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 April 18, 2006 by Rosh

Rating:
Design: four-season freestanding
Sleeps: 2
Ease of Setup: Worth the setup in the snow and wind but too difficult under those conditions
Weight: 9 lbs +
Price Paid: $350

I bought this tent to withstand the environment up here in interior Alaska. It certainly does that.

The Mountain 25 is very solid, surviving many trips, some in very cold temperatures. It handles very well from 50 F to -30 F. It has shed heavy rain without leak and withstood heavy snow in Thompson Pass, Valdez, AK. (highest average snowfall in North America).

The space within the tent is one person plus gear or a comfy two persons with boot space. The vestibule is just enough room to place a stove or other gear you don't want to lose in falling snow. Again, it is built like a sub. There are no windows besides the "peep hole" on the fly. This is not a warm weather tent! Inside, I find more-than-ample room in pockets. They surround the inside of the tent. There also are two pockets above the doors.

The Mountain 25 is versatile on a mountain, like the name alludes to. When off a mountain, one may find it too heavy or too difficult to setup. The five poles required to stand the tent up are cerainly necessary when under heavy wind or snow, but not under lesser conditions. Consider another tent for "normal" environments.

The fly and vestiblule are kept in place by cords and tent stakes. I have used it many times without staking the fly down but have no choice but stake the vesibule out. The fly, in general, is very solid but time consuming to install.

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