with either option as the feedback we've had on the differing pole systems suggest both are usually reliable and stable. The main reason I would choose an inflatable option over the fast frame would be pack size. I personally own a couple of instant up frame tents (different sizes) and have been very happy with those in all sorts of conditions. As the Oztrail Lumos range has only been out for a few months, there isn't much in the way of feedback as yet. Having said that, no feedback can be a good thing and hopefully mean it's been a positive experience so far. I hope this helps! Cheers, Sonia
Hey, You said you were using a power bank in this video for the lighting instead of the D batteries. Can you recommend what mah size power bank would be suitable to use for this tent?
I can't remember which power bank I used sorry, Calvin, it was most likely around 5000 - 8000 mAh, but any powerbank will do. The LED's are low power draw so you'd get a good life out of even small batteries. If you want to run the lights non-stop for days, however, then a larger powerbank is a better choice. ~ Ben
Would stretchers fit in the end bays or are we best to stick with mattresses straight on the ground? I've heard that with the way tent walls kinda angle in as they go up, it plays havoc with the floor dimensions.
Hi Mafia Dogz. The sloped walls will impede on the available space when you are using stretchers. We have an article here that may help. www.snowys.com.au/blog/can-i-fit-a-camp-stretcher-in-that-tent/. ~ Ben
I reckon it's a bit of a stretch, Baxter, I'm sure they have done tests in a controlled environment, but in my experience the most benefit is achieved when you combine the blackout material with good ventilation. If you close the tent up on a how day it still gets too warm for comfort inside. ~ Ben
Its abit of a pain @daniel gee, cause its fairly common with most style tents or shelters. As soon as theres enough rain to add weight to the fly it sinks abit & can no longer run off properly, which makes it worse. I've always just made a point of pushing the water off from underneath when it gets bad, or first thing in the morning. Theres not a huge amount you can do, just make sure you have as many guy ropes out with the best tension you can get on it. If its windy as well that will mess your tension up which wont do any favours. Grab some trace springs to offset this. ~ Lauren
You'll probably need to put a couple of tarps together depending on how much you want to cover. If you want the groundsheet to extend under the awning, then you'll need to cover about 6 x 4 metres. Otherwise something around 6 x 2.5 metres will fit roughly the footprint of the tent.. I'd recommend these tarps - www.snowys.com.au/ultramesh-tarp, available in all sorts of sizes. ~ Ben
The light blocking feature is much the same, the difference between the two is predominantly the frame structure, as well as the features that each tent has. ~ Ben
It really comes down to whichever one you like the looks of the best, Wayne. With these tents being newer we do have a lot more history with the Coleman Northstar so we are more confident recommending that option, but both are great family camping tents. ~ Ben
Having stayed in an Oztrail 8P tent multiple times, I noticed that the bottom of the Oztrail fly sheets finishes higher off the ground compared to Coleman. Although I understand the importance of ventilation, we experienced quite a bit of breeze blowing through our tent. It seems like this 10P model has a similar design. I was wondering if any other Oztrail customers have experienced this issue with unwanted breezes blowing through their tents at night? ☘
Thanks for your insights here, Noccer, this isn't something I've noticed, or paid much attention to really, so I'm interested to hear if anyone else can chime in with some in-field feedback. ~ Ben
Thanks for your comment, Josh. These are not the best in wind given their boxy shape. They will hold up in mild conditions if set up in full with all guy ropes, but we wouldn't recommend using them in an open and unprotected space during very windy weather. ~ Ben
Curious if you have tested this tent in windy conditions but giving it complete ventilation allowing the air to pass through it, not push up against it….. ?
@@SnowysOutdoors hi 👋🏻 I’m reading the reviews, what would you recommend for a large tent that performs well in potentially higher winds? I need a large tent but not in a position to purchase another Zempire tent, budget under $1000 to comfortably sleep 4 please
@@blessingsfromgod79 for higher winds I'd recommend a tent with flexible poles and sloped sides. Some options here for you: www.snowys.com.au/pronto-10-inflatable-air-tent www.snowys.com.au/brampton-3-room-dome-tent www.snowys.com.au/instant-up-10p-lighted-northstar-darkroom-tent It's a bit hard to offer good advice ina YT comment, feel free to give us a call if you need more guidance. ~ Ben
We probably wont get around to that one I'm sorry @Ryo Saeba, the 12 person tent is identical in every way to this one, materials/specifications/set up, etc with only difference being a small annex room on the front. ~ Lauren
It gives you options for a range of conditions and climates, but you dont have to use them. Most people would probably just use the main entrance. ~ Lauren
Super dodgy. 2020 has been a tough year on all of us, so the decision to spend decent money on a family tent was not one I took lightly. I highly regret this decision, because this OzTrail fast frame is an absolute lemon. One of the poles broke in the mildest of coastal winds (15km winds, 25km gusts - definitely the sort of pressure even the cheapest of tents should withstand). Sent Snowys photos and an explanation, got nothing. Rude and dismissive, just told me to find a local tent repairer or do the work myself. They blamed the tent's failure on me, some nonsense about "external forces and trauma", accusing me of deliberately damaging the tent myself. My family has bought heaps off Snowys in the past, can't believe they'd treat us like this in return. If you're considering dropping decent money on a big item, avoid these guys. They'll happily sell you dodgy products and take your money.
I'm very sorry to hear that, Peter. Our goal is to offer the absolute best customer experience we can... so to read your message is tough. Please know that our product range, including your Oztrail Tent, has been carefully selected to meet our quality, durability & functionally standards. Offering products which don’t meet those standards would fly in the face of our customer service goals - not to mention that it would unnecessarily overload our warranty department. In the instance of your warranty claim - unfortunately, this decision is out of our hands. Oztrail make that call as to whether the damage is caused by a manufacturing fault, or otherwise. While the outcome wasn’t what you were expecting, I can see that our warranty team was able to source some spare parts to make ongoing repairs to the damaged pole(s). Again, I’m very sorry that your experience has panned out this way. I hope you can understand the position we’re in. Regards, Laine
@@SnowysOutdoors You guys just get worse. Hey - imagine if I scammed you out of $500, then when you asked me to sort it out I offered you countless apologies but claimed it was out of my hands and refused to do anything about it? How would feel about the sincerity of that apology? You guys have had a shocker, give it up
Hi@@Peteygiugni, it looks like despite the outcome of the assessment our warranty team sent you an entirely new tent inner and frame to fix the issues you had. We sell a lot of OZtrail Fast Frame Tents and while it would be hypocritical of me to say they or any tents for that matter are without limitations, we have had predominantly positive feedback on the particular model you purchased. I'm sorry you are still unhappy with the outcome here, but I'm not sure what else we can, within reason, do for you. ~ Ben
@@SnowysOutdoors Ben, that's an absolute lie mate. No one sent me a new tent to fix the issues I describe above. I'm not sure what is to gain from misconstruing the situation like this, and won't discuss further when you're clearly coming at it from such a bad faith angle.
Just picked one up and can't wait for some summer camping. This tent looks like it can be a life saver on a hot day with a breeze, I can see all the awnings up stopping the sun on the side of the tent making the tent a sanctuary from the sun. The tent for our family for years of camping has only really been a place to store belongings and sleep in when the day has cooled off, I think next summer camping in this tent is going to be different 🤞
It's a very versatile camping tent, I'm sure you'll make years of family camping memories in this shelter. ~ Ben
This was a GREAT tour video thank you, EXACTLY what I was looking for.
I'm glad you found it useful, Rachel. ~ Ben
Thank you, that was a really comprehensive and informative review. Great Job!
You're welcome, glad it was useful. ~ Ben
So so informative, thank you
You're welcome!
~ Lauren
Just Bought Bought this Tent alot for the Walk thoriguh of the Tent
I hope it was useful Crazee Chris. ~ Ben
What a tent
Glad you enjoyed the video!
~ Lauren
Such a great review. Thank you.
You're welcome, Paul. ~ Ben
It would be really helpful to include a putting it up and packing it down to the video
Check out our "How to Set Up and Pack Away" video which is linked above, and also at the end of the video.
Hope that helps!
~ Lauren
I don't need the lighting nor the darkness features. But i really want the frontal shading feature, all across the front side. Which other brand and model tents, have this feature, of a full frontal awning setup? Anyone knows?
Coleman have a similar tent with both the blockout fabric and lighting, CureCreation, but if you don't want this feature then you can achieve something similar with the Outdoor Connection Brampton, but you do need to purchase sidewalls separately - www.snowys.com.au/brampton-3-room-dome-tent. ~ Ben
Hey, are the instant up/ fast frame tents more reliable and stable than inflatables? Also any feedback yet for this oztrail vs coleman darkroom?
G'day Duane Horn, that's a great question. I'd happily go with either option as the feedback we've had on the differing pole systems suggest both are usually reliable and stable. The main reason I would choose an inflatable option over the fast frame would be pack size. I personally own a couple of instant up frame tents (different sizes) and have been very happy with those in all sorts of conditions. As the Oztrail Lumos range has only been out for a few months, there isn't much in the way of feedback as yet. Having said that, no feedback can be a good thing and hopefully mean it's been a positive experience so far. I hope this helps!
Cheers, Sonia
Hey, You said you were using a power bank in this video for the lighting instead of the D batteries. Can you recommend what mah size power bank would be suitable to use for this tent?
I can't remember which power bank I used sorry, Calvin, it was most likely around 5000 - 8000 mAh, but any powerbank will do. The LED's are low power draw so you'd get a good life out of even small batteries. If you want to run the lights non-stop for days, however, then a larger powerbank is a better choice. ~ Ben
Would stretchers fit in the end bays or are we best to stick with mattresses straight on the ground? I've heard that with the way tent walls kinda angle in as they go up, it plays havoc with the floor dimensions.
Hi Mafia Dogz. The sloped walls will impede on the available space when you are using stretchers. We have an article here that may help. www.snowys.com.au/blog/can-i-fit-a-camp-stretcher-in-that-tent/. ~ Ben
Hey Ben, does the internal tempreture really decrease around 10 degrees or at all. If so is there proof. Does Oztrail show data on this.
I reckon it's a bit of a stretch, Baxter, I'm sure they have done tests in a controlled environment, but in my experience the most benefit is achieved when you combine the blackout material with good ventilation. If you close the tent up on a how day it still gets too warm for comfort inside. ~ Ben
Snowys Outdoors any tips on keeping the water from pooling while the awning is up ?
Its abit of a pain @daniel gee, cause its fairly common with most style tents or shelters. As soon as theres enough rain to add weight to the fly it sinks abit & can no longer run off properly, which makes it worse. I've always just made a point of pushing the water off from underneath when it gets bad, or first thing in the morning. Theres not a huge amount you can do, just make sure you have as many guy ropes out with the best tension you can get on it. If its windy as well that will mess your tension up which wont do any favours. Grab some trace springs to offset this.
~ Lauren
Thanks for the video, what footprint would you recommend to go under this tent? Thanks
You'll probably need to put a couple of tarps together depending on how much you want to cover. If you want the groundsheet to extend under the awning, then you'll need to cover about 6 x 4 metres. Otherwise something around 6 x 2.5 metres will fit roughly the footprint of the tent..
I'd recommend these tarps - www.snowys.com.au/ultramesh-tarp, available in all sorts of sizes. ~ Ben
Whats the main difference between coleman dark and this one? Light?
The light blocking feature is much the same, the difference between the two is predominantly the frame structure, as well as the features that each tent has.
~ Ben
Great video, what would be the deciding factor between this and the Coleman Norhtstar 10P?
It really comes down to whichever one you like the looks of the best, Wayne. With these tents being newer we do have a lot more history with the Coleman Northstar so we are more confident recommending that option, but both are great family camping tents. ~ Ben
Having stayed in an Oztrail 8P tent multiple times, I noticed that the bottom of the Oztrail fly sheets finishes higher off the ground compared to Coleman. Although I understand the importance of ventilation, we experienced quite a bit of breeze blowing through our tent. It seems like this 10P model has a similar design. I was wondering if any other Oztrail customers have experienced this issue with unwanted breezes blowing through their tents at night? ☘
Thanks for your insights here, Noccer, this isn't something I've noticed, or paid much attention to really, so I'm interested to hear if anyone else can chime in with some in-field feedback. ~ Ben
Thanks for the great video Snowys. Nice and detailed. How does it perform in the wind?
Thanks for your comment, Josh. These are not the best in wind given their boxy shape. They will hold up in mild conditions if set up in full with all guy ropes, but we wouldn't recommend using them in an open and unprotected space during very windy weather. ~ Ben
Curious if you have tested this tent in windy conditions but giving it complete ventilation allowing the air to pass through it, not push up against it….. ?
@@SnowysOutdoors hi 👋🏻 I’m reading the reviews, what would you recommend for a large tent that performs well in potentially higher winds? I need a large tent but not in a position to purchase another Zempire tent, budget under $1000 to comfortably sleep 4 please
@@blessingsfromgod79 for higher winds I'd recommend a tent with flexible poles and sloped sides. Some options here for you:
www.snowys.com.au/pronto-10-inflatable-air-tent
www.snowys.com.au/brampton-3-room-dome-tent
www.snowys.com.au/instant-up-10p-lighted-northstar-darkroom-tent
It's a bit hard to offer good advice ina YT comment, feel free to give us a call if you need more guidance.
~ Ben
hi Snowys, can you do OZtrail Fast Frame Lumos for 12 Person tent, please
We probably wont get around to that one I'm sorry @Ryo Saeba, the 12 person tent is identical in every way to this one, materials/specifications/set up, etc with only difference being a small annex room on the front.
~ Lauren
Way to many doors, windows and zippers in my in my opinion , but it's not a deal breaker.
It gives you options for a range of conditions and climates, but you dont have to use them.
Most people would probably just use the main entrance.
~ Lauren
this is a copy of the coleman northstar darkroom.
Pretty much, Peter, all the big companies are wanting their piece of the light blocking instant up tent market. ~ Ben
Super dodgy. 2020 has been a tough year on all of us, so the decision to spend decent money on a family tent was not one I took lightly. I highly regret this decision, because this OzTrail fast frame is an absolute lemon. One of the poles broke in the mildest of coastal winds (15km winds, 25km gusts - definitely the sort of pressure even the cheapest of tents should withstand). Sent Snowys photos and an explanation, got nothing. Rude and dismissive, just told me to find a local tent repairer or do the work myself. They blamed the tent's failure on me, some nonsense about "external forces and trauma", accusing me of deliberately damaging the tent myself.
My family has bought heaps off Snowys in the past, can't believe they'd treat us like this in return.
If you're considering dropping decent money on a big item, avoid these guys. They'll happily sell you dodgy products and take your money.
I'm very sorry to hear that, Peter.
Our goal is to offer the absolute best customer experience we can... so to read your message is tough.
Please know that our product range, including your Oztrail Tent, has been carefully selected to meet our quality, durability & functionally standards. Offering products which don’t meet those standards would fly in the face of our customer service goals - not to mention that it would unnecessarily overload our warranty department.
In the instance of your warranty claim - unfortunately, this decision is out of our hands. Oztrail make that call as to whether the damage is caused by a manufacturing fault, or otherwise. While the outcome wasn’t what you were expecting, I can see that our warranty team was able to source some spare parts to make ongoing repairs to the damaged pole(s).
Again, I’m very sorry that your experience has panned out this way. I hope you can understand the position we’re in.
Regards,
Laine
@@SnowysOutdoors You guys just get worse. Hey - imagine if I scammed you out of $500, then when you asked me to sort it out I offered you countless apologies but claimed it was out of my hands and refused to do anything about it? How would feel about the sincerity of that apology? You guys have had a shocker, give it up
Hi@@Peteygiugni, it looks like despite the outcome of the assessment our warranty team sent you an entirely new tent inner and frame to fix the issues you had.
We sell a lot of OZtrail Fast Frame Tents and while it would be hypocritical of me to say they or any tents for that matter are without limitations, we have had predominantly positive feedback on the particular model you purchased.
I'm sorry you are still unhappy with the outcome here, but I'm not sure what else we can, within reason, do for you. ~ Ben
@@SnowysOutdoors Ben, that's an absolute lie mate. No one sent me a new tent to fix the issues I describe above. I'm not sure what is to gain from misconstruing the situation like this, and won't discuss further when you're clearly coming at it from such a bad faith angle.