At the same time, my head wasn’t zero or six feet from the door, but about two or three feet at all times. Choose this pack if you prefer a smaller yet spacious design, as it has useful features and the durability of larger options. By default, this unexpectedly ended up being my go-to daily bag for several months. It’s been stuffed to capacity with almost everything I had to carry, including, but not limited to, outerwear, lunch, groceries, laptop, iPad, a Bose speaker, and combinations thereof.
Be aware, this is a daypack, intended for lighter loads and shorter distances. It isn’t built to be on your back 8 hours a day, and it won’t support 25 pounds. Used for its intended purpose, this is one of the best hiking/backpacking deals I’ve ever come across.
The Ozark Trail 1-Person Backpacking Tent is on the cheaper end of the spectrum. A variety of websites have it currently priced for less than $50. Many higher quality tents could cost 3 or 4 times ozark trail backpack that amount. I’ve carried it in bad weather, including rain and snow. Some days this bag was heavier than I would have chosen it to be. However, it took a pretty good beating and has held up.
For the end-door variants, one has to toss their sleeping bag down the tent when getting ready for bed. Other items that you may want to keep at the foot of the sleeping area are also hard to access or reach if your head is near the door. For these styles, it seems most people want their head at the door side and so they have a constraint for which way the tent is set up if the ground is not flat. On the other hand, accessing the tent from the middle, or on the long side, gives one more degree of freedom. Assuming a symmetrical tent, like the Ozark Trail, my head could be placed at either end and both options would feel equally comfortable. In fact, my particular tent spot wasn’t completely flat so I quickly rotated my sleeping bag so that my feet weren’t above my head all night.
It even has a rain cover built in, which is great when I’m riding my bicycle across town on a rainy day. With the added height of an inflatable pillow and sleeping pad my head height was indeed close to the curvature of the tent ceiling but there was still enough room. I did have a few inches along the edge for some clothes, a water bottle, and a headlamp, but that could have been made wider with a narrower sleeping pad. It was one of those planned events in 2020 that was delayed for years, from what else, but the Covid-19 pandemic. Since the trip was three years in the making, the anticipation was doubly intense.
For water and OJ I use Vapur anti bottles which aren’t bulky at all. My glucose meter and keys went in the small outside pocket. I did instantly notice the difference of carrying a lighter bag. I also don’t really prefer single compartment ozark trail canopy stuff bags, but, this works for what I need. Just about every other daypack I’ve had falls apart under the weight of my books (med school). I also like the fact that for my outdoor activities, it’s designed to hold a hydration bladder.
I carried this daypack back n forth on a trail to the shower while camping. The bag stayed in place on my back using the sternum strap. Having a separate rain fly for a 2- or 3- person tent makes sense because multiple people can split up the weight a little easier on longer hikes. With a 1-person tent, that doesn’t really make as much sense. After all, I was carrying the whole thing and so it might as well be connected.
On the small side, so it won’t work for hikers who need a spacious pack. Order your 2024 Official Missouri Travel Guide and start planning your Missouri adventure today. The Ozark Trail Association maintains a number of maps to help you traverse each section of the trail. If you are using your phone for navigation, bring a paper copy of a map in case you lose signal or find yourself without battery. Trail maps are free to print at home or available for purchase at the online store. Water sources like rivers and streams may only be available seasonally.