User Review: The North Face Kestrel

Reviewed May 25, 1999 by Patrick Jordan

Rating: rated 2 of 5 stars
Design: 3-Season
Sleeps: 2
Ease of Setup: Under 3 minutes
Weight: 6 lbs
Price Paid: 370 CND

My main reason for buying the Kestrel was because of the two huge doors on either side and the large vestibules covering each. These are really well designed and make gear management easy.

However, I had one night of hard rain and found the tent leaked. Not much, but enough to piss me off. A small amount of water leaked through the fly (not from condensation) and dripped through the mesh roof on to the foot of my bag. Had I slept with my head at the other end of the tent, it would have been dripping on my head. Also, water seeped through the wall of the tent right down to the bottom. I can understand if the walls allow water to seep through higher up but not right down to the floor. Also, when you open the vestibule doors, rain will go right through the mesh walls and soak the inside of your tent.

I'd have to say that if you never use this tent in the rain, you'll be really happy but you'll be uncomfortable if it is raining. Unfortunately, I'll be using my tent in the rain so the Kestrel is going back to the store. I think I'll get a Mountain Hardware Lightwedge 2 instead. Aside from the Kestrel's door system, it seems to beat the Kestrel feature for feature and in price and it will keep me dry.

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