The word ‘Bunker’ conjures an image of a hard, cold, uncomfortable but protective space. Oztent’s Bunker Pro couldn’t be further from this description. While it definitely offers excellent protection from the elements like a good bunker should, its level of comfort is unparalleled in the world of portable accommodation that can be set up in minutes.
What’s it for?
I spent many years in Australia, hunting, fishing and 4-wheel driving, and more often than not a simple canvas swag was the resort of choice purely for the fact it was something I could set up and tear down quickly and easily. While easier than your ‘average’ tent, the swag still wasn’t completely hassle free, requiring the odd tent peg, a flat, debris free space on the ground, and more often than not an extra mattress layer to try and mask the discomfort of the inevitable rock or stick that you don’t notice until 1am in the morning.
So when I first saw an image of the Oztent Bunker Pro it all seemed to make good sense, a swag on a sturdy base, in what appears to be a simple folding design.
At just over 17kg the Bunker Pro probably isn’t something that you are going to slip into your hunting pack for a backcountry mission, and it isn’t big enough for the family weekend away, so my initial question was ‘when am I going to use this?’. Well, I can tell you it’s perfect for that quick after work mission to your favourite hunting, fishing, 4-wheel driving or camping spot. Maybe you can’t get away from work until 5pm and you are going to arrive at ‘secret spot X’ in the dark, the last thing you want to do is muck around with poles and pegs setting up a tent. With the bunker pro, you unzip the bag, fold out the frame, slip on the fly and away you go. Plenty of time to rig rods, cook a feed and get a full nights rest ready for an early start.
How’s it built?
As with the Oztent RV3 tent we previously tested the quality of the Bunker Pro was obvious immediately as I unzipped its tidy carry bag. The 8oz Ripstop Polycotton Canvas feels sturdy to the touch and I can see it lasting a very long time if cared for. Yes, the canvas adds weight to the overall package, but I’ll take that over a torn Polyester tent any day. The clever folding steel frame is over engineered, and all the hinge points look very sturdy. I did notice there is little to no lateral movement in the hinges, making the un-folding and folding process smoother and meaning less chance of snagging the canvas material.
The Bunker Pro is rated at being capable of housing a solid 150kg and looking at the frame I don’t doubt this at all. Don’t tell the guys at Oztent that were kind enough to loan me their demo unit, but my partner Sara and I did have a nice wee afternoon nap in the Bunker pro together with no concern of doing any damage.
As expected, the Bunker Pro has high quality ‘No-See-Um’ mesh to keep the blood suckers at bay and very cleverly, the main mesh panel appears to be completely replaceable. A handy feature considering I have several damaged hiking tents with their mesh lazily pinned back together with safety pins.
All the zips and other tension points are very sturdy and as with the tent range the stitching appears to be more robust than what is probably required. The zip’s too are very solid and the teeth are big enough that even when the Bunker Pro is stretched tight, they can take the pressure of a hurried re-zip in the middle of the night after a quick dash to the little boys or girls room.
How does it work?
Removing the … I’m going to call it a Stretcher Tent, from its neat carry bag, its simple to unfold the ends out horizontally and then spread the legs to give it its familiar stretcher appearance. From here it’s a simple procedure of extending the two poles at the head end and, if you are in nice warm, dry conditions you are pretty much ready to go! If the weather is looking a little ominous, then the included fly is simple to pull over the frame and pull down tight by way of the solid hooks on the fly. Connecting the hooks to small steel loops on the base of the legs and tightening the webbing straps its very quick and easy to create a wind and waterproof space free of annoying, flapping lose material.
Another little feature I liked is that you can expand the zippers on the head end and peg out this section, giving what is effectively a vestibule that you would find on a tent. This extra storage room for your gear, especially items you don’t want getting wet is brilliant. There’s plenty of room under the Stretcher Tent too, backpacks, rifles, rods etc can all easily fit under here with the amount of space between ground and bed base being more than adequate.
During the test I did pack my Thermarest, anticipating that I would need the extra bit of comfort because let’s be honest, your average stretcher that you buy isn’t the most comfortable thing in the world. Often times the cold, and sometimes gentle breeze that you feel coming through the base can really stuff up a good snooze. However, I was surprised to see the thickness of the padded bed base and after climbing in for the first time I found it was very comfortable just as it was. In saying that, as I mentioned earlier, the Bunker Pro isn’t something you are likely to lug through the bush on your back, so the addition of a small self-inflating mattress while certainly not necessary for a good night’s rest, to me, seems like a good idea.
The Final Verdict…
So, the quality, design and comfort are all exactly what I have come to expect from the team at Oztent, but what are the catches?
Well, If I have any concern about the Bunker Pro it would be that there is some potential to do a little damage if you are like me; incredibly impatient.
If you got yourself all flustered and didn’t pay attention to the way you pack the canvas within the frame prior to folding the Bunker Pro back up, then yes, I think you could damage either frame or canvas. In saying that, that’s the same with anything when you rush. If you just follow the plan and take the two minutes (max) that it takes to pack it away correctly, you won’t have any issues.
Overall I love the Bunker Pro, and for its $799.00 price tag I think this is a bargain given the build quality. Would I buy one with my own hard-earned money? Yes, absolutely I would.
If you are prone to a last-minute mission, or you tend to travel solo then I seriously recommend checking out the Bunker Pro. I haven’t come across anything on the market that rivals the design, and after owning every type of portable accommodation possible over the years, Id say that this clever little contraption is the absolute best of all worlds combined.
For more information check out our full video review below, or head to www.oztentnz.co.nz