Holy crap! I leave this thread alone for a while and it just blows up! Allow me to respond to a couple questions.
Does not supporting it more along the length not bother you? I've been thinking a set up like this could allow it to bow through the middle span and potentially bend one of the rails.
I went with a Eezi-Awn platform rack on my Explorer but my Expedition will also carry the tent around. As nice as the Eezi-Awn rack is, I really don't want to have to buy 2. I have crossbars similar to what you have now. I've been thinking about some kind of DIY platform rack.
Nope, I'm not worried about it at all. There's no pressure being put on the middle of the tent between the crossbars, and it's not actually that far between supported points, less than 3 feet. When packed up, the tent itself is awfully rigid and does not bend easily at all. Not too worried about it.
How does setup and take down go with these tents sin the rain? Do they get soaking wet?
Steve, it's a little bit more difficult to pack up when it's wet and cold, but not much. The cold makes the floor material less pliable, and thus more difficult to roll, but it still fits in the bag without much trouble. Roll it tight as possible and you won't have a problem.
They get damp, not wet. The waterproof coating prevents them getting soggy. A rainfly will take care of most of the wetness problem, like any other tent. It doesn't take more than another minute or so to set up.
At nearly $1000, how does something like this stack up against an expedition tent from say, Marmot, or The North Face? They're roughly half the price, and are definitely expedition proven. Maybe a little more involved to set up, but I'll tack 5 minutes onto my set up time for a $500 savings... Just curious. Right now my family is shifting into a more "overlanding style" adventuring, and I'm trying to choose what will suit our needs best between an RTT, a quality expedition tent from a mountaineering company, or an overland style tent like this, or even a teardrop of some sort. I'm a fabricator so a teardrop will likely be a custom affair, though not the most simple solution for the "get out there now" approach.
You get a lot of advantages to the Oztent. Granted, it's not as good in the wind, and I know there are big dome tents out there that will allow the use of a cot without issue. However, the Oztent is a whole different animal. The canvas is a better insulator, and so it's warmer in there than your traditional dome tent. The Oztent is faster to set up, is very easy to set up with just one person, and it's packed with little details that make setup easier. Pockets for the tie-down ropes, quick setup ropes, the front awning (trust me, I love having that), large windows, etc. The floor is also ridiculously durable. Very robust, waterproof, and it goes pretty high up the walls. The whole tent feels like it will easily last 15-20 years.
Yep, it's expensive, and it's not for everyone. But it's a really good tent. I can't tell you how much I love arriving at camp and being ready to sleep within ten minutes.
I've used a bunch of those and currently own a big Agnes 4 season tent... They are pretty bad to set up with one person if there is any wind or rain. Packing takes quite awhile too. They're great once set up but it's no fun in any kind of weather alone.
This ^
