OzTent RV-5

In April 2010 I christened my Go Any Where bush trailer which is still a home away from home for my wife and me for many weeks of the year.

While it has a tent top that provides all the sleeping comfort I require, I still need extra accommodation for those nights when we prefer to sleep closer to mother earth and for extra accommodation for family and friends.

For stays of longer duration in one place I also require a day room to get out of the elements and escape insects, and one which I can use as an office. Yeh, I know. Work you say? Well some of us have to work or at least look like it so that this lifestyle may be claimed on tax!

Having tented for more years than I care to remember in the tropics I knew what I was looking for and being allergic to backbreaking work it had to be simple and easy to erect.

I also wanted a tent with good head height at the entrance so there was no need to stoop to get inside.

Rolled up size was not an issue as I had built a compartment inside the bush trailer to carry the packed tent. It just had to be manageable.

QUICK AND EASY

After cruising countless camping shops and shows I kept coming back to the Oz Tent.

Now initially it struck me as being a little on the ugly side; it didn’t look like a conventional tent. But the practicalities of this tent soon turned that around and when it came to ease of erection, the Oz Tent became ‘beauty in the eyes of the beholder’ and fascinates myself and others to this day.

The manufacturer boasts that it can be erected in 30 seconds and it’s on the money with that statement, although that would be for the basic tent without all the pegs and guy ropes.

Unzipped out of the bag the roll is opened out and two arms, A and B, which are the internal frame, are swung around.

At this point you can peg four corners or if in a hurry, you can use your body weight inside to hold it down should a gust of wind happen along. You then lift the top and the side arms are pushed past centre to lock them in place. Job done!

For the sake of security in very windy conditions there are tie downs on the front corners out to the side and a two metre awning may be unravelled and supported on the supplied poles. There are the usual corner and midway tent peg rings for added hold down.

Of particular note is the quality of the zips. Rugged in make-up, they look tough enough to last the distance especially when used in dusty or sandy conditions such as the desert or the beach.

The Oz Tent features a zippered power cord inlet as well; to keep the creepy crawlies at bay.

QUALITY DESIGN

The highest point in the roof is at the entrance door and at 1.9m there’s not a lot of stooping required to get in the front entrance. The roof tapers down slightly from there to give sufficient rain and condensation runoff, and then drops sharply to the ground at its back.

Ventilation is aplenty in all five Oz Tent RV models. Should you need to really hunker down to close out the elements, two breathing vents in the front panel above the entrance flaps and close under the awning will allow fresh air to enter without the precipitation.

There’s a large back window and the entrance opens via two flaps. Two smaller windows on the side allow for cross ventilation and all windows have quality small mesh screens that will keep most of the smaller bugs out but still allow plenty of fresh air to vent through.

The tent body is constructed from Rip-stop poly cotton canvas and is mounted on a waterproof floor tub constructed of heavy duty vinyl which is heat sealed at the corners.

The awning may be left rolled up on the front panel for a quick overnight stay or deployed as a flat roof sheet or propped up with a centre gable for improved water shed.

Optional side panels and a front panel with door and screen may be zipped into place turning the tent into a two room unit. An optional fly may also be installed.

Oz Tent shows a number of accessories on its website and four that I have are side and front panels and the fly which turn the RV-5 into a very practical tent indeed.

The RV-5 is slightly larger than the RV-4 but packs away to the same size, 25kg bundle which is 2.0m x 0.45m x 0.15m.

The manufacturer quotes it as being able to sleep five to six people, which may be so but only if they’re sleeping on mattresses on the floor.

Three standard camp stretchers would fit in there and I use Oz-Tent’s King Goanna stretchers. Two of those will fit with an aisle down the centre and plenty of storage underneath for clothes and personal goods.

VERDICT

The speed at which this tent can be set up is what has sold it to many people around the world. With only poles for the front awning the rest of the skeletal frame is internally built into the canvas walls and roof.

Simple and brilliant is the best way to describe it and it gets full marks for practicality.

OZ TENT RV-5

Canvas: Rip-stop poly cotton
Colour: Khaki green
Weight: 25kg
Sleeps: 5-6 people
Packed size: 2m x 0.45m x 0.15m
Size erected: 2.6m (w) x 2.6m (d) x 1.9m (h) plus 2m awning
RRP: $1199
More info: oztent.com.au

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