Without a doubt, the Oztent RV Tent, and the Black Wolf Turbo Tent are the top contenders for ultimate high quality touring tent.
As we stock both of these tents at Snowys, our customers often ask “Which tent is the best?” The fact is, there is no straightforward answer. We recommend you approach your decision from a different angle and ask yourself: “Which tent is better for my needs?”
Having owned both the Oztent RV3 and now a Turbo Lite 240 Plus, I have found that my tent setup has changed quite a lot from being a young single bloke heading off to explore Australia to now travelling with my wife and 18 month old daughter two young daughters.
In this blog, I have summarised the key considerations to select the right tent for your camping needs.
What’s your style?
These tents suit different styles of camping and family sizes. Before reading on, have a really good think about what you want to get out of your touring tent.
Here are a few things to consider:
- How much living space do you want?
- How many people are you sleeping?
- What accessory options would you like to have on your tent?
- Do you have a lot of gear that needs to be kept out of the weather?
- Pack size, and space in your car?
The Turbo Cabin 450 all guyed out.
Built to last
I have used both tents extensively, including in harsh weather conditions, and I can honestly say that I cannot pick between the two tents on this basis. The quality of both tents from their design, choice of materials, and the workmanship is exceptional.
Time is precious
The most talked about comparison between the tents is the time it takes to set them up. The answer is not as simple as you might think as you really need to compare apples with apples, so let’s take the RV4 and the Turbo 240 Canvas as our first comparison.
- The Oztent (see instructions) is literally up and ready to sleep in, in about 30 seconds flat! This is because the Oztent inner is waterproof, and does not require a fly or extended awning.
- Thirty seconds will see your Turbo 240 inner good to go (see video), but won’t protect you from the elements until you add the fly which’ll take a little extra time.
- When comparing the time it takes to set up each tent including the fly and extended awnings, you will find that the setup time comes in at around the same click on the stopwatch.
Size matters
- The Oztent RV come in 5 different sizes, with the largest tent measuring in at 2.6m x 2.6m. Of course, you can add walls to the awning and a tagalong tent, but I’ll get to the accessories a bit later.
- The Turbo Tents comes in many different shapes and sizes so you can choose the size of your tent to suit the size of your family and camp setup. Turbo Tent sizes range from a small single room Turbo 210, to a huge Turbo Lite Twin 300 that has 3 rooms, as well as an awning that can be enclosed just like the Oztent.
The RV3 set up in its simplest form. 30 seconds worth, right there.
Speed vs Space
Here is where it starts to get a little complicated. You’ll see why the tents are suited to different camping setups. Let’s compare 2 setups.
1. Basic Setup (Both tents, similar size, with fly and extended awning):
- In a race for both tents to be pitched in this manner, both competitors would be enjoying the sunset at about the same time.
- However, for an express roadside stop, the Oztent would be a quicker option as it can be pitched, and slept in without the addition of the fly or extended awning.
2. Large Setup (Turbo 300 Plus and Oztent RV5 both with fly and enclosed awning):
- Once again, both of these tents would take about the same time when setup in this manner.
- But, if living space is what you are after, then the clear winner here is the Turbo Tent.
Having said that, the Turbo will always have to be set up in full for weather protection and stability, but the Oztent can still be set up in 30 seconds for those quick overnight stops, which leads me to the next comparison.
Versatility of options
Whilst both tents have the option for side walls and a front wall for their awnings, the Oztent is by far the most versatile tent.
- Because of Oztent’s ‘Lego’ like set up, you simply start with a 30-second tent and add what you want from there to make your Oztent into whatever you want.
- All Oztent parts join to each other so you can have anything from a single room set up, to a huge castle of Oztents and accessories that all join together, and even connect up to a Fox Wing or the side of a caravan!
- The Turbo Tent has many options for walls and screen rooms to customise your set up, however, if you buy a small Turbo, it will always be a small Turbo. And if you buy a big Turbo, it will always be a big Turbo. So, you’re limited on just how versatile you can make the turbo tent.
Accessorise
There are many accessories that can be used with both tents, and both of them have the ability to enclose the awning. So, without going into too many options I will highlight a few of the key differences between the tents.
| Oztent | Black Wolf | |
|---|---|---|
| Walls | • Canvas construction. • Double doors in the side walls (i.e. mesh door panel behind a solid door panel). • Front wall has a door in the mesh panel and a solid flap over the entire mesh front that can be extended to an awning. • Not included. |
• Made from “lite” material. • Single solid door on the front panel (i.e. no mesh door panel). • No doors in side panels. • Not included. |
| Fly | • Not required for tent to be waterproof. • Adds strength to the tent. • Helps reduce condensation. • Not included. |
• Required to ensure tent is waterproof. • Adds stability. • Included. |
| Screen Room | • Fits on to front awning. • Free standing. • Not included. |
• Fits under Super Fly or Basecamp Fly. • Requires purchase of screen room and extra fly. • Not free standing. • Not included. |
| Extra Rooms | • Tag along tent available to create a second room. • Adds time to setup. • Not included. |
• Can be purchased in 1, 2 or 3 room options. • Quick simple setup when 2 or more rooms are required. |
| Other Accessories | • Can zip to an awning and caravan using adapters. • Not included. |
• Can only be butted up against another tent or caravan. |
Dollars and Cents:
- The Oztent and standard Turbo tent are both made from poly-cotton canvas and have tough PVC floors. These are going to cost you roughly the same amount.
- The ‘Lite’ material options in the Turbo Tent range are more affordable. Check out our “Canvas vs Lite” blog for more info on these fabrics.
- Turbo Tent accessories are available in both canvas and ‘Lite’ and are interchangeable between tents.
- Oztent accessories are made of the same poly-cotton canvas as the tents, and while providing more durability, are more expensive.
The Wrap Up:
When comparing these two tents there is no clear winner. Both tents sit at the top of the food chain when it comes to high quality touring tents. However, the tents do suit different types of camping, so it is important to think about what you want from your setup.
- Oztent: Much more versatile and allows a very quick set up when stopping overnight, but also accommodates for extended stays and larger families by simply zipping on a few accessories. The Oztent tends to suit smaller families and couples who would prefer a faster set up and more versatility, but don’t mind compromising on a bit of living space.
- Turbo Tent: Seems to suit larger families or those people who appreciate a bit more living space for beds and bags, and want to have room to stand up to get changed
| Oztent | Turbo Tent | |
|---|---|---|
| The Pro’s | • Ready to sleep in 30 seconds. • Strong frame and materials. • Big range of accessories. • Versatile for all types of camping. • Awning can be rolled up when not required. • Windows open from inside. |
• Quick set up time. • More living room than Oztent. • Fits in the boot of a car. • Relatively easy to put back in to bag. • Cheaper “lite” material option. • Strong frame and materials. • 3 year warranty. • Ability to add accessories. • Quick set up time for large camp set ups. • Gusseted windows allow ventilation as well as protection from the elements. |
| The Cons | • 2m long pack size, usually requires roof racks. • Can be a little tight to get back in the bag with poles and pegs. • Limited standing room inside tent. • Lengthy setup time when adding lots of accessories for a larger setup. • Very bad condensation when not using the fly. |
• No mesh windows, doors or flaps in side walls. • Awning side walls only made from “Lite” material. • 2 and 3 room must be set up in full making the tent less versatile than the Oztent. • Awning must always be set up. • Windows must be opened and closed from outside. • “Lite” material forms a lot of condensation. |
Personally, my wife and I loved our Oztent RV3. When our daughter came along we needed a lot more space, the porta cot alone would not fit in the Oztent, let alone bags, nappies etc. So we moved to a Turbo Lite 240 plus that gave us a huge amount of room, in a much quicker setup time than it would take adding accessories to the Oztent.
I would highly recommend the Turbo Tents to younger families, but having said that, when my kids are old enough to jump into their own tents, the Oztent might just make its way back onto the roof of the old 4X4!
I hope this article helps make the choice between Oztent and Turbo tent easy. For more information, read all of our touring tent blogs and check out the range of tents and accessories on the Snowys website.