How to Use the Oztent Lock-On Device Holder for Phones and Tablets

Quick answer

The Oztent Lock-On Device Holder works best when you mount it at seated eye level on a stable part of your Oztent frame or Lock-On compatible accessory, then route the charging cable before you tighten everything down. Test the angle with your device installed, and pack the holder with your tent so it never gets left behind.

A phone propped on a camp chair cushion works until the first gust of wind or the first spilled coffee. The Oztent Lock-On Device Holder solves that by giving your phone or tablet a fixed, adjustable home on your Oztent setup, so you can follow a recipe, watch a downloaded movie, or keep a navigation app open without balancing anything.

This guide walks through mounting and using the holder in order, from choosing the right spot to packing it away. Each step includes the mistake that most often causes a wobbly screen or a dead battery by morning.

Before you mount: pick the right location

Walk around your setup before attaching anything. The best spot is on a vertical or near-vertical surface at roughly seated eye level, close enough that you can reach the screen without leaving your chair. On an Oztent RV or SV series frame, that usually means a front or side upright near your living area rather than a sloping roof section.

Check that the surface is rigid. A panel that flexes when you push it will let the device bounce in wind, which is the fastest way to crack a screen or lose a tablet to the ground. If your setup includes the Oztent SV-5 Max Front Panel, its zippered canvas sections give you a defined, taut mounting area once the panel is fully zipped and tensioned.

• Mount on the side you sit on, not the side facing the fire or the walkway.
• Keep the holder out of the direct path of doorways so nobody clips it walking in.

Step 1: Attach the mount and check the lock

Fit the Lock-On mount to your chosen surface and engage the locking mechanism fully before you add any weight. You should feel or hear it seat, and the mount should not rotate or slide when you press on it with your palm. This is the checkpoint most people skip, and it is why holders end up drooping by the second day.

Once the mount is locked, give it a firm tug in the direction gravity will pull your device. If it shifts, reposition rather than tightening harder, because over-tightening on a soft or curved surface distorts the attachment point.

• Common mistake: mounting on a curved pole section where only part of the clamp makes contact.

Step 2: Set the angle with your device in place

Clip your phone or tablet into the holder before you finalize the angle. Devices differ in weight and thickness, and a tablet will pull the holder lower than a phone will. Adjust until the screen faces you naturally from your seated position, then lock the angle down.

If you use both a phone and a tablet, set the angle for the heavier device and accept that the phone will sit slightly high. That is a better compromise than re-adjusting every time you swap.

• Test the angle from where you actually sit, not standing over it.
• Leave a little clearance below the holder so a charging cable has room to bend.

Step 3: Route power and protect the device

Route your charging cable before you finish tightening anything, with a gentle drip loop below the holder so rain runs off instead of into the port. If you are running light or power from a 12V source, the Extreme Lighting System LED Flex operates off DC12V, which makes it a natural companion when you are already running a 12V camp setup.

For overnight use, consider a zip-in floor or enclosed living area so the device is not sitting in open weather. The Oztent RX-5 Living Room & Zip-In Floor fully encloses your entry area to create a large, weatherproof living space, which is a much friendlier environment for electronics than an open awning.

• Never let a cable hang straight down into the holder; always leave a low point for water to drip from.

Step 4: Secure the tent before you trust the screen

A device holder is only as stable as the structure it is attached to. Before you settle in for a movie or a video call, make sure your guy lines and pegs are doing their job. On soft ground, screw-down anchors hold better than a standard peg, and the Oztent Edition Bluescrew is a screw-down ground anchor available in two sizes, Large (58cm) and Small (31cm).

This matters more than it sounds. A tent that shifts a few centimeters in a gust will transfer that movement straight into the holder, and a tablet on a moving mount is a tablet on its way to the floor.

• Re-check tension after the first hour of wind, then again before bed.

Step 5: Pack it down and store it with the tent

Remove the device first, then release the mount. Wipe the holder dry before it goes in the bag, especially if it spent the night in condensation or rain. Storing it damp is how the locking mechanism gets gritty and stops seating properly.

The simplest way to never forget it is to keep the holder in the same bag as your tent. If your original bag is worn out, the Oztent Carry Bag - RX-5 and the Oztent Carry Bag - RV-3 PLUS are direct replacements for those models, and a dedicated bag makes it obvious when something is missing at pack-up.

• Common mistake: leaving the holder mounted during transport, where it can catch on other gear.

Your Lock-On setup sequence

1. Choose a rigid, seated-height surface: Walk the setup and pick a vertical or near-vertical spot you can reach from your chair, avoiding sloping roof sections and doorways. Checkpoint: push the surface with your palm. If it flexes, pick another spot.
2. Lock the mount before loading it: Engage the locking mechanism fully, then press and tug to confirm it will not rotate or slide. Checkpoint: any movement here means reposition, not tighten harder.
3. Set the angle with the heaviest device installed: Clip in the tablet or phone you use most, adjust the screen angle from your seated position, then lock it down. Checkpoint: view it from your chair, not standing over it.
4. Route the cable with a drip loop: Run charging power before final tightening and leave a low point in the cable so water runs off instead of into the port. Checkpoint: no cable should hang straight into the holder.
5. Tension the tent and anchors: Confirm guy lines and pegs are holding, using screw-down anchors like the Oztent Edition Bluescrew on soft ground. Checkpoint: re-check tension after the first hour of wind.
6. Remove, dry, and store with the tent: Take the device out first, release the mount, wipe it dry, and pack it in the same bag as your tent. Checkpoint: a dedicated carry bag makes a missing holder obvious at pack-up.

Gear that pairs well with the Lock-On holder

• Oztent RX-5 Living Room & Zip-In Floor: The Zip-In Living Room and Floor fully encloses your entry area to create a large, weatherproof sleeping or living area, with setup in less than 30 seconds. Gives your phone or tablet a sheltered, stable place to live instead of an exposed awning where wind and rain reach the screen.
• Oztent SV-5 Max Front Panel: The panel zips to the front of the awning and has a large screened area with a zippered door made from No-See-Um mesh, plus a drop-down zippered canvas panel for rain. Creates a taut, enclosed front wall you can mount to, and the drop-down canvas panel lets you close off weather without moving your device.
• Extreme Lighting System LED Flex: A meter-long strip of waterproof SMD 5050 LED chips delivering 2700-3000 lumens, with an IP65 waterproof rating, operating off DC12V and tested for up to 50,000 hours of use. Runs on the same 12V power many campers already use for device charging, so you can light the area around your mounted screen without a separate power plan.
• Oztent Edition Bluescrew: A screw-down ground anchor with high quality construction, available in two sizes: Large (58cm) and Small (31cm). Better anchoring means less tent movement in wind, which keeps a mounted tablet steady and reduces the chance of a drop.

The Oztent Lock-On Device Holder rewards a few minutes of setup patience: a rigid mounting point, a locked mount, and a cable that sheds water. Do that, and your phone or tablet stays exactly where you put it, all trip long.