User Review: The North Face Tadpole 23

The North Face Tadpole 23
Above: The current Tadpole 23, which may differ slightly from the version reviewed.

Reviewed October 6, 2006 by Lottie C

Rating:
Design: 3-season thin long thing.
Sleeps: 2
Ease of Setup: fine
Weight: 1.9 i think
Price Paid: £70.00

Thankfully I got this on sale. What is The North Face thinking of? It's the same weight as other tents in its class, but smaller- I'm 5'6'' and can't sit up in it, which is a real pain--I thought it wouldn't bug me, but it does. You can't pitch it in the rain as the fly sheet is so separate -- and if you pitch on damp ground the damp comes through the base, unless you get an extra footprint. Put two people in here and you'll have claustrophobia in seconds -- VERY cramped.

This is basically designed to be used somewhere really hot -- it's too chilly for use in spring summer (I've just come back from damp cornwall in late Sept/ early Oct and had a miserable time. I don't accept you're supposed to rely solely on a sleeping bag to stay warm. I think the tent should be more protective than this is.). I'm about to get a new one. I like the titanium poles, but that's it really. Doesn't come with enough tent pegs(?!) and the bag -- made of the thin fly sheet fabric, split to shreds. I will never buy anything else from North Face. What next -- a jacket without the left arm???