The legs are locked into place with old school metal push button locks, something you won’t see on many modern pop up tents now-a-days. These push locks get very difficult to use over time, especially if the tent is used on the beach and exposed to sand and saltwater, causing rust build up. Many newer tent brands like EZ-Up use revolutionary thumb lock sliders or larger easy to release ozark trail chair buttons, which are a much better user experience when setting the canopy up or taking it down. With the push buttons you need to worry about pinching fingers or not being able to release the button when it gets rusted, which is never a pleasant experience. The legs extend to give the top peak a height of about 8’10” which will be plenty of headroom for anyone underneath.
When we compared the Taglong to beefier models, we had to score lower for this reason. Still, when we consider its niche, there’s no denying it has excellent properties, like double stitching, weather taping, high-tensile aluminum, and reinforced joints. This metric pertains to a shelter’s ability to offer protection from sun, wind, and rain. Some canopies perform well in one or two of these areas, but we gave the highest scores to those that could expertly handle all three functions. We even gave extra points to canopies that also protected against bugs.
One thing we learned over our months of testing is that a heavy tent with a poor carrying case can be a real challenge. The Pacific Breeze Easy Up didn’t score as highly here, but we were impressed with its ability to handle the wind. Its stiff frame doesn’t bend or sway during heavy breezes and stays put as long as it’s staked down or weighted by its five built-in sandbags. The Eureka Tagalong is lightweight with stellar components, so if you want to be a bit more mobile with your canopy, this is one of our favorites. And if you can step into the next price bracket, the Eurmax Standard 10×10 is hands-down our top choice.
Overall, we think the ozark trail backpack serves its intended purpose – a value brand 10×10 instant shelter that caters to price conscious consumers looking for an affordable shade option. And compared to some of the tents in the EZ-Up lineup, it sells for almost a 70% discount. One could, in theory, purchase a new Ozark canopy every year (which they might need to!) and still come out ahead over the years vs. purchasing a more expensive alternative. Simply extend the one-piece steel frame, attach the canopy top, extend the legs. The Chair One is rated to hold up to 320 pounds—more than any other lightweight chair we tested aside from the Moon Lence.
The Quick-Set Escape offers a massive, fully enclosed living space, and the Eureka Tagalong dons extra pockets, hooks, and attached sandbags. The center trusses on the Eurmax hang lower than we would prefer, limiting the available headspace, but this is our only caveat. The Tagalong sits a little low and isn’t adjustable, which affects the user’s ability to alter the canopy’s height or angles as the sun’s rays change. Still, the lightweight and portable design makes up for this, especially in the right use cases. This metric considers each shelter’s floor space and height and any design element that may limit or enhance accessibility and maneuverability.
One of our testers easily solo-deployed it on several occasions. Great canopy textiles, quick-release tabs, reinforced trusses, and a beefy steel frame allow the Eurmax to tower over other models we tested. It effectively blocks the sun, stands firm in the wind, and is impervious to rainwater. It’s a perfect shelter for any outdoor activity, but we feel it excels in settings that include commerce, command posts, campgrounds, and outdoor sports. Our shade-loving experts poured over hundreds of the best canopy tents available before choosing 14 for side-by-side testing. We selected products best suited for farmer’s markets, corporate gigs, and beaches.
My Ozark tent was set up in my wooded acerage all summer long. I was so pleased with the quality that I upgraded and bought a bigger Ozark tent. Every single one of our camping experiences has been ruined because of the OZARK ozark trail chair tent. I would like a response to this please and I do expect some compensation of some kind! Every time we put some faith in these tents we got let down. Not sure what season our tents were but, we had to get 4 of them.