Oztent Lock-On Side Table: Setup, Uses and Accessories Guide

Quick answer

Set the table up on level ground, lock it onto the Oztent lock-on system rail before loading anything on top, and adjust the legs last. Most wobble comes from skipping that order: if you load the table first or tighten the legs on sloped ground, the frame stays twisted and no amount of re-tightening fixes it.

The Oztent Lock-On Side Table is one of those pieces that either disappears into your setup or becomes the spot you keep coming back to all weekend. The difference is almost never the table itself. It is the order you assemble it in, where you place it relative to your awning, and what you hang off it once it is up.

This guide walks through the setup in the order that keeps the frame square, then covers the practical jobs a camping side table actually does well. It also flags the small lock-on table accessories that solve the problems people complain about most, and where the table genuinely is not the right answer.

Before you start: what to check on arrival

Unpack the table and lay the parts out before you are standing in the sun trying to work it out. Check the tabletop, the leg assemblies, and the lock-on bracket or rail fitting. If anything is bent or missing, sort it now rather than at camp, because a bent bracket is the one fault you cannot adjust your way around.

Oztent sells replacement parts for its RV and Foxwing ranges separately, including pegs and the Foxwing Nylon Hinge Insert pack, so small hardware failures do not mean replacing a whole product. Confirm what your table ships with against the listing before your first trip so you know which spares are worth carrying.

• Checkpoint: the lock-on fitting should sit flush and slide freely before anything is tightened.

Step 1: Pick ground that is level and clear

Put the table where you will actually use it, not where it is easiest to assemble. That usually means beside your awning or tent door, on the side you cook and make drinks. Clear the area of rocks, roots, and long grass first, because the legs need a flat footprint and grass hides the slope that causes wobble.

Walk the spot before you commit. If you can feel a slope underfoot, move. A camping side table that is fighting the ground will rock every time someone leans on it, and no amount of tightening fixes a bad footprint.

• Common mistake: setting up on a slight slope because it is closer to the door, then blaming the table for rocking.

Step 2: Unfold the frame and lock the legs out

Open the table frame fully and push each leg out until it locks. You should feel or hear a positive stop on every leg. If a leg feels soft or does not click, stop and check the hinge rather than forcing it, because forcing a partially engaged leg is how brackets get bent.

Set the table upright on its legs before attaching anything. This lets you confirm the frame sits square and the tabletop is flat. A table that looks twisted at this stage will stay twisted once loaded.

• Checkpoint: all legs locked, frame square, tabletop flat with nothing on it.

Step 3: Attach the table to the lock-on system

With the table standing and square, slide or clip it onto the Oztent lock-on system rail on your awning or tent. Line the fitting up before you push, then let it seat fully. You should not need to force it. If it binds, lift the table slightly so the bracket is not dragging on the rail.

Attach the table before you put anything on top. Loading first pulls the frame out of alignment and makes the fitting harder to seat, which is the single most common cause of a table that will not sit flush.

• Common mistake: loading the tabletop first, then trying to attach it to the rail.

Step 4: Level the legs and tighten in order

Now adjust the legs so the tabletop is level. Work from the highest corner down, extending legs as needed, and tighten each leg as you set it rather than leaving them all loose until the end. Tightening in sequence keeps the frame from shifting as you go.

Once the table is level, give it a firm nudge with your hand. If it rocks, find the leg that is short and adjust that one, not all four. Chasing wobble by adjusting every leg usually makes it worse.

• Checkpoint: a firm nudge produces no rock and no creak.

Step 5: Place weight sensibly

Keep heavy items over the legs, not over the unsupported middle of the tabletop. A stove, a full water container, or a cast iron pan belongs directly above a leg or the lock-on bracket. Light items like cups, plates, and a lantern can go anywhere.

If you are using the table as a cooking surface, set the stove back from the edge so the hose or gas line is not pulling on the tabletop. On a camping side table, a tug from a hose is enough to shift a light load.

• Common mistake: putting the heaviest item in the centre of the table because it looks tidy.

Step 6: Add lighting and shade for evening use

The table is most useful after dark, and that is where the Extreme Lighting System LED Rigid earns its place. It is designed for fixed structures such as under a Foxwing awning, runs off DC12V, carries an IP65 waterproof rating, and delivers over 5m of effective light, so it covers a table and the surrounding ground rather than just one spot.

For daytime shade over the same area, the Oztent RV-2/3/4/5 Side Awning zips to either side of the Oztent awning and comes with two upright poles, guy ropes, pegs, and its own carry bag. It also has a double zip so you can still run Peaked Side Panels alongside it. If you need to extend or stabilise an awning or side panel, Oztent Telescopic Poles come in vertical lengths of 1.9m, 2.2m, and 2.3m, plus a 2.6m horizontal ridge pole.

• Checkpoint: light the table area before you cook, not after.

Step 7: Pack down in reverse

Take everything off the tabletop first, then detach from the lock-on rail, then fold the legs in. Packing down in the reverse of setup keeps the frame square and stops the bracket catching on the rail as you remove it.

Wipe the tabletop before it goes in the bag. Food, bait, and sunscreen all set overnight and become a scrubbing job later. If you lost a peg or bent a hinge insert during the trip, Oztent Replacement Parts - Pegs and the Foxwing Replacement Parts - Nylon Hinge Insert (Pack of 4) are cheap fixes that keep the rest of the system working.

• Common mistake: folding the legs while the table is still attached to the rail.

Lock-On Side Table Setup Checklist

1. Clear and level the ground: Remove rocks, roots, and long grass from the spot beside your awning or tent door. If you can feel a slope underfoot, move before you unpack.
2. Fold out and lock every leg: Open the frame fully and push each leg out until it stops positively. A soft or unclicked leg means stop and check the hinge, not force it.
3. Attach to the lock-on rail empty: Seat the fitting on the rail fully while the tabletop is clear. Loading first is the main reason a table will not sit flush.
4. Level the legs and tighten in sequence: Work from the highest corner down, tightening each leg as you set it. Fix rocking by adjusting the short leg only, not all four.
5. Load heavy items over the legs: Put stoves, water containers, and pans above a leg or the lock-on bracket. Keep the stove back from the edge so a hose tug cannot shift it.
6. Add light and shade: Set up lighting for evening use and a side awning for daytime shade over the same area. Sort lighting before you start cooking, not after dark.
7. Pack down in reverse: Clear the top, detach from the rail, then fold the legs in. Wipe the tabletop before it goes in the bag.

Accessories that pair with the table

• Extreme Lighting System LED Rigid: Designed for fixed structures such as under a Foxwing awning, tested to up to 50,000 hours of use, IP65 waterproof rated, runs off DC12V, and delivers over 5m of effective light. It lights the table and the ground around it, so you are not cooking by torchlight or moving a lamp every time you shift position.
• Oztent RV-2/3/4/5 Side Awning: Zips to either side of the Oztent awning, includes two upright poles, guy ropes, pegs, and a carry bag, and has a double zip so Peaked Side Panels can be used at the same time. It puts shade over the table area during the day and keeps the table usable in light rain without a separate shelter.
• Oztent Telescopic Poles: Vertical adjustable telescoping poles in 1.9m, 2.2m, and 2.3m lengths, plus a 2.6m horizontal adjustable telescoping ridge pole. They extend and stabilise awnings and side panels, which is what keeps the table's mounting point steady in wind.
• Oztent Replacement Parts - Pegs: Replacement parts for Oztent RV products, ordered by identifying the part that needs replacing. A missing or bent peg is a cheap fix rather than a reason to replace a whole accessory.

The Oztent Lock-On Side Table works best when you treat setup as a sequence: level ground, locked legs, attach empty, level last, then load. Get that order right and the table stays steady all weekend. Get it wrong and you will spend the trip re-tightening a frame that was never square to begin with.