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Are Ozark Trail Tents Better Than Coleman Tents?

Posted on June 9, 2018February 17, 2020 by Brandon

Last modified on February 17th, 2020

What is the difference between Coleman tents and Ozark Trail tents?

I want to find the biggest differences between these brands so you know what to expect when shopping for a tent for your next outdoor adventure.

I already have a good idea about the performances after reviewing these two brand for the last two years.

But for the sake of formation and because I absolutely know others want to know how these two brands compare to each other, I’m going to write down my findings 🙂

Enjoy.

What Ozark Trail Specialize In


The Ozark Trail brand provide tents for family campers.

They have 6-person tents all the way up to 12-person and that is what they focus on the most.

They DO have smaller tents, but in my opinion they don’t offer a lot.

I have no idea why they’ve even jumped into the smaller tent market because they do better with the family tents.

All in all, they specialize in large tents in the affordable price range.

I’ve reviewed many of their tents and read a bunch of online feedback; they know how to make their tents waterproof and that is what makes them stand out within the competitive camping space.

The Good

  • High quality – Their tents are made with quality in mind and last a long time with frequent use
  • Great waterproofing – I’ve reviewed their tents in the past, scoured the internet for different feedback and have come to the conclusion that their tents have great waterproof abilities
  • Great wind-resistance – 90% of the their tents have good wind-resistance; they can withstand strong wind gusts
  • Affordable – They offer good quality family-sized tents at affordable prices
  • Instant Setup – Most of their tents have the “instant setup” function. The poles are pre-attached to the fabric which allows the tent to be setup in 60 seconds flat (yes, even the large ones)

The Bad

  • Limited Options – They are not common within the outdoor space so they don’t have a lot of options for campers to choose from
  • Lack of backpacking tents – They focus on family tents so their small handful of backpacking tents aren’t worth getting in my opinion.

[Read: Best Backpacking Tents]

What Coleman Specialize In


Coleman have been around a long time and continue to show society they are out to help families and even solo campers in the great outdoors.

That’s exactly why they have a wide range of outdoor products and tents to choose from.

They mostly focus on family tents but also have smaller tents available for solo adventurers.

Coleman are either a “hit or miss” kind of brand.

Their tents are either going to be high value for money or a complete waste of money, in my opinion of course.

All in all, they specialize in affordability, variety and uniqueness and have done a great job following that trend.

The Good

  • Affordable – Coleman tents are all in the affordable price range, allowing budget-seekers and low income families to enjoy their time in the great outdoors without breaking the bank
  • Variety – They offer tents for solo campers, tents for a group of friends and even large families. They have a tent for whatever adventure you pursue in the great outdoors

The Bad

  • Lack of quality – Coleman create tents and put them on for sale as fast as possible.

Their tents slip through quality control much easier than other brands and have been made with low quality materials (most of the time).

This is exactly why their tents don’t last long with frequent use.

  • Thorough research required – You’re sacrificing quality for cost with the Coleman brand, meaning more research is needed on a specific tent to discover the real quality and performance

Conclusion


Ozark Trail have a limited number of options to choose from but the ones available all perform well in the field.

They don’t have solo campers in mind as their main market is family campers on a budget.

Their tents are waterproof, high quality and packed with features.

You will not be let down if you go with the Ozark Trail brand.

Coleman on the other hand, are a little more difficult.

Their tents are not always high quality so extensive research is needed on a tent you’re purchasing or you may be let down…big time.

Read next: Everything you need to know about Coleman

Let me know what you think of the two brands below. Are you an Ozark Trail or Coleman fan?

Cheers and have a great day!

 

-Brandon

Camping Mastery

27 thoughts on “Are Ozark Trail Tents Better Than Coleman Tents?”

  1. Pablo says:
    September 8, 2018 at 3:08 pm

    Nice post and comparison. For long I thought the Coleman were the best tents. You just opened my eyes and my mind to a better option.
    I will look into this.
    Thank you for the advice.
    Pablo

    Reply
    1. Brandon says:
      September 9, 2018 at 8:28 am

      People THINK they are the best because they have a good reputation, however, don’t be afraid to steer clear from what everyone else is purchasing. There are some great alternatives out there.

      Reply
    2. juan says:
      November 7, 2019 at 6:22 pm

      Hi Pablo! In regards to your post! I have been a camper for quite a while and have tried several brands that are out there including Coleman and Ozark Trail and In my personal opinion Coleman offers a better value product for the money; in general better water insulation and better tent structure. If you have doubts about what I am telling you…just go ahead and do an online research …

      Reply
  2. Matthew Weaver says:
    September 8, 2018 at 5:28 pm

    Hi Brandon,

    Nice post about tents! Whenever I need a new tent and go camping again, I will consider getting an Ozark tent since they are higher in quality.

    Thanks for the informative article!

    Matthew

    Reply
    1. Brandon says:
      September 11, 2018 at 8:56 pm

      Thanks for reading about Ozark Trail and Coleman tents Matthew. Glad you learnt something 🙂

      Reply
  3. Mike says:
    September 8, 2018 at 6:33 pm

    Such a great review! I really like the bullet points with the good and the bad. It helps to summarise the main points.

    Thanks for sharing, your website looks great!

    Mike

    Reply
    1. Brandon says:
      September 11, 2018 at 8:58 pm

      I try to make it easy to read and understand as possible because I know how busy my readers are and don’t have time to decipher a wall of text 🙂

      Reply
  4. Kavitha says:
    September 9, 2018 at 5:24 am

    Well explained about both Ozark trail and Coleman tents. Helpful article for those who go camping.

    Reply
    1. Brandon says:
      September 11, 2018 at 9:04 pm

      Thank you Kavitha.

      Reply
  5. Heather says:
    September 22, 2018 at 3:13 am

    Thanks for the article! I have been wanting to go camping, haven’t been since I was a child, I will definitely consider Ozark now:)

    Reply
    1. Brandon says:
      September 23, 2018 at 9:59 pm

      That’s good because Ozark Trail are a nice brand and stand by their products 100%, you cannot go wrong.

      Reply
  6. Steve says:
    September 22, 2018 at 3:18 am

    Ozark makes some really big tents that is for sure. I don’t know why they focus on that area specifically, but I do know several people who own Ozark tents. I do like the waterproof factor, but you are right, if you want a tent for backpacking, or something smaller, you are out of luck.

    Coleman is a brand name a lot of people trust. They have been around a long time and make quality products. We owned a Coleman at one point and I would recommend them.

    Reply
    1. Brandon says:
      September 22, 2018 at 8:03 am

      Neither do I, however, it has worked for Ozark Trail over the years and probably why they stick with the family-sized tents, because they know what they’re doing in this field.

      Reply
  7. Jan says:
    September 22, 2018 at 8:08 am

    Hi, Brandon!

    I really like the idea of a waterproof and high-quality tent like Ozark but on the other hand, I like that the Coleman is affordable so almost anyone can enjoy the experience of sleeping outside in a tent.

    I would definitely go for the Ozark because if it’s something for the whole family, I want it to be high quality and the water resistance is a key factor with young kids.

    I think a great idea if you think Ozark cost too much is to team up with another family you know and pay half the sum each and you use it at different times or maybe use it together!

    Great comparison.

    Regards, Jan

    Reply
    1. Brandon says:
      September 28, 2018 at 10:35 am

      Absolutely my friend. You need something high quality that can withstand the weather if you’re going to be taking the whole family.

      That is a nice idea and reminds me of my article called: Camping with no money…where I mention camping with your friends equipment or sharing equipment and things like that.

      Reply
  8. David says:
    January 20, 2019 at 11:36 am

    You’re an idiot you must work for Ozark Trail or something

    Reply
    1. admin says:
      February 2, 2019 at 11:24 pm

      I do not work for Ozark Trail David, but you should let me know why you don’t agree with me then we can all get a better understand of the 2 brands.

      Reply
    2. kyle says:
      August 22, 2019 at 10:46 am

      Agreed, Ozark are Chinese made tents have to be replaced frequently. Only last about a season. Tears and leaks are common.

      Don’t know anything about Coleman’s, looking for info on halfway good tents that are affordable and this article made me laugh.

      Reply
  9. Peter says:
    March 30, 2019 at 6:22 pm

    I’m considering living in a tent for a few months to save rent for a new place to live, and since there’s a nearby Walmart where I’ll likely be buying the tent, Ozark Trail is one of my more likely options. My main concern with the brand is it’s Walmart’s in-store camping brand, and the store’s house brands are known for dubious quality, whereas Coleman is a known brand with a reputation going back many decades. That said, I also know that Coleman gear sold in box stores is of lower quality than Coleman gear sold at sporting goods stores; the stuff at Walmart is most likely manufactured in the same factory as Ozark Trail.

    Reply
    1. admin says:
      April 13, 2019 at 3:26 am

      Interesting stuff Peter, thanks for sharing!

      Reply
      1. Brad says:
        April 13, 2022 at 3:45 pm

        You are full of it and it is pretty obvious you haven’t camped in either. Not only is Ozark Trail Walmart’s store brand, Ozark Trail tents WILL NOT keep you dry(as they come). Although they do have a taped seam on the rainfly, the rest of the seams ARE NOT taped which (regardless of their advertising) GUARENTEES it WILL leak and you won’t be a happy camper. My Colman tent on the other hand came with FULLY taped seams though (they ALL come that way) and it doesn’t leak even after having it for over a decade. Now that’s not to say an Ozark Trail tent couldn’t be made waterproof with some seam sealer but as they come the lack of taped seams GUARANTEES they will leak and they absolutely DO LEAK a LOT. Maybe if Walmart wasn’t trying to sell an absolute bottom dollar cheaply made budget tent they would have bothered to at least manufacture them with taped seams. I’m sure that’s not the only area Ozark Trail cut quality for cost either. They are definitely not superior to Coleman and even sugesting they are close to Coleman’s quality is laugable.

        Reply
    2. Sheila says:
      May 21, 2022 at 9:01 pm

      Our family camps, a lot!! We had an Ozark Trail tent that served us well for many years… one night in a crazy wicked storm, it finally packed it in!! A quick trip to Canadian Tire and we arrived back on the campsite with a brand spanking new Outbound tent… (May be owned by Coleman, or vice versa I think, similar in quality I hear…) we set it up, in the dark, in the same downpour that was Ozark Trail’s demise… probably in under 10 minutes, with minimal water getting in the tent (kind of draped the fly over the mesh until we could secure everything properly)… and that tent has done us two 3 week trips and several shorter stays as well… fairly happy with most tents we have ever owned… dry them out thoroughly before packing away and occasionally seam seal the tent and most will give you years of service!! (In our experience, at any rate…) 😉

      Reply
  10. Brandon T. says:
    April 27, 2019 at 12:42 pm

    I grew up on Coleman but now I use Ozark Trail for my camping adventures. I favor Ozark Trail. The ease of setup and quality are the contributing factors. Written from the inside of my Ozark Trail while camping.

    Reply
  11. Taylan Lowe says:
    June 9, 2021 at 9:48 am

    I have both an ozark trail and a coleman and the coleman is of better quality and doesnt leak where as the ozark trail is a little newer and leaks bad. I feel with what I have experienced that coleman is the better product.

    Reply
  12. Todd H. says:
    May 30, 2022 at 2:10 pm

    I tried a large Coleman “instant” cabin tent for my family several years ago, and the poles broke after one use which made it unusable. Coleman sent out a replacement, and the poles broke after the second use. (I followed the instructions to the letter)
    Threw that tent in the garbage during a trip about 4 years ago, and stopped in at walmart to buy the biggest tent they had on the shelf… a huge Ozark 12 person cabin tent with a screened front porch.
    I have taken this tent all across the country. It’s survived heavy rainstorms in Illinois, New Mexico winds that were so high it was pulling the stakes from the ground, 108 degree temps in Utah… other than patching a few small holes here and there this tent has taken a beating and keeps on performing. It gets used several times each year.
    The tent also sets up and breaks down just as quickly as Coleman’s “instant”.
    Definitely made an Ozark fan out of me.

    Reply
  13. Cecilia says:
    June 8, 2022 at 3:17 am

    We had an Ozark Trail 6 person tent since 2002/2003. We got just got rid of it because the past weekend there was a summer storm and the water began to leak through two areas. Still much better than the 4 person coleman tent we had also taken, which was brand new, and waterproof. The Coleman tent had a puddle of water and it was only opened once through the storm.

    Reply
  14. Howard Ury says:
    June 8, 2022 at 4:50 am

    I’ve been using the same Coleman 3 person green and white sun dome tent for twelve years and I am camping at present after twelve years my Coleman 3 person sun dome tent is still weather proof! we had a rain storm on Sunday evening with some flooding where I am camping and it was the same results DRY INSIDE! that tent has been in several rain storms over the years all my Coleman gear is old except for two newer ice chest I have read about defects in the last few years but my tent sleeping bag and air mattress and battery powered air pump works on every camping trip so I’m sticking with Coleman. The Coleman tents have a large rain fly that a plus if you ever been in a rainstorm, you know what I’m taking about The Ozark trail rain fly is smaller no good! a large rain offer a little shade over the door and rear window here in Florida where it gets very hot. Most of my Ozark trail products ended up in the trash except a very old compass that works well I uses it for hiking.

    Reply

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