Oztent RV-3
13 reviews
We have had RV tents (1, 3 and 4) for the last 10 years. We love the ease of setting up and packing away, especially how easy the tent goes into the supplied bag. Our current RV3 has just been used for 10 days camping at Yalata beach which tests all camping gear. The tent stood up well to the windy conditions but this is where my only… Read more
complaint exists. It is very, very noisy in the wind. Anything over a gentle breeze has the wall flapping really loudly. Now I understand the speed and ease of set up is probably the reason but please Oztent, add more Velcro tabs to the side walls.
Oztent RV-3 A great tent all round – First off I want to give 10 stars for Oztent customer service as this is how we came about the RV-3 canvas version. We initially got the RV-3 lite (as we could not afford the 1K+ for canvas) for a large camping trip. Unfortunately we got a dud and had manufacturing faults where rubber was de-laminating for the tent material. Anyways... this model… Read more
was discontinued and we asked Oztent if we could swap out for canvas model with a discount. Oztent was very helpful and made a generous offer we were very pleased with and went ahead with getting the canvas version.
The tent is heavy, your not going to hike into a campspot with RV-3 as that's not what its made for. It's long and wont fit inside most cars, a perfectly acceptable trade off for the ABSOLUTELY SIMPLE 2min BASIC SETUP! Pull it out of the bag, open the legs, lift the crossbar and lock in the arms.... DONE!
However if there is wind and weather it will take another 15min to peg out, there is no such thing as a 30sec tent! Still, this tent is (in my opinion) guaranteed to never test the bounds of any marriage compared to the old fibro glass pole/internal fly type tent. It really is that easy.
We have had this tent now for about two years and used each xmas, easter and spring for two week stretches at a time. Its had quite a bit of use and shows no wear or lack waterproof ability.
The Good - The tent is roomy for two large teens with stretcher beds and accompanying bags. - Comes with real life usable good size pegs in both gauge and length. - Guide ropes a-plenty for serious winds. - Easy to pack up and even easier to set up - Its a tent that will 'not' be constantly testing the limits of spousal relationships or your tether with kids. - Great in the wet, we have had some serious downpours over the years and it has zero leaks - There are awesome attachments you get accessorize with (we have none but see them when camping) - The canvas is light canvas but the quality is there and feels and look lie it will last many many many seasons - With the back window open and front fly open you can instantly cool the tent down as the airflow is massive. - Adults under 6ft can easily stand up in the tent at - The fly screens are very fine and sandfly proof.
The Bad (which is nit that bad) - We find the condensation can be iffy, even when the vents are open we still manage a bit of condensation drippage off the top supports. You really do need to have the top vents open and the side vents to have complete elimination in our experience. Something not always possible when its very cold. - Heavy but the trade off is well worth it - Long, again worth the trade off for set up time - Can easily bend and break struts if you try to pack up incorrectly. You MUST follow instructions to the tee.
Very happy with the Oztent RV3 and recommend thoroughly (for those with roof racks LOL)
Big Disappointment – I brought a Oztent RV-3 lite tent in 2021. By late 2023 the inside surface of the tent had become very sticky and there is a strong chemical smell. The stickiness and smell point to the tent coating breaking down. I submitted a warranty claim in January 2024 and despite following it up with Oztent, I am yet to receive any response to my warranty claim. Show details
Utter garbage, do not buy. Zips fail – All the tent zips have failed after 2 years, most of which were spent in the shed. I go camping once a year, so the tent is barely used. It's now garbage as all of the zips have failed and the tent can not be closed. My first rv3 lasted 10 years, what a disapointment Show details
Rubish – Oztent Rv-3 lite tent and modular system, the modular section roof leaks like a tea strainer, the panels have become sticky like they are covered in adhesive and the 2 extendable upright poles no longer lock. I have had this tent for about 18 months and only used it 4 times. I had a $100 kmart tent before this one and took more than 20 years to wear out... Definitely a bad purchase. Show details
Reasonable Product, terrible after sales support – I bought his tent from Tentworld in Tweed. After 4mths of use, the stitching at the bottom corner of the tent started to wear and a hole appeared in the tent. If it was a $200 tent I would accept it, but at $700, I was expecting a longer life from it. I lodged a warranty claim that has been going for 4 weeks now with no resolution or feedback. … Read more
Both Tentworld and Oztent are pushing the responsibility to the other party. After sales service from both companys is less than desirable.
Quick set up however huge to carry around – Loved this text for the ease of setting up and packing away. Whatever weather the tent is up within a matter of minutes. However when it folds down the item is huge to carry around therefore you have to plan packing the car well. Also the hinges on the front of the tent have a lot of pressure on them when using a fly or something similar. Nothing… Read more
broken but doesn't quite look right/may have issues in the future. I have used this tent 20+ times and overall very happy with the performance and look.
Expensive tent but worth every cent - order the fly and you won't get any condensation – We have had our Oz Tent RV-3 left in a camp in weather for 6 months at a time. Everything about the Oz Tent is quality from the canvas, the easy to fix poles, the flooring, the guy ropes. It is easy to set up and pack down (forget 30 seconds but with all the velcro, four pegs and poles for awnings, a comfortable under ten minutes) but at over 20… Read more
kilos probably not suitable for anyone with back issues or who can't hoist a long 22 kilo bag onto a roof rack. (note to Oz tent - an extra 5-10 % bigger bag would make a huge difference to pack up.Our first night without the fly we got wet from condensation but since getting the fly we have never had any moisture inside even in the worst conditions with water running under the heavy duty floor. The side extensions are a bit of a drag to get on so you wouldn't use these for quick 1-2 nighters but they are great for a longer set up. (Though you have no built in floor in your second room then so insects, etc can crawl under). We have had ours now for over 5 years and it shows no signs of wearing down, it is an absolute beauty and highly recommend.
Have read the negative reviews here and can't understand really as we had none of those issues. One tip for those in wind is simply put bigger harder tent pegs in each corner, you don't have to stick with the ones Oz Tent provide.
weak frame materials . great design – pulled up tent and main bar on front roof bent out of shape.got sent new one but need advise to dismantle bent bar out of hinges. rear right corner support out of shape. the internal frame is just plain weak. for 1000aus i could have bought a stronger tent. i would rather spend 10 minutes putting up a stronger tent . only used it 3 times for 3 nights each time. i will keep using it but dont have much faith for the future.
Don't buy it!! – Yes its a quick tent to set up but only suitable for calm, sunny days.. A little wind and the corners will break. I used mine for the first time and it broke. Was raining and wasn't even that windy and it still broke. I know 5x people that have brought one and it has happened to all of them. Oz tent don't cover under warranty. For the price should last. Save your Money.
Top tent going strong after many years – Bought an RV-3 about 10 years ago now. Have lugged it all around the country on 4x4 touring holidays and it's going strong. Along the way I also bought the peaked sides and the front awning door so on long camps we have a great roomy set up. What I love about this tent is pulling up to a campsite after a day of touring, zipping it out of the… Read more
bag and just popping it up, pull up a chair and a beer and watch all the others set up camp while I'm already relaxing. On calm nights I don't even bother pegging out the four corners of the floor as it's self standing, not a single peg just pop up and throw my bedding in. Bad weather needs its pegged out including the guy ropes but then it's bullet proof. Been through bad storms without a single drop of leak. Woke up in a small lake at one site but the thick floor with high walls didn't let a peep in.
Only negatives are it's size and weight packed (it needs to go on the roof racks). Plus the bag it comes in is too tight and did the zipper in year 2. Bought an RV4 bag as a replacement which is bigger and that's done the trick.
Thoroughly recommend this tend if you have room for it on the roof racks. And maybe hit them up for a bigger bag up front if that's possible.
This is a very Good Tent – Ive had my RV3 for 5.5 years and my RV4 for nearly 9 years. All these Oz Tent (30 second tents) are very similar in design and construction. These Tents are a high quality item and have always been a pleasure to Camp in. I'm currently buying further accessories / peaked connectors/ frt panels etc because I can afford to now. These tents… Read more
operate perfectly without the extra bits but these tents are so robust and useful I'm now
taking this "shelter system" to its penultimate version.
I think if moneys a consideration there are compromise alternatives which may come close at the expensive of durability, ease of erection and storm worthiness. If you simply want one of best tents available on the market today "no compromise" its here you have found it.
The bags are substandard and fell to bits (Boo), but I'm having new waterproof ones hand made by an upholsterer...............Not Good enough OZ Tent.
My Family are reasonably hard on the tent but all the zips etc are hanging in there. Ive now brought the flys for both but Ive never had a single issue with these tents being waterproof or anything less than excellent shelter even without the Fly's.
Ive lived in remote Australia and I can say that these tents do have a reputation as a very good system. Thats beyond dispute. The issue is are you prepared to pay the premium for a high quality Item? I did because my tolerance for failure in usage is exceedingly low. In short, very happy with this Product in real world usage.
Doesn't like strong wind – A year ago I bought an RV3 tent. Good all round tent in good weather. Recently I was camping in it during a thunder storm. It did not like the 90 km/hr winds at all. One of the internal frame braces collapsed under the pressure of the wind and the rain was seeping through the canvas with the wind behind it. Expected better for a tent of this price.
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