Ozark Trail 10 Person Dark Rest Instant Cabin Tent Review

This article will look at the Ozark Trail 10 Person Dark Rest Instant Cabin Tent Review.

With its large size, fast pitch, and blackout interior, it’s a tent that you shouldn’t overlook if you are in the market for something that suits family camping, or camping with a large group of friends.

Another unique feature that is quite rare among instant set up tents, is the dark room technology that is incorporated in this one, but we will touch more on that later. 

But is it worth shelling out your hard-earned dough for?

Read on to get the 411 on this multi-functional outdoor shelter.

Ozark Trail 10 Person Dark Rest Instant Cabin Tent Review

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What We Think

Ozark Trail is a Walmart brand that isn’t particularly known for producing the highest quality tents, but this model is surprisingly value-rich, especially when you consider the price tag, for a 10 person its a steal.

It has a large square footage at 140, can sleep up to 10 people, and goes up in a few minutes due to its pre-assembled design. The tent can be split in two with an optional divider, which is a great feature when parents want their kids in a separate room, or friends need a break from each other.

Plenty of Space to Relax

Premium features include a skylight-designed fly that shelters you from the rain while simultaneously allowing for unlimited stargazing, and a fully black interior that can be sealed shut to eliminate any light from entering the tent.

Panels can be Removed for Stargazing

Ozark provides all the hardware (i.e. stakes), an E-port for powering your living space, and interior pockets and lofts for gear storage. The large carrying bag makes for an easy re-pack, and you get a 6-month limited warranty giving you confidence in the purchase.

Details Overview

Features Overview

• 10 Person Instant Tent for Quick Setup
• 140 Square Footage for 2 Queen Mattresses
• Blackout Interior for Restful Sleep
• Skylight Ceiling Panels
• Includes Removeable Privacy Curtain
• E-Port for Running Power into Tent
• Easy to Repack in Carrying Bag
• 6 Month Limited Warranty

What We Love

Adjustable Dark Rest Blackout Interior

One of our favorite features of this tent is the blackout interior Ozark has designed it with. Great for light sleepers, or those days when you feel like shutting out the world around you, all the windows zip shut to eliminate any light from entering the tent.

Fully Blacked-Out Rooms for Inducing Sleep

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You can bring a flashlight, hang a lantern, or use your phone’s torch if you need a quick light source. While some have reported that the blackout material also traps heat inside the tent during the day, there are plenty of venting options that can help increase airflow.

Skylight Ceiling Panels

While a large number of tents have a mesh ceiling to keep air circulating while allowing for stargazing, this is usually negated once the rain fly has been attached over the tent. It’s all or nothing with those outdoor shelters. This model from Ozark differs by working with the rain fly to give you a skylight experience while inside the tent.

Elongated Ceiling Panels Allow for Light when Needed

Strategically placed cut-outs in the rain fly correspond with the mesh ceiling panels of the tent to let you watch the night sky at any time. The ceiling panels can be zipped up at any time, allowing you to control light, airflow, privacy, and how dry you stay when it rains.

Double Rooms

You can do a lot with 140 square feet of space. As this tent is meant to house 10 people sleeping side-to-side, a more realistic number is 6-7, as you still need space to move around the cabin. The large size also means you can fit 2 queen size mattresses inside it. Ozark provides an optional curtain partition (can be removed or rolled up) that divides the tent into two.

Dividers can be Removed Depending on your Layout

This is useful for those that require some privacy, or want to separate the tent into 2 spaces that can be used in different ways. A lot of people will use the secondary room for storage, eating, gaming, or just lounging in. You can even use 1 side of the tent as a blacked-out bedroom.

While the secondary room stays wide open for enjoying the outdoor environment in a bug-protected enclosure. Families will also benefit from having the parents in one room, and the kids in another room.

Tent Overview

Set It Up in Minutes

One of the most attractive traits of instant tents is their quick set up times. These models come pre-assembled with the frame already attached to the canopy, making your job simple. The legs are telescoping (like a tripod uses), so all you have to do is unlock them and extend them out.

Set Up In 4 Easy Steps

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All that’s left to do is attach the rain fly and stake down the tent’s corners and guy lines. While the majority of instant tents can be set up in under a minute by a single person, the sheer size of this tent makes it a bit harder to pitch by yourself.

It will go up a lot easier with someone helping out to keep the set-up time to under 2 minutes. If you are pitching it in less than ideal weather, you will be happy you have an extra set of hands helping out.

Rain Fly Protection

This model comes with a removable rain fly that easily attaches to the legs. While you can leave it on or off, there’s really no reason to not attach it, as it has skylight panels that line up with the tent’s mesh ceiling, allowing you to watch the sky or let light into the tent at any time.

The Rainfly Covers the Entire Roof

The rain fly also provides a small awning over all the windows and front door, helping to direct rain from entering those points on the tent.

What It’s Made Of

No one wants to be in an outdoor shelter that is structurally compromised when exposed to the elements. Like most instant tents, they use a combination of steel and polyester for the majority of its construction. Steel legs give it a strong frame which excel in protecting you against high winds during inclement weather.

Sturdy and Well Structured Framework

Using polyester for the canopy and rain fly give it a lightweight and durable material that also blocks UV light well. The rain fly also uses transparent PVC for the skylight windows, which helps provide further waterproofing while allowing you to watch the rain.

The interior uses a blackout material to give you a lightless experience, and mesh windows protect you from the nasties getting into the tent while increasing the circulation of oxygen.

Functional Design

With a strong emphasis on function, not only will you get multiple room capabilities and a large entry door, but Ozark also ensures this tent has a lot of ventilation options. Using a low to high venting system, low vents can be guyed out to bring clean air into the tent, while the mesh ceiling and windows help to move it out.

Stay Connected with The Cord Access

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This makes for superior circulation, which is also customizable, as the windows and ceiling panels can be zipped up to regulate how much air passes through the tent.

Interior Bonuses

Aside from the blackout walls, the interior includes a few more bonuses to make your camping experience as comfortable as possible. An electrical port can be used to bring in electricity, which can be a godsend when you are camping with a lot of people and need some time out to play on your phone or tablet.

Wall Organizer is Sewn On Inside

It can also be used as a power source to fire up electrical heaters or stoves. Additionally, you will also find storage pockets for keeping your essentials nearby, as well as gear loft that can be used for additional storage, or hanging your tablet in to create a small TV screen everyone can watch.

Conclusion

While it doesn’t use the highest of quality materials, it does deliver in key areas that are important to campers.

It sets up quickly. The size allows for many people to sleep under the same roof. The rain fly provides waterproofing with skylight views. The blackout interior helps those who have trouble sleeping, and a divider curtain gives you some privacy when needed.

It includes everything you need for your outdoor adventures and is priced competitively with a decent warranty. We believe it is definitely a tent you should consider if the above features are of interest to you.