First night in the Oztent RV-3 - The new set up Video!

Yup so if you missed it I sold my custom camper: https://jimbobbarnett.com/the-truck/2020/1/14/jim-bob-camper-sold

And after a friend bought an Oztent RV1 and was telling me about it I started to get really interested in one, we currently had a Coleman Instant tent which is honestly great for summer but is really thing and not super well made so winter/rainy weather camping wasn’t fun in it at all. Which lead me even further down the Oztent path as they are “Made from high-quality, waterproof, 8-ounce Ripstop Polycotton Canvas and a heavy-duty, heat-sealed PVC floor” so we could run our Mr. Heater Buddy and have room to stand/ move around inside which we felt like we wanted after spending so many years in campers.

We didn’t have a ton of time for a trip but we really wanted to get out for a quick one nighter so we headed to one of our favorite local areas Saturday afternoon, upon arriving we were pleased to find that no one was around really besides a couple of guys dirtbikes so we found a spot and set up. The RV-3 sets up in about :45 seconds for the base set up, it then takes a couple minutes to stake down the base and you can from there spend a few more minutes if you wanna set up the optional awning or rear window supports which we decided not to do. Since we were just going to be here for one night we figured the base set up was more than adequate and really just wanted to enjoy our time outside not messing around with the tent.

So after walking around for a while taking photos we headed back towards camp and started the fire which was a sight for sore eyes as we haven’t been able to have campfires in this area in a very long time so we kicked back, made dinner and just relaxed enjoying the sound of the fire and the view of the stars. After a couple hours of that we headed into the tent as it was starting to get windy and went to bed, a few hours in it got very very windy and much to my surprise the tent did very well against the gusty winds but my back on the other hand was not fairing so well. The air mattress we’ve had forever is just not up to snuff and was killing my back so we’re on the hunt for our next mattress solution whether it be foam or air or a mix of both we shall see.

Some final thoughts: I really like the new tent and set up but it does need some fine tuning, as of now the packed up size of the tent is too long to fit in my shortbed without hanging out and it’s kind of cumbersome to lug around so it will not be with us every trip as we also have a good 2 person backpacking tent. We also need to find a better mattress solution before even going out another night my back simply can’t take our crappy air mattress again. In comparison to a camper I’d say the Oztent’s are close to a camper as you’ll get with their super heavy duty fabric, interior room and easy setup/breakdown so we’re very happy with our choice and look forward to more nights in it asap!