Backside Line
When you’re in search of a real basecamp tent with an virtually impossibly massive vestibule, top-quality cloth and poles, cavernous inside house akin to a New York Metropolis condo, tons of pockets in handy places, and a design that can maintain as much as the weather regardless of its spectacular ceiling peak, look no additional than The North Face Wawona 6. This tent performs effectively throughout testing metrics, and regardless of its higher-than-average worth level, we nonetheless suppose it affords nice worth.
It’s not good. It doesn’t include an included footprint, it’s fairly heavy, and it actually isn’t the best to pitch, however we consider the general positives far outweigh the negatives.
We hit the street with this beast for six weeks throughout eight states on a household street journey to place each single element of the Wawona 6 to the take a look at and it carried out admirably.
Fast Specs
The North Face Wawona 6
Sturdy & Snug Tenting Tent with a Massive Vestibule
Value:
$500
The dimensions we examined feels:
Luxurious for 3-4, comfy for five & tight for six
Weight:
21 lb. 14 oz.
Dimensions (LxWxH):
120 x 96 x 76 in.
Execs
- Excessive-quality cloth & poles
- Large inside house
- Sensible pockets & group
- Many guyline attachment factors
- Tall ceiling
- Large vestibule
- Efficient vents
Cons
- Heavy
- One door
- Takes time to pitch
- Footprint not included
Consolation
The North Face Wawona 6 has an excellent beneficiant 86.11 sq. ft of inside house. Whenever you issue within the huge 44.7-square-foot entrance vestibule, the tent begins to really feel extra like a full-on basecamp. This mannequin is supremely comfy for a household of 4. You may sleep six inside, particularly if some are young children, however that received’t depart a lot room for additional gear. Thankfully, the massive entrance vestibule serves as the proper gear closet. Throughout varied journeys with the Wawona 6, we used the vestibule to retailer toys, bikes, and coolers. In dangerous climate, it even grew to become a hangout house due to its versatile design. We as soon as used it as a spot for a fast bathe after a very muddy hike with the children.
Taller customers will admire the spectacular peak peak of 6’4″. The tent’s form permits for extra headroom, not simply within the heart, offering house to stroll round. Whereas the peak does taper in the direction of the sidewalls, we discovered little to complain about in relation to the Wawona 6’s spaciousness and luxury.
Sturdiness
In comparison with the opposite tents we examined, the Wawona 6 is correct within the combine for sturdiness and high quality. All technical particulars apart, the tent’s supplies really feel high-quality and sturdy in use. The most recent model of the Wawona 6 obtained a little bit of an improve, together with improved materials high quality. Probably the most notable change is the usage of DAC MX poles, designed to be robust with out including weight, which we discovered to be correct.
The poles are certainly robust with out feeling too heavy, even for an almost 22-pound tent. All of the zippers perform easily with out catching, and the material supplies, together with the tent ground—now constituted of strong 150D polyester with a PU coating—are thick and of top quality. Nonetheless, it’s nonetheless sensible to make use of a footprint or floor tarp to guard the tent ground.
Climate Resistance
Whereas we wouldn’t take the Wawona 6 on a real climbing expedition, we did exit of our approach to camp in poor climate, and the Wawona 6 held up very effectively. Tents of this measurement and peak will all the time battle a bit in windy circumstances, however even when pitched in uncovered places, our tent dealt with 40+ mph winds properly, due to the numerous guylines and stake-down factors.
In driving rain, we didn’t expertise any leakage, although the fly doesn’t cowl your entire tent physique. The fly doesn’t prolong a lot previous the mesh higher of the tent, so in extreme sideways rain, that could possibly be a problem, however we didn’t encounter any issues. When you’re a four-season camper, you’ll doubtless need full double-wall development, making the Wawona 6 greatest fitted to three-season tenting.
Ease of Setup
Our largest gripe about this tent is how lengthy it takes to pitch. Solo, it took us about eleven minutes to completely arrange. That’s with out wind. If there’s a breeze establishing the Wawona 6 can get hectic fairly quick. It’s faster with a companion, however in the event you’re tenting with young children, you may not all the time have assist. It’s not that the method is difficult—the pole colours match the sleeves they match into—it’s simply that it’s quite a lot of tent. And that a lot tent takes time to pitch.
Ideally, we’d like to chop the pitch time down to 5 to seven minutes. Whereas we did get faster with observe, it nonetheless takes extra time than most resulting from its measurement and the massive rainfly/vestibule. Total the sheer quantity of fabric concerned in establishing this tent makes it one of many harder tents to pitch. The Wawona 6 does include pre-attached guylines which is a pleasant contact.
Options
We applaud the Wawona 6 for its considerate design, which incorporates ample pockets for good group. We had been delighted to seek out sufficient pockets to carry all our children’ gear, in addition to our nighttime necessities like telephones, watches, and stuff sacks. Nonetheless, we discovered the pockets on the rear door a bit awkward, as our gadgets tended to fall out after we unzipped the door. We’d additionally wish to see some decrease pockets which might be simpler to achieve from our sleeping baggage.
Massive tents have a considerable floor space that may catch wind, which is why most of the tents we examined carried out poorly in excessive winds. Thankfully, The North Face addressed this situation of their new design by incorporating quite a few guyline attachments, permitting you to completely stake out the tent in intense climate—bonus factors for the pre-attached guylines.
Lots of the tents we examined this 12 months lack efficient air flow when the rainfly is deployed, however the Wawona 6 solves this with two kickstand vents, permitting use in inclement climate. The fly additionally rolls up on both aspect to reveal the mesh sidewalls, offering additional air flow in honest climate. This design ensures glorious airflow, lowering condensation and holding the inside comfy.
Final, however actually not least, the defining function of the Wawona 6 is the large 44.7-square-foot entrance vestibule, which makes this huge tent really feel cavernous.
Ought to You Purchase the North Face Wawona 6?
The North Face Wawona 6 is right for households or massive teams who want a big inside with a formidable peak peak. It’s additionally good for bikers and climbers as a result of ample gear storage the vestibule affords. This tent is well-suited for campers who want additional house and plan on tenting in varied climate circumstances, due to its high-quality supplies and strong design.
Nonetheless, the Wawona 6 is greatest for automotive tenting resulting from its measurement. When you plan on climbing greater than a brief distance out of your automotive together with your tent, you could wish to discover different choices.
What Different Tenting Tents Ought to You Contemplate?
Kelty Wi-fi 6 Overview: If finances is a priority, take a look at the Wi-fi 6. It’s simply over half the value of the Wawona 6 however nonetheless affords spectacular livable house and a twin vestibule design.
MSR Habitude 6 Overview: If finances isn’t a problem and also you’re in search of a extra premium tent constituted of high-quality supplies, the Habitude 6 is price a glance. It’s a real upper-echelon tent fabricated from even higher-quality supplies than the Wawona 6. When you want a tent that can stand as much as excessive circumstances, the Habitude is likely to be what you’re in search of.
