ashenUsually we don’t encounter tents of this size. So far, the largest size that we’ve reviewed are the 8P tents. I don’t suppose that many of us would even begin to think that an actual mobile house of this nature exists. Well, here you go. The incredibly unorthodox Ozark Trail Base Camp 14 Person Cabin Tent at your disposal. Now of course the market for such a tent is relatively small. Not everyone enjoys solo or two person travels. Imagine spending a couple of nights in this tent with a large group. Could be your family and cousins or your friends. Either way, this stunningly accommodating cabin-type family camping tent is close to unique. Here are its specs.
Ozark Trail Base Camp 14 Person Cabin Tent Features
- Packed size (L x D): 28.5 x 13.75 in (72 x 35 cm)
- Weight: 47.96 lb (21.8 kg)
- Floor size: 20′ x 20′
- Center height: 78
- Ground area: 20 x 20 ft
- 4 rooms/ 4 entrances/ 12 windows
- Non-freestanding
- Electricity port available
- Taped fly seams
- Room dividers can be tied back to make 1 large room
You might have noticed that much about spacing and area has been allocated in the specs sheet. Additionally, you also get a gear loft, lantern loop and a media pocket. They claim that 2 people can set it up in 20 minutes. Since this is a non-free-standing tent, you have to stake the eight corners first. The highlight of this tent is the partitions for comfortable accommodation. We will talk more about the spacing later. Obviously, the tent floor area is less than 400 ft². It should approximately be a little over a half of this value. This is definitely a summer camping tent which is why the window placement is in this manner. If the sky is clear on a summer night, you can get a wonderful view because of the mesh ceiling. Let’s take an in depth look at the Ozark Trail Base Camp 14 Person Cabin Tent.
Build Quality And Material
The materials used aren’t extraordinary. A combination of Polyester, Polyethene, Fiberglass and Steel it is. The 10 roof poles are fiberglass. The tent seams are taped and it is waterproof although nowhere have they listed the waterproof rating. It is a 3 season tent so it definitely should be. There is the tent fly which is built in a way such that it does not limit the view from the windows. As with many tents, there is a convenient hook in the middle roof area for lanterns hanging along with wall pockets to store the accessories. Enough spacing for your camping gear and utensils in the gear loft and two gear hammocks. Therefore, organization should not be an issue. The stakes are quite thin according to some users so it would be advisable to purchase some extra. We will take a closer look at what the customers have to say later in this post.
Spacing
Okay so about the spacing. As we mentioned earlier, the floor area is a little over 200 ft², less than 250. They say that It is ideal for 14 campers in sleeping bags or five queen airbeds. In a less practical sense, if you don’t have a ton of stuff lying around (which should not be the case), you can host fourteen sleeping pads with the accurate dimensions so as to occupy the entire floor area. We realize that this is farfetched even for a group of friends who just want shelter for the night.
In terms of family camping, we believe that a total of 8 individuals can comfortably spend a few nights in this tent because of the special sewn-in center zip room dividers converting the layout from one to two, three or even four separate rooms. Therefore, two adults and six kids would do great in this tent. You can either choose to place all your travel gear in one room and have the other three for sleeping in or have each other’s travel gear in the four separate rooms. There is plenty of ventilation and good airflow throughout the tent. Again, we will see what the users actually have to say.
Seasonal Usage
There is a little bit of gray area when it comes to seasonal usage although the specs state this is a 2-3 season tent. As we said earlier, there is no mention of the waterproof rating. Quite a few experts claim that this tent is unable to withstand high winds and the cold seeps in through the mesh since it isn’t exactly winter cloth level insulation. It can handle slight to moderate rains but definitely not snow or heavy rainstorms. Overall, just think of this as a summer camping tent and no more.
User Feedback
Now let’s see what the overall user feedback is like. Surprisingly, it is far better than anticipated. Obviously the majority of the purchasers were large families with 6 or more members. In summary, everyone is loving the huge space and the four convenient entrances, easy elementary setup, so easy that a 59 year old woman put it up BY HERSELF! There are literally tons of reviews if you check the Walmart review section for this tent and the common elements are the incredible space, great airflow and ventilation and easy setup. So it has no cons at all? Well, like any other product, it does and it is nothing new that we didn’t already mention.
Firstly, most of the users mentioned that a tiny bit of water sweeps into at least one of the rooms during a moderate rainy season. But apparently it was never regarded as a major setback and they still love it. Also, the fiber poles aren’t that strong. There were a few unfortunate users who encountered heavy storms during camping and the fiberglass poles had snapped off. However, another customer who used this tent for camping claims that they were hit with a 60 mph gale force storm off Oneida Lake in Upstate NY but the tent stood its ground firmly. Anyway, we don’t recommend risking that.
This is undoubtedly a SUMMER TENT! Majority of the family camping setup was as follows. Main entrance and common area as a place for a table and all of the other gear while the other three spaces were used as bedrooms. So there you have it. The complete Ozark Trail Base Camp 14-Person Cabin tent Review. Have you ever had experience camping in a tent of such capacity before? Share your thoughts below.
