Open main menu

Ozark Trail 20' x 13' Family Dome Tent

rated 2.5 of 5 stars

The 20' x 13' Family Dome Tent has been discontinued. If you're looking for something new, check out the best tents and shelters for 2024.

This tent is spacious and I thought we had found our dream tent, but after five camping trips the front door zipper messed up. It would stay together about halfway on the screen part, then would open the zipper back up going down. I finally got that part together and on the sixth trip, I turned the tent around so that we used only the back door as a front door. After three nites, this also did the same thing. The zippers are cheap, trashy and the tent too expensive to have to put up with this problem. The booklet says if trouble with the zipper, send for a replacement zipper and have a local canvas place put it in. "Helloooooooo", this costs money.

During medium or heavier rain storms, guess what, the tent leaks in several places. This is not the first Ozark tent I have owned, and it seems the cheap zippers are a trait of them. As of now, I will buy another brand of tent, maybe from Cabellas or Coleman. And all the other products I buy from Ozark Trail will have other names on them. And I definitely will not recommend an Ozark Trail Tent to anyone, I will put them down. Two of my sons were going to buy a tent from Walmart (Ozark Trail), but after my lecture they are going elsewhere.

Design: Family Dome
Sleeps: 6+
Ease of Setup: medium
Price Paid: $170

The old saying that "you get what you pay for" is true. I bought my tent 5 years ago. I use it for one week every year for a family vacation and for a weekend trip once in a while. I have learned that I need to put a big tarp over it and put plastic sheeting on the ground before I set it up. This tent has leaked from the top, sides and floor from day one even with proper installation of seam sealer.

Once the leakage problems were solved with the plastic and tarp the zipper problem was addressed. The front door zipper failed after two seasons of use and had to be replaced or the tent was junk. I had the front door zipper replaced with a heavy duty one and cut off the flap that is supposed to keep rain out of the zipper.

I just got back from a rainy week of vacation and did well at keeping dry because because of the 50'x20' tarp I suspended over it. If I hadn't used the tarp my vacation would have ended after the first day. This tent has gotten me through the last five years and is still usable but if I didn't have any trees to hang a tarp in I would be wet.

Design: 3 room family tent
Sleeps: 6+
Ease of Setup: Very easy for the size of the tent
Weight: About 40 pounds
Price Paid: $150

I have a 20 x13 Family Dome tent and love it...only thing I need now is to replace the pole ringlets as the winds here in Texas have either bent or totally obliterated them so the tent doesn't stay up right.

Also I recommend better tent stakes than the thin round steel ones because Texas ground won't hold the tents properly in high winds. They get pulled out.

The zipper problem most seem to be having is because the tent is apparently strung to tight and it pulls on the zipper thus breaking them open. You also need to move the zipper cover AWAY from the zipper while zipping it, this will cause the zipper to jump the track as well.

I need to know how to get the retaining clips (little ringlets with the two shafts on them) that hold the brace poles together.

Michael S. Terrell

Our family has used Ozark Trail tents for six years now. We decided to go larger as we bought more camping gear we needed more space.

We set our tent up twice when my daughter was playing and she tripped over the ropes for the top and ripped the whole side of the tarp instantly. The very next time we set up the tent, it ripped overnight near at the bottom near one of the loops to anchor the tent.

Though the tent was inexpensive, easy to put up, held up in rough and wet weather, and is definatly spacious, the material that they used is too thin and fragile. We will be using the Ozark Trail tent we bought six years ago, it is in better shape than the one we just bought.

Price Paid: $119

I have owned this tent for about six years. I loved it until last year, when the zipper broke. I forgot about the broken zipper until we were at this year's camping trip. I had to use duct tape to tape the whole length of the zipper. Not an easy job! Thankfully it only rained the first night for an hour or so.

It was well worth the money spent--$100--for the years I got out if it, but I hope they do something to improve the zippers! Also had to replace a tent pole.

Design: Family dome
Sleeps: 6+
Ease of Setup: Pretty easy
Price Paid: $100

Last weekend I took the family camping on the Outer Banks, N.C. My wife would not let my buy a new tent, instead we had to borrow this one. Setting up the tent in steady winds of about 9 knots with gusts up to 14 knots proved to be too much for this tent. The metal sleeves on 3 of the fiberglass rods split in the middle thus collapsing the whole tent minutes after final set up. Now I have to buy someone else a new tent instead of taking it back for a refund.

Ease of Setup: Average
Weight: Heavy
Price Paid: Borrowed

The tent was easy to setup but the first night in the mountains it rained all night and we woke up wet and water running in from the floor and the walls. The wind caused the tent to lay over and the fiberglass poles snapped. We are not talking about hurricane force winds just 30 mile/hr winds.

At this point I would like to have my money back but Walmart will not reimburse or exchange with no receipt. So my recommendation is if you need a tent, quality and price are everything.

Design: three room family dome tent with be dry tech.
Sleeps: 6+
Ease of Setup: easy
Weight: 80lbs
Price Paid: $120

You have to waterproof all new nylon tents. We did this when it was brand new and set through many thunderstorms without a problem. We absolutely loved this spacious tent with our 6 member family until a couple years ago when we too started having trouble with the zippers. Now we cannot keep the zippers closed. They look fine but come open. Does anyone know if there is anything we can do?

Design: 13' x 20' family dome tent
Sleeps: 6+
Ease of Setup: Easy but time consuming
Weight: 50#
Price Paid: $145

Our family has owned our tent for 4 or 5 years. We are a family of 6 and have loved it. I as the mom have enjoyed it probably the most because it is easy to put up. We have not had any problems so far. It has been to each Relay for Life Ceremony our county has held for the past 3 years and has been on many family outings.

Design: family dome
Sleeps: 6+
Ease of Setup: easy setup

Bought this tent 5 years ago. When set up properly, it has been great in the wind (gusts to 40 mph). I have never sealed it and never had a problem with rain.

However, this year, for the first time, I cracked two of the shock cord poles (the main cross poles). Having a difficult time finding replacement sections.

Sleeps: 6+
Ease of Setup: very simple
Weight: light weight

Was bought for youth group and has withstood a bad storm.

Not bad to set up once you have done it a couple of times.

Design: 20' X 13' Dome tent
Sleeps: 6+
Ease of Setup: Moderate

My family and i bought ours from Walmart. Took it camping maybe 3 or 4 times the zipper would get stuck so my wife would have to do it for my kids and i.

So we got a motor home and put tent up, had some friend come camping with us. They had no gear so we let them use our tent. The first day the zipper broke on the oneside later that nite they otherside broke. If you cant even use zipper tent is worthless garbage.

Needless to say they got eaten up by bugs. and i blamed them all these years when it was your crappy tents. p.s it's still out in garage takn up space.

Price Paid: $150

Your Review

You May Like

Specs

Price Reviewers Paid: $100.00-$170.00

Recently on Trailspace

Nalgene 32oz Wide Mouth Ultralite HDPE Bottle Review