BigfootYancey
says
RE: VIDEO: The North Face unveils the new Minibus 23 tent
It's a lil on the heavy side, but 6lbs/2.72 kilos ain't bad considering what this MoFo is all about.
There is generous headroom (more than footprint) thanks to the smart engineering of the two small orange poles and the C-Clips.
Pitchin' and strikin' is easy as pie- just set up once before you head anywhere. I'm diggin' the Twist-Clips and The hub system allows for a nice distribution of wind stress on the DAC poles, allowing the tent to hold up really well in higher wind. This system I believe also contributes to the condensation control.
I've had this tent in a couple rain situations. One was three days of non-stop rain with one solid hour of blinding down poor. I was camped next to a slope that fed ALOT of rain our way and did dig a very small trench around one side of it.
No leaks (tarp under floor). No condensation, either. At night with the rain, it would get muggy with my girlfriend and I in it, however, I just pulled back the sleeping bag, and could actually feel cool, clean air- so I believe the low-high vent system is smart and works really well.
A cool feature I liked is the inside-outside pockets. And the glow-n-dark zipper pull tabs glowed fairly bright all night on a night darker than a black steer's derrière.
So I really don't have any complaints, and actually LOVE this tent. And this is coming from a fella who avoided The North Face because I never took it serious with its wilderness chic business.
I think the company may spread itself a little too thin because of the chicness - some stuff is made poorly, some good. The Minibus 23 Is made GREAT.

02 June 2009 20:25