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The North Face Phoenix 2

rated 4.5 of 5 stars

The Phoenix 2 has been discontinued. If you're looking for something new, check out the best three-season tents for 2024.

photo: The North Face Phoenix 2 three-season tent

Sets up up quickly and easy. Roomy and reasonably lightweight. Worked great on both the Mount Langley and Mount Whitney backpacking trips.

Pros

  • Pretty lightweight at 3lb 10oz
  • Roomy. Myself and all my gear were comfortably inside
  • Sets up in a couple minutes
  • Take apart was simple and fast. Packed easily in the sack
  • 2 doors were great making entry/exit east at every camp
  • Minimal condensation only when it poured rain
  • Plenty of headroom

Cons

  • Was kind of big for some small sites

I picked up thsi tent from Steep and Cheap for just under 200 bucks. I picked up a footprint from REI for 15 bucks that was around the same dimensions for this tent. The pair worked great together.

I was able to get the tent set up in  a couple minutes. Took about 5 total with stakes and everything.  No fly, so just two main rods and one short one across the center.  Tear down was equally fast. I was delighted that the stuff sack was large enough so I didn't have to struggle getting everything in. The footprint slipped in easily.

I was quit happy how well it stood up to the elements. We had nights with a lot of wind.  As long as I got the stake in securely, there were zero wind issues. Some camps were more rocks so I used rocks to secure the corners.  It also has extra paracord to tie down if needed.  I didn't need that though.

We has a night of pounding rain and hail. The inside was perfectly dry and protected. No real hail buildup on the roof either though it was fun to tap the ceiling and watch the hail roll off. 

The tent breathed very well and i only had condensation one time. That was when it was raining and hailing for a few hours.  The condensation was gone by the middle of the night and never dripped or rolled off. I only knew it was there because I was flicking the ceiling to watch the hail roll off.

There are two small windows on either "door". It is a bit fuzzy but I was able to watch the lightning out of either side as well as peek for imaginary bears before heading out to pee in the middle of the night.  

The zippers worked great and I was delighted to see the pulls glowed in the dark making them easy to locate for my middle of the night business.  The outer foyer zipper was a little hard to manipulate from inside the tent. Before packing, zip up everything because once the tent is down, it is a pain to zip things closed.

This tent feels solid. I am very happy with the construction and design. A couple simple features like a small loop to hang my tiny tent light was great. Easy to set up and tear down. Easy to get in and out from two sides.  Very roomy for one person. Great weight-to-size ratio.  I found this to be a great tent!

20130817_151012.jpg

Source: bought it new
Price Paid: $195

A seldom seen or talked about tent that deserves a serious look if you're in the market for a high quality lightweight 3+ season tent.

Pros

  • Very small and packable.
  • Super easy setup. Very sturdy and weatherproof.
  • Ample room for two. Huge as a one-person.
  • Construction is high quality.

Cons

  • Not a lot of window viewing.

I have pushed this little gem well beyond its intended use and it's come through every time.

When looking around for a super lightweight 3+ season mountaineering tent I decided to take a chance on the Phoenix 2. I don't use it as a bomb proof hard core mountain tent, but it has been in many four-season settings with high mountain wind and snow and has been remarkable. Two days of nonstop sustained 60mph wind on Longs Peak last winter and I could not believe when I returned home and found not one thread out of place or signs of stress. Shed snow fine.

On the A.T. it performed great as a trail tent. Luxury room for one and plenty of room for two w/o gear. The design has just enough outer fly angle to function as a vestibule for a pack and gear which is great. Outer pole clips make for two minute set up. Love the glow in the dark zips.

Single wall material design works excellent.

Packs up tiny into softball size. Ventilation is good with no issues and the door and netting configuration is well done.

This will be my third season using the tent and i look forward to it.

I highly recommend this tent. Great bang for the buck at just under $200 on sale.

I cannot figure out why this tent is rarely seen or discussed in retail showrooms or catalogs.

Most shop salespeople have never even heard of it.  They should !

Source: bought it new
Price Paid: $197

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You’ll be protected by all of natures forces – “Earth, wind, and fire” – in this two-person, three-seasons ultralight tent. The waterproof DryWall construction is tear-resistant to stand up to gale-force winds, and fire-retardant to resist melting caused by those occasional blowing embers the campfire. The 33-denier nylon ripstop rainfly has a 1,500 mm waterproof coating. The 50-denier nylon bathtub-style floor with a 3,000 mm waterproof coating forms a formidable barrier against muddy, soggy, and damp terrain. Two doors give each camper a separate entrance for convenience.

Features:

  • DryWall proprietary single skin
  • Double door and double vestibule
  • Light and simple clip pitch
  • High-low venting
  • Polyurethane port on rainfly
  • Handy loop for hanging headlamps and accessories

Specs

Price MSRP: $299.00
Historic Range: $163.98-$329.00
Reviewers Paid: $195.00-$197.00
Minimum Weight 3 lb 10 oz / 1.64 g
Packed Weight 4 lb 8 oz / 1.94 g
Seasons 3-Season
Sleeping Capacity 2
Doors 2
Floor Length 85 in / 216 cm
Floor Width 52 in / 132 cm
Floor Area 30.7 sq ft / 2.9 sq m
Vestibules 2
Vestibule Area 12.8 sq ft / 1.2 sq m
Peak Height 39 in / 99 cm

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