OzTent RV-5

We have owned an Oztent for over 10 years and have been on countless trips using it in all types of weather. It handles strong winds and driving rain with no issues. Even after 10 years it looks pretty much new and none of the zips or screens have failed. The main tent can be setup in 30 seconds like they claim but to be honest you need 10 mins to put in all the pegs, setup the poles and guy ropes.
It is worthwhile buying the matching fly as it keeps the tent cooler in summer, gives better weather protection and protects your canvas from bird droppings. An added bonus is that your tent will be drier when you leave to pack up in the morning. The only downside to this tent is the weight and size. You will need to put this on your roof racks as the packed up tent is 2 metres long. You will also need to be able to lift 23kg onto your roof racks so people with bad shoulders will need assistance or perhaps look at lighter options. We would definitely recommend this tent.

I've got the RV5 Oztent & have used it for about 6 years - lots of beach camping mainly. Overall a good tent, like anything pros & cons. I've had it up in very harsh / windy & wet conditions without fail. One example about 3 years ago I was at Yamba ( NSW coast) and a storm hit with 300mm rain overnight - not one drop of water in the tent next morning. It is a quick tent to put up, I have the side walls / fly & ground sheet as well, a complete setup of tent / walls etc. will take 20 mins or so. Just the tent like is says - quick.
Here's a tip: if you buy the fly ( I would recommend you do, just for extra protection / cooler etc.) leave it attached to the tent when packing away next time you pull it out its a much easier setup.
I use the tent by myself , just one person - if I were buying it again I would go for the smaller RV4 or RV3 just due to size / weight. The RV5 is a fair size tent when packed up - its long, I have to put it on top of my 4WD & it weighs about 25kg. It'll pack into the H/D bag supplied, but like all tents if Oztent made the bag 30mm longer it'd make it some what easier - good strong zips on the bag.
So, if camping 2-3 nights or more I set up the tent with walls and fly , if a stop over ( stop -start trip ) each night I just take the tent and don't worry about the extra bits.
But I camp with confidence, if I see rain & wind coming I'm happy I'll be right for the night. Obviously if there's warning or extreme problems coming - its a tent, pack up and get out of there.
Another tip: if camped on the beach point the rear of the tent towards the water , generally this will give you more protection against the wind.
Any questions pls feel free to ask - happy camping .....;-)
Cheers
Shane

Complete heap of rubbish.
Cheap plastic hinges - one was cracked when it arrived so wasn't able to properly erect it and no spare parts stocked in the distributors. Really awkward to erect without over straining the plastic fittings and breaking more of them and pretty well impossible to store neatly back into the bag.

We're regular campers, minimum four times a year if not more. Normally two weeks at a time. So accommodation is important. We had a 9CV XL for years which is fantastic. But we're here to talk the RV5. We have one RV5 with side panels, one tag along and various flys and floor savers. The RV5 is effectively an instant up. The video is correct. However, the rest of the setup takes just as long as the 9CV due to the fiddling with zips, Velcro, poles, guys and flys. The canvas feels good, ripstop, heavier than the 9CV. The rooms, RV5 and tag along, are self contained in that they have their own tarp based attached to the canvas, good ventilation through mesh screens. Very warm inside so you'll need the airflow through the mesh to allow a cooler breeze. Few things Oztent could look to add- loops at ceiling height for lights and extra pockets on walls. Size wise this setup is smaller than the 9CV XL and I'm not loving the openness in the middle of the two rooms. There is good head height in the RV5. Kids are on campbeds and we're on blow up mattresses - kids have had take the RV5 whilst we're in the tag along - they have heaps of space but the metal frame does cause some setup thought with regards to placement of beds - it comes about 30cm in from edge of tent. Middle opening door/mesh is great for RV5 but doesn't work for the more cramped tag along as the blow up bed is across the entrance - won't fit the other way. The RV5 is not cheap. It is made well with good quality materials. It took about an hour to setup and then longer to mess with flys. Awning went on later, but doesn't beat a gazebo. Bang for your buck, for a family of four, your 9CV offers more space with a similar setup time. Owners of 9CVs stick with them. Owners of RV5s enjoy the adventure - for a family of four you may want two!

We used our rv5 to take to Birdsville we loved loved it. We are normally not tent people. Set up was soo easy. Had all wheather conditions as we travelled to flinders ranges rain Gail force winds and sun !! We had a fly on it!! Loved it !!!used side walls and front panel sometimes

My partner and I took a 30 second oz tent around Australia. Lived in it for 4 months and have camped regularly in this tent for the last 5 years. It has bever missed a beat and is easy and strong. A great option you can add to as your family gets bigger too.

This was the first time we spent $2500 buying a decent tent, a month and a bit in we put the tent in the back garden, with a gust of wind one of the poles snapped and consequently punctured a hole in the side of the tent. We are devastated. We called Oz tent but they basically wiped their hands of it as we had not returned the warranty card within 14 days. So don't buy from this company if you are going to be camping in wintery weather because you will be hit with the repair costs. I've never heard of a company not repairing, fixing or replacing an item within the warranty period whether you have sent back the card or not. It is very disappointing especially as we had bought a spinifex tent and had it for 6 years, one pole broke and we got it replaced straight away.

Bought the basic RV5 about 8 years ago and added the Deluxe side curtains and front flap within a couple of camping trips after the first outing. I generally go camping about 4-5 times a year (mostly SE QLD and Northern NSW) and have seen all kinds of weather- good and bad.

The unit has kept me very dry in severe thunderstorms, constant drizzle and severe condensation occurrences so I have absolutely no complaint about its waterproof/water resistant properties. There was one occasion where I actually had a 50mm "high tide" mark around the base of the tent, so while some of my gear in the 'annexe' part outside the tent got wet, I had a dry night. Similarly, the tent has survived some pretty fierce wind conditions that caused havoc among some of the other campers in the parks.

I have had stitching fail on one of the hold down rings once, but I can accept this if the others all hold for another 20 years

Only downsides-
-The farcical claim of 30 second tent. It would take an extreme athlete to take the tent out of the bag, stand it up, drive in the minimum 10 pegs (as required by the manufacturer) and hook up the various ropes. A 4-5 minute tent would be an appropriate and irrefutable claim. This does not include the time required to put up the poles for the front flap if an awning is required.

-At some 25kg and being over 2mtr long, it is not breeze for a single person to load/unload or pack/unpack. Having said that, I would not like to see them sacrifice the quality for the sake of less weight.

-Lastly, as a slightly taller person, camp beds have to be orientated side to side as the slope at the back of the tent means that my feet touch the canvas if we orientate the camp beds in a front to back line. If there is heavy condensation, this is a bad thing.

All in all, for my purposes it has been a great purchase and I would recommend it to anyone who camps on a regular basis. It can be a bit restrictive space-wise if the weather is terrible, but if you don't want to spend 3-4 hours setting up a base camp will all the features of a cabin then this tent is a great option.

We bought the RV5 and sides and a tag along etc and i am more then happy with the RV5 itself as it is a really good tent. However i wouldn't give you $5 for the tag along and we would have been better buying another RV5 instead. The Tag Along is OK in normal weather but twice now we have camped and weather turned windy and wet and the Tag Along once it gets wet as it has no frame to hold it properly like the main tent gets heavy when wet and if the wind blows hard enough while it is raining the spreader bars bend and then water pools which bends the spreaders more and then as we had happen main spreader bar snapped and pulled the tag along front down which pulled the rear spreader bar and snapped it.
Called Oztent and explained and the answer was that's your problem so we are not replacing the bars. I said this is a $1600 dollar tent and you don't want to support it if it is not up to scratch. I told them the spreader bars are not strong enough for the job they need to do with the Tag Along and that's a design issue. Told by Oztent not their problem even though they offer a warranty and we owned it 8 months and used it 4 times. So basically their customer service is rubbish.
On the positive side i rang BCF where i bought it and said i need to order new spreader bars and told them why and how poor Oztent customer service is and they said no that's not good enough and BCF replaced the spreader bars for me free of charge as they said and i quote, "We don't want to see you inconvenienced by not being able to use what is an exceptionally expensive tent to have issues with."
Now that is customer service. Thanks BCF.
My advice stay with the main tents only and don't expect great service.

I have the rv2 with all the accessories. I am so happy with this tent, it's strong and well made. It goes up easily, the side panels not so easy but worth the effort to get the extra room. I'm 5" 10" and I can stand up in it.
If I had to moan it would be about the weight and the length, but a tent without poles that goes up so quickly something has to give and it fits into my little van so I'm happy.
highly recommend.

We bought an Oztent RV5 in 2008 after looking around at lots of tents and different brands, and were sold on Oztent's claim that their product is waterproof. We've now had this tent for 7 years and many camping trips.
It is not waterproof or even water resistant and has comprehensively leaked in almost every panel and seam.
Upon contacting Oztent I was told, quote- Nothing is waterproof, only water resistant.
I then pointed out that their own brochure clearly stated in bold print that their tents are waterPROOF!
The gent at Oztent changed his tune and asked me to return the tent to be resprayed with what I assumed to be a canvas sealant.
We have used several cans of spray and 2 tubes of seam sealer over the years ourselves and it still leaks on occasion but not as badly as when we first got it.
We have camped many times in rain but never particularly torrential and always set up the tent properly on level ground using all proper ropes pegs etc.
The "30 second" aspect is farcical particularly when the maker states all ropes and pegs must be in place when setting up.
On the upside it's generally good and with the peaked side panels you have a usable front room.
Setting up is straightforward and the inside space is a good size square room you can stand up in with straight sides and no centre pole.
Good windows and screens and on a clear starry night completely opening the huge rear window is a must do!
We made twin rope guy ropes with springs for the front awning poles which was an improvement during windy periods, otherwise the tent has been steadfast and held its own very well in high wind.
This tent was expensive, needs level ground due to the interior frame and in our case needs a waterproof fly, is heavy and bulky to store and carry in the 4WD and needs to go on the roofrack due to the 2 metre folded length, but is otherwise overall very good and has so far stood the test of time and long term use.

Apparently after we were given an rv5 as a gift the warranty does not apply as we did not purchase it.??

I adore this tent! It's so fast to set up! I recently took it across the Simpson Desert and it performed to perfection.
I can set it up alone which I love. It is heavy to pack up alone though and I always need help to do it.
My only complaint is that I wish OZTENT has given the carry bag a few extra inches of room in length and width.
It is tricky for me to fit it back in the bag without help. If the bag was bigger, I could probably pack it back up without help. For the price of the tent, a few extra inches of material would have been appreciated.
I don't like that the accessories are so expensive. I'd like to see deluxe side panels and front panels as an altogether set for a better price.
Still, I wouldn't be without it :) If it can handle the simmo, it can handle anything!

We purchased 2 RV5 tents with awning connector, mesh ground sheets and peaked side panels earlier this year at a camping show - direct from OzTent. We were considering a camper trailer after a few years with vinyl tents and getting sick of the set up and packup times involved, so these tents seemed like a good alternative. We had a high sided 7x4 trailer made locally to be able to transport these tents (they fit perfectly inside the trailer) as well as all our gear to enable us to free camp. As a family of 4 - 2 adults and 2 children 6 & 10 we wanted something that would be able to grow and change with our family, but also give plenty of inside space; everyone has had those camping trips of constant rain for the whole time.
After a 9 day trip at Easter I can say it has been our best camping investment. With joining the tents and adding the extra panels it does take about an hour of set up time, but it is much easier and hassle free than threading poles in a nylon tent and figuring out which pole goes where (and the arguments that inevitably go with it)! If we were to only stay a few nights we likely would just leave them separate and not add the side panels. It is a great next step for the kids too - being separate yet also all together to build their confidence and independence, and once they are old enough they can take their tent by themselves.
The 2 full sized RV5 tents gives the advantage of 2 awnings between the sleeping spaces (total of 4m x 2.6m) that can be used for internal covered space, rather than the Tagalong which does not have an awning of its own.
Compared to an entry level camper trailer ($5000+) we have got so much better value and a product that is not going to fall apart after a few uses. One of our tents had some puckered tape on the floor joint which in no way affected the use but was a little unsightly considering the price tag, and after emailing OzTent the pictures to check if it was ok, we were asked to send the tent back (at their expense) and they would check it. They ended up sending us a new tent, even though we had already used the tent (they knew this), so as far as customer service they get a 10/10 as far as I'm concerned.
We look forward to many more family holidays in our RV5s.

We purchased this from Rays recently with one of there sales, saved a lot and got the 10% store credit. I have set up with the floor saver and just the tent so far. For two of us this is more than big enough with a queen size mattress there is still plenty of room for bags and things inside. Sets up in about 5 minutes with the actual tent going up in around 20 seconds! It is quite long when packed up but if you use roof racks it is easy. We also purchased the extras, rain fly, front panel and peaked side panels. This set-up is quite expensive, but worth it for the quality, ease of set-up, and options. I will get it all setup next time I camp.
Easy to set up, good quality materials.

We have the RV5 with all the extras. Super fast setup and pack up. Top Quality.
These are a long tent so may need to travel on the roof of the vehicle.
Setup really is 60seconds and you dont need to peg it out unless windy weather is on the way.
Highly recommended.
Quality. Fast set up.