[Ace Brown]

Has anyone tried a Black Pine Turbo-tent? There was a brief review in Overland Journal last year which was very favorable. Also I met with a factory rep in Moab and she demoed the tent for me. It is unquestionably easy to set up but I was concerned about the pivot mechanism wondering how it would hold up to sand and grit. Oz-tent uses a similar folding pole arrangement and I have heard no problems from their design. Of note is that Oz-tent now makes an exact copy of the Turbo-tent at over twice the price.

The Turbo-tent does not pack down small and it is not light but is both smaller and lighter than the original Oz-tent (don't know where one could be carried in or on an FJC)

Alan

 

[g0lden]

why is it called turbo tent?

 

[FJNewb]

Because it sets up in little time. Less than a few minutes.

I sold my RTT and plan to use a Turbo Tent or OZ tent instead. The only knocks that I've heard on the Turbo Tent is that it can be difficult to get back in the bag - also some had complained on how water proof it was.

Still think either that or the OZ tent are better than most alternate ground tents if you are looking to establish camp quickly.

 

[FJNewb]

btw check out expo for reviews on the turbo tent.

 

[BeachinFJ]

I have the Oz tent RV4. Love it easy setup,easy back into bag. Throw it on the roof rack. If I were going to do anything different I would get the RV5. I have not used a turbo tent so I can't offer any opinions on them. Oz Tent:bigthumb:

 

[Ace Brown]

The OZ-tent is out of the question for me because of it's big packed size. I would probably get a RTT except I often carry a canoe and don't want to unload it every time I set up camp. Also prefer to be able to leave my tent/camp set up when I want to do a short trip nearby.

 

[FJCFJC]

OzTent- Caution!

I have the RV4 OzTent too. Long (6'), heavy, and bulky when packed, but luxurious when set up. It does set up very quickly, not 30 seconds, as they claim, but just a few minutes with staking.

However, it proved to be a disaster in colder, dry weather (40F and below) -- large amounts of dripping condensation on the inside roof and aluminum support frame, even with most of the windows open, and with only one person and a dog in it.

Belatedly, I found out through further research that some users in Australia also have had this problem, particularly in cold, dry weather. (Do a Google search.) I don't understand why this happens, but some of the Aussies attribute it to the flat roof.

Oz tent problems @ ExplorOz Forum

oz tent dripping water inside tent @ ExplorOz Forum

But the net result is that every morning you can soak a large towel with the water accumulated inside the tent on the roof, and dripping off the aluminum crossbar.

This makes it fairly useless in the Utah desert in the Spring or Fall. They do sell an (expensive) fly which is supposed to help with this issue, but that defeats the whole purpose of a quick-set-up tent, as it requires another separate procedure for staking out the fly.

You may not experience this issue--the US distributor claims not to have heard of this problem before. And it seems to occur mostly in cold, dry nights. But it is not something that one would expect in a tent costing this much, so please Google "Oztent + condensation problem" before buying, and make your own informed decision.

:flame::flame::flame:

 

[BeachinFJ]

Re: OzTent- Caution!

I have the RV4 OzTent too. Long (6'), heavy, and bulky when packed, but luxurious when set up. It does set up very quickly, not 30 seconds, as they claim, but just a few minutes with staking.

However, it proved to be a disaster in colder, dry weather (40F and below) -- large amounts of dripping condensation on the inside roof and aluminum support frame, even with most of the windows open, and with only one person and a dog in it.

Belatedly, I found out through further research that some users in Australia also have had this problem, particularly in cold, dry weather. (Do a Google search.) I don't understand why this happens, but some of the Aussies attribute it to the flat roof.

Oz tent problems @ ExplorOz Forum

oz tent dripping water inside tent @ ExplorOz Forum

But the net result is that every morning you can soak a large towel with the water accumulated inside the tent on the roof, and dripping off the aluminum crossbar.

This makes it fairly useless in the Utah desert in the Spring or Fall. They do sell an (expensive) fly which is supposed to help with this issue, but that defeats the whole purpose of a quick-set-up tent, as it requires another separate procedure for staking out the fly.

You may not experience this issue--the US distributor claims not to have heard of this problem before. And it seems to occur mostly in cold, dry nights. But it is not something that one would expect in a tent costing this much, so please Google "Oztent + condensation problem" before buying, and make your own informed decision.

:flame::flame::flame:

Thanks for the links FJCFJC, I have not had that problem yet, and hope I don't. If I had seen these articles I would not have bought the tent. :mecry:

 

[BigStickKenobi]

I have the Oz tent RV4. Love it easy setup,easy back into bag. Throw it on the roof rack. If I were going to do anything different I would get the RV5. I have not used a turbo tent so I can't offer any opinions on them. Oz Tent:bigthumb:

Love that trailer man. Saw something like that in the Overland Journal.

 

[BeachinFJ]

Love that trailer man. Saw something like that in the Overland Journal.

Thanks BSK, now I need to get it out to the dirt:cheers:

 

[Ace Brown]

Can we resurect the original question.... anybody have experience with the Turbo-tent?

 

[FiremedicPQ1]

I bought the Turbo-tent based on the reviews in the Overland Journal. We were looking for a quick set-up car-camping tent. We bought the 3-person as it is always just me and the wife. We used it last year on a trip to Colorado and I love it. It goes up easy and has plenty of head room. The queen-sized air mattress just barely fit in it though, but we still had room on the side. It seems very sturdy and it has a full rain fly (which was one of the pluses). Although we have only had it for one-season, I would recommend it.
Here is a picture from the trip:

BTW - bought it on Overstock.com and got a pretty good price on it.

 

[Ace Brown]

Good deal, somebody with real experience with the tent. My biggest reservation with the design was the joints in the frame getting sand/grit in them and getting sticky. Any trouble with that?

Nice looking campsite.... looks familiar too.

Thanks,
Alan