OZTENT RV-3
When the opportunity arose to test the OZTRAIL RV-3 I was pretty stoked. After years in the camping and outdoors industry, I was well aware of the OZTRAIL products and the reputation the brand held in the marketplace. A quick, but seriously demanding trip to Stony Bay in the Coromandel turned out to be more than a test for this cleverly designed tent, one that it passed with flying colours!
The drive into Stony Bay in the Coromandel went as planned and we pulled into the DOC campground under the Pohutukawa’s at the eastern end of the grounds at around 7pm. We didn’t have too much time to muck around, so my partner Sara and I were straight into unpacking and getting organised before the sun made way for the moon and stars.
The first thing to mention about the OZTRAIL RV-3 is even though its packaged size is quite large in comparison to a ‘traditional’ tent, we found it very manageable. At 2 metres long, yes, the tent package size is something you need to take into consideration. However its clever aluminium frame design results in a relatively light weight at 22kg, also its narrow, cylindrical shape makes it easy to store for travel. In my case, I was able to fit it in the back of the Pajero sport after laying the seats flat, in a smaller vehicle with roof racks I can see popping it on the roof being an easy option.
Tent out and ready to go, the first step was to lay out the optional mesh floor saver we had brought along. Given the name of our camping location ‘Stony Bay’ you can probably envisage what the ground was like, plenty of smooth rock covered by a thin layer of soil and grass. The floor saver did several things for us, and it would absolutely be something I would purchase for myself. Firstly its thick mesh construction performs very well at its core function protecting the floor of the tent from damage from stones, sticks and the odd stray bottle cap. Also, over the weekend it meant that underfoot, everything was very clean. Hopping in and out of bed I really noticed the absolute lack of debris that got carried in with us, and as I ran back and forth between the beach and the tent any sand that I dragged with me fell through the mesh floor, rather than coating the base of the tent. Also, as you will read about shortly, we had some seriously testing weather, and one little bonus of the floor saver was that it really helped the foot of the awning poles stay put and reduced them sliding around in the 40 knot winds that decided to join us on our romantic weekend away!
Floor saver down, we slid the tent from its bag and to replicate a real-life family pressure situation we completely disregarded the instructions and dove straight into setup.
The RV-3’s big party piece is its super simple and fast setup time. Lying the tent flat, its very simple to unfold by walking back the two sides and then by holding the tent frame in the centre, simply stand it up and slide the side wall framework past its over centre point to lock into position. Seriously, this is a 30 second job, even without reading the instructions! And even better its almost impossible to get it wrong and inadvertently damage anything.
Once standing, position it at the rear of the floor saver, peg it down via its very sturdy anchor points and you’re away. Next, while one of you starts unloading the plethora of unnecessary things you packed for the weekend, the other can set to running a few guy ropes. In our case every guy rope you we could find due to the rain and 40 knot plus winds that were now hitting us!
The RV-3 is rated as a 3-4 person tent, in my mind its perfectly suited to a couple and leaves ample room for all the goodies required for a weekend away. As well as the main room the RV-3 comes with a large 2m x 2.4m awning which is more than enough space to shelter from any overhead showers, and it’s got some great little features. At the front of the awning it has a stiffener built in, for me this offered two benefits. Firstly, it’s a lot easier for one person to roll the awning away, you don’t need to have the wingspan of a bald eagle to reach end to end. Secondly, it reduced the flapping that you can experience from most large awnings in the breeze. I was also really impressed with the quality of the poles supplied. Light weight but a solid diameter, and I was especially pleased with the twist locking mechanism, they lock really solid and the best bit I found was that they didn’t bind together when you really gave them a good twist, so pack up was simple and there was a total lack of expletives being thrown around.
On this venture we were lucky enough to also have the optional peaked side panels supplied. These zip onto the sides of the awning to create an open front room which was perfect for wine and cheese consuming duties, out of the showers and wind that was battering the side of the tent. Without these side panels we would have been left quite exposed which could have been a make or break for the success of our weekend away, so for me these would go right in the shopping trolley next to the floor saver. The side panels themselves were very simple to attach for one person, mostly due to the quality zips used and the accuracy in how this tent is manufactured, everything lines up and I didn’t find myself pushing or pulling anything to work it into position. Each side panel has a door built in and they also have substantial weather flaps at the base to minimise the elements blowing in under the panel itself. These side panels can be paired with the optional front panel which would effectively turn the awning into a second room, if you have kids or the area you are camping in tends to attract insect life, this could be well worth considering. Its all about being able to escape from the elements if you need to, nothing will ruin a weekend away like a swarm of hungry mozzies or pelting rain!
The tent itself is very well constructed. Its 8oz Ripstop Polycotton canvas is more than enough to create a sturdy wind and rainproof barrier between you and the outside world, and as previously mentioned I was seriously impressed by the aluminium frame construction. All the stitching is noticeably heavy duty and any real stress points have been reinforced throughout the tent.
Now we all know that a camper’s worst enemy is of course, the zipper! Thankfully, in the RV-3 they haven’t skimped and the zips to the main entry point are supplied by YKK so there’s no concerns about stripping teeth and jamming the door at 2am on your dash to the toilet block. All the other zips throughout the tent are also of a suitable size and quality fit for the task at hand. The RV-3 has all the other features you might expect too, like the side windows to let you get a nice early morning view from the comfort of your sleeping bag, No-See-Um mesh throughout to keep the little midges at bay and there’s a handy little power inlet too to run your extension cord for the coffee machine.
Packing up the tent is simply just do it all in reverse, there was no fighting the folding mechanism at all, and it really guides you as you tuck the legs back in to return it to its original packed position. The storage bag too is made to the right size so there’s little to no arguments to be had to return the tent to its home.
Overall I’m a big fan of the RV-3, the design is extremely well thought out and the level of quality found right throughout the tent is impressive. While the complete setup process will certainly take you longer than 30 seconds, the speed that you can get the base unit erected will seriously lower the stress levels when the family is desperate for a snack or a snooze. And, as we proved on our trip the RV-3 stands up incredibly well in less-than-ideal conditions, if we were in a traditional poled dome tent, I’m tipping that we would have had a whole lot less sleep and potentially I may have been walking the 300kms home!
If you are in the market for a new tent, I would seriously consider the RV-3 or any of its OZTRAIL brothers or sisters.