User Review: The North Face Mountain 25

The North Face Mountain 25
Above: The current Mountain 25, which may differ slightly from the version reviewed.

Reviewed July 10, 2009 by North1

Rating:
Design: 4 season modified geodesic dome
Sleeps: 2
Ease of Setup: 4 out of 5 because of the shock cord during extreme cold
Weight: about 9 lbs
Price Paid: 600.00 CD

I bought this tent just as the NF started to change its venue from a state-of-the-art mountain gear brand to its current incarnation as a provider of fashion for the college set. It had just come out on the market and I needed to replace my old VE-24 complete with the snow tunnel windows which I regret having to leave behind somewhere on the Arctic sea ice.

The Mountain tent has served me well, perhaps better than the VE-24 in that it is slightly lighter and packs smaller. Being rectangular it also fits well on narrow ledges and such; a problem with larger tents. Set up is fairly easy with cinch straps to tighten the tent and fly. The interior space is small (compared to the VE series) but livable.

It also stands up well under heavy snow and, perhaps most importantly, during high winds.

The only complaint that I can come up with is the tent poles. The elastic shock cord freezes at very low temperatures and does not retract too easy into the poll causing frustration during set up.

It should also be remembered that this is essentially a winter tent. Although I have used it during the summer months, this tent and others like it, should only be used during the winter.

Other than that, it's a great tent, designed for the worst weather and worth every penny.

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