User Review: The North Face Merlin 33

Summary

Overpriced. Poor design. Terrible build quality.

I bought a Merlin 33 intending to use it as my primary home for 3 months. I was willing to pay the inflated price for a North Face tent because I thought it would be reflected in the build quality. 

On the very first use the waterproofing on the flysheet broke down into a gooey mess. The first time it rained there might as well have not been a fly sheet at all. I got soaked, as did all of my kit. Fortunately I was still in a developed country so I bought a footprint (the ground sheet also leaked terribly) and a couple of cans of waterproofing spray. The footprint made it marginally better and the spray staved off the rain for a little while provided it wasn't too hard.

After a month of stubbornly refusing to give up on my expensive new tent I finally relented and bought a $40 tent from a hardware store. It might weigh a couple of pounds more but it's far, far superiour in every other way to the North Face tent.

Don't waste your money. Don't go anywhere near this tent. Having also been very disappointed by one of their backpacks I will never again buy a North Face product.