I'm going to call a spade a spade: Ozark Trail is the walmart-version of pretty looking colorful junk. If you really want it on the cheap just type it in the Search Field on Craigs List and you can find a month old tent for 20% of the cost and frankly it's not worth it even then in most cases.

I camp roughly 25-30 weekends a year, some overnights, some 5 day runs. As I live right on the doorstep of Great Smokey Mountains National Park (IE: Appalachian Trail country) I get a chance to see a few bits of everything out there from car campers to thru-hiking rigs. Ozark is definitely in the "Let's try this for a weekend of car-camping, learn how much we hate camping because the gear is all uncomfortable, we froze our butts off, the zippers screwed up, tent leaked, etc.." category of "I tried camping once and will never ever do it again" gear. If you want to make sure you don't go camping again, feel free to 'invest' in a camping-free future.

Yes. It's that bad.

I also have a Western Mountaineering Alpinelite and yes it's a $555 bag day in and day out, but it's also a 25-30 year bag at a true 20 degrees (tested it down past that a few times). I also have a north Face Cat's Meow rated at 20 that's really about a 30-35 degree bag. Keep in mind, there is no true regulations for these. They can take a burlap sack and call it a 20 degree bag and no law will tell them differently. There are ratings systems and some will list their extreme ratings, as in "it might keep you alive and from having your appendages fall off due to frost bite but you are going to be miserable until the search and rescue team finds you" and they will list that as their rating (IE: Ozark Trails), or the better ones and cottage vendors will use their comfort rating where an average person of average build will have an enjoyably toasty night at their ratings (Western Mountaineering, MontBell, etc.)

You do not have to go nuts on the gear but do your homework.

Tent wise? I've seen plenty of the Ozark stuff at car camping sites. Some of it lasts a weekend, some of it 3-4 weekends. After that it's usually heading to the dump with leaks, broken poles, torn zippers, etc. It really is that bad.

If you are on a budget and want to have gear that lasts try Eureka!'s and Kelty's lower end models. Both are a bit heavy for average long hikes but are durable. (I still have a Eureka! 2-man tent I use regularly that I bought in 1988. Yes, 26 years ago! It now rests alongside Mountain Hardware Optic 3.5 which is a very nicely priced tent and a Big Agnes Slater UL3 which is among the KaCHING variety. Both are excellent at what they do but you don't have to start there. If you can find a used Optic 2.5 or 3.5 or a used Big Agnes Copper Spur, etc. you are in the game!)

I know this is probably running on but frankly if you want to give it an honest try and have an outcome where you and your companions will want to go again it's worth INVESTING in some decent gear. If you have a local outfitters that can rent it? Bonus! You don't have to shuck out lottery winnings to have fun if you know where to hunt and look. Just make sure if it's on Craigslist it's worth the money.

One surprise cheapie that works just as well as the big boys is this little steel stove. I have 2 MSR MicroRockets that sit nicely in my Pinacle Dualist and Soloist cook sets, and then I tripped across this one several times on the trail. It's usually around $8-10 brand new to your door and works just as well and is just as small (ditch the plastic case). It even has built a built in igniter where the $40+ MSR doesn't. I don't normally link things like Ebay but there are several vendors who sell it.
http://tinyurl.com/ph955ub

Good luck!