The North Face Northwind Tents

The North Face Northwind Tents 

DESCRIPTION

Extreme high altitude climbing and alpine summit attempts.

USER REVIEWS

Showing 1-10 of 11  
[Feb 13, 2019]
t1200


Strength:

Probably the strongest, most sturdy and stable The North Face has ever produced. The material is excepetionally thick and can withstand strong wind gusts. This tent was manyfactured long before The North Face began to use cheaper materials in their production and design.

Weakness:

No vestibule included. Equipped with three Easton Aluminum poles which are color matched to the tent for easy assembly, but have to anchor at least two ends via spikes to fully maximixe tent space. Not bad considering it's only two spikes. Utilize more spikes to fully anchor tent and prevent wind from catching.

Price Paid:
300
Purchased:
Used  
Model Year:
1992
OVERALL
RATING
5
[Sep 25, 2008]
Steve
Mountaineer

Since having purchased this tent, I have not used any of my others. Suffice to say that this is to date the best tent I have ever owned. If it does ever fail on me, hopefully not when needed most I will go with new Mountain Hardwear. Just because I no longer trust the quality of North Face.

Customer Service

AWESOME!!!!!

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
4
[May 05, 2006]
Randy Howell
Mountaineer

This tent eats up high winds. I was leading a large group up 13,000' Mt Marcus Baker in Alaska which is only 10 miles from Price William Sound, the peak is known for its terrible storm, with high winds. I Set the tent up without building snow wind wall as I normally do on a glacier, to test the ability of the tent. The tent passed with flying colors, I never had to shovel the tent out from under the drifting snow, everyone else was up up numerous time durning the night and day shoveling the blowing snow. It blow for for 10 days (ground blissard) after 2 nights started build a snow cave out of bordom.
This is a climbing tent made for high wind, small platforms on side of mountains, two people uncomfortabily, and not for rainy adventures. I've settled on three tents in my person arsenal Northwind, Nalo, and Megamid.
It is a shame that TNF only made Northwind tent for a couple years.

Customer Service

never used

Similar Products Used:

VE24, VE25, TNF mountain, Bibler-I, and couple other take off tents of the I tent. BD Megamid, Hilleberg Nalo 3,

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Nov 18, 2003]
marcustg
Mountaineer

This tent, bought on sale, is my lifesaver. It’s reasonable light and big enough for one person. I can keep all my stuff inside. I’ve been taking this tent on my all glacier and winter trips. It replaced my two other tents. On Mt. Shasta, CA, at Lake Helen, a strong wind broke a pole in my Outbound 3-person dome tent, which I had been using for years in different weather conditions, but this time, unfortunately, did not secure it. A week later, on the top of Mt. Shasta I almost lost my other tent, Trango Assault from Mountain Hardware. One string attached to a rock released and the tent started collapsing. I put my helmet on and, while getting dressed, held the collapsing corner with my head. So the tent survived. The North Face one, even though it was noisy as a double wall tent, easily survived a strong wind on the icy (at that night) top (not in the crater) of Mt. Rainier. See picture Disadvantage: cooking problem; not comfortable for 2 persons; not self-standing; difficulty with inserting poles in terrible weather conditions. The reasons I bought it: light, single wall, 2-persons, inexpensive (on sale). Even though I am against not self-standing tents, I found the way to work around this inconvenience. In most cases, I use my axes or pickets, which I carry anyway, to stretch it out.

Similar Products Used:

Owned: Outbound 3-person dome, Mountain Hardware Trango Assault; plus many other tents of my climbing partners.

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Jun 04, 2003]
blair falahey
Mountaineer

just got back from one of the worst seasons seen in many years in nepal/tibet.the weather was absolutely horrible. i was climbing cho oyu solo. unsupported and without oxygen. we recieved a serving from mother nature. 8 days of jet streams. winds up to 100mph. camp 2 was destroyed. everest had 63 tents ripped of its slopes. my northwind sat at camp 1 and took the winds head on. i was down in base camp for most off it. and felt that surely the tent would be gone or at least destroyed. when i was allowed to climb back to camp 1 all that was damged were the guy lines. they had been tied to rocks and the constant movement in the wind had frayed and cut 3 lines. minor problem i resolved in 5 mins but simply retying them. awesome tent. almost all other tents were ripped or poles broken. shame they dont make them anymore. because i think after other climbers saw how the tent performed on the mountain they would have bought the tent on the spot. downside. not freestanding, tent height is a little low, no loop for stove to hang, only good for cold/dry climates, not as warm as double wall tents(obviously), a little awkward to set up. pluses. light, bombproof, and dependable

Customer Service

none

Similar Products Used:

just about everything under the sun

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Jan 14, 2003]
bret carmody
Mountaineer

this tent is simply put the easiest strongest 4 season light and fast mountaineering tent around too bad TNF isn't making it anymore. I have had this tent in 70+ mph winds and it will not budge only downside beyond the obvious lack of a vestibule is their is no hang loop for a hanging stove kit.

Customer Service

none

Similar Products Used:

tons

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
4
[Nov 14, 2002]
Radu Frentiu
Mountaineer

If you wanna go very high , very prepared and very light this is the TENT .Thumbs up for a fast pitching , best good looking , ultralight four season , screamin` yellow , very windproof , relatively cheap (specialy if on sale...)tent . Its a very low profile,tube dynamic,almost a crossbreed between a bivy and a tent.Its relative downsides are : single wall(wellwe want it light dont we ? ), very tight and low(but can sleep 2)not a free standing and therefore a bumer to set on tough ground and its next to imposible to obtain a footprint for it .

Customer Service

Never had the need to return or repair anything yet but they seem very friendly but dont expect the salesmans xcept some manager to know anything about outdoors (see Beverly Hills store ones , they belong to in a grocery store , nothing to do with outdoors science ...)

Similar Products Used:

Hilleberg , Garuda , Mountain Hardware (all as good but not as light and fast )

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
4
[Mar 13, 2001]
Troy O'Neill
Mountaineer

While my fellow climbers where wrestling with their seven, eight, and nine hundred dollar tents at sixteen thousand + feet, I was already busy falling asleep in my Northwind. No, this tent is not for those trying to rekindle their love life, but after inching up mountains for the past twenty one years...it's by far the most realistic tent I've ever owned. If your looking for big fifth-pole vestibules that create huge wind areas or 'tent quakes' keep on searching...this bomb-proof tent is simply a no-nonsence work horse that snickers at anything Mother Nature could possibly whip up!
Thanks North Face, you've saved my frozen tail more than once. T.O.

Customer Service

If you need it, they've got it! And how refreshing to work with someone on the other end that actually gives a damn..

Similar Products Used:

None

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Sep 09, 2000]
Bill
Mountaineer

Yes, it's the easiest 1/2 person tent to picth in the wind with gloves, and it's tight. Tight fit that is, limited headroom, weird head-to-toe floorplan. It's not wide enough to sleep head-tohead (ThermaRest pads are wider than the tent when side-to-side)! But for solo or really friendly trips above the treeline, it's my choice. Now if North Face would make both ends of the tent symeterical and wide enough for side-to-side sleeping arrangement... then they would have a winner. Think hard about how sloppy you are in a tent and then decide.

Similar Products Used:

None

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
3
[Jun 02, 2000]
Tom Smith
Mountaineer

Well, the first review for the most wind resistant tent in TNF range. What can I say, A C-130 plane couldn't knock this over with all of 130,000 horsepower. This tent is about the ultimate in single wall expedition shelters. Weighing in at a mere 2.25kg and setting up in minutes, it stands solid and stable as tight as a drum. 6 exterior guylines anchor this thing down when it gets a bit windy!
One of the best tents of its kind. The price is a bit over the top, but you pay for quality.

Similar Products Used:

Terra Nova Explorer- another suberb tent, solid and spacious.

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
Showing 1-10 of 11  

(C) Copyright 1996-2018. All Rights Reserved.

outdoorreview.com and the ConsumerReview Network are business units of Invenda Corporation

Other Web Sites in the ConsumerReview Network:

mtbr.com | roadbikereview.com | carreview.com | photographyreview.com | audioreview.com