Having a separate rain fly for a 2- or 3- person tent makes sense because multiple people can split up the weight a little easier on longer hikes. With a 1-person tent, that doesn’t really make as much sense. After all, I was carrying the whole thing and so it might as well be connected. Essentially, the rain fly for the Ozark Trail was integrated into the tent directly. It was one of those planned events in 2020 that was delayed for years, from what else, but the Covid-19 pandemic. Since the trip was three years in the making, the anticipation was doubly intense.
I hear the thunderstorm raging outside and I wonder, are we really going to hike in this? We do not have to pack up a wet tent, and we can come home to a warm dry place and another shower if we wanted. It’s an ideal situation to keep hiking despite the rain. I go back to sleep, amidst the claps of thunder and the flashes of lightening. I also liked how my head wasn’t directly beside the door, which often occurs for an end-door tent. If something crawled through the zipper door it wouldn’t immediately be inches from my face but instead would have to work its way a few more feet to my head.
I recently attended a seminar that explained the major difference of carrying lighter gear while outdoors. I backpack in the backcountry of the Sierra Nevada. And I do day hikes in Sequoia National Park and on the coast. I bought this pack recently on a whim while shopping Walmart. I needed a day pack and didn’t really have lots of time to search at REI for the various styles provided having only gone to one store.
We had great weather – not too hot and not too cold – but it did rain for about 5 minutes. My friend chose to not put up his rain fly betting on the perfect weather to continue while enjoying the stars at night. During those five minutes of rain, he was a little more stressed as the risk of a wet sleeping bag had not been completely mitigated and he rushed back to the campground. I, on the other hand, could have stayed out longer. True, I wasn’t able to remove the rain fly to watch the stars or let the wind ventilate my tent, but I was able to enjoy the day hikes without any sort of worry. In essence, I had committed to the permanent rainfly option by default and there was a certain contentedness that came with that.
The pack size and weight is good for all my day hiking to any shower. I’m not sure if it is durable enough to hold any of my camera equipment. This pack will make great for a day at the beach with an extra change of clothes, flip flops, keys, tanning oil, towel and a iPod or stuff your lightweight sleeping bag and a jacket. This hydration compatible backpack has a connection for a water bladder built in to the design.
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We put the Ozark Trail tumbler and the Yeti Rambler in head-to-head ozark trail backpack tests to find out how well they perform.