The North Face Kestrel

I used the tent for my last trek out at Philmont scout ranch for Rayado in 1997 (20 days and nights and 175 miles). The tent preformed well. Solid freestanding design in high winds. The pole sleeves made pitching the tent a breeze and can even be done in a storm with the fly on top keeping the tent dry the whole time.

I didn't buy the foot print and elected to use a clear heavy mylar ground fly cut a little larger then the tent so I can roll the extra up under the rain fly. The fly goes all the way down to the ground keeping those inside dry even when it rains sideways.

I only have a few problems that I experienced with the tent. At 6'1" I'm pushing the limits of the tent on the inside. Also on cold nights with the roof vents open, we still experienced condensation build up which required me to use my waterproof sleeping bag stuff sack around the feet of my sleeping bag to keep from absorbing the wet.

Another issue was the headroom inside the tent. I have the gear loft which is nice but takes away valuable head room inside. I'm guessing this is due to the basic cross design of the poles. Having the poles cross twice would create less peak hight but more head room side to side.

Finally the angle of the rain fly over the doors means if it is raining heavily when you crawl in, it requires great care and speed to not get much water inside the tent.

My brother has also used the tent at a 3 day music festival in AR where it rained for the whole time and stated that he was the only one there that stayed dry because of the solid tent design.

My main reason for buying the Kestrel was because of the two huge doors on either side and the large vestibules covering each. These are really well designed and make gear management easy.

However, I had one night of hard rain and found the tent leaked. Not much, but enough to piss me off. A small amount of water leaked through the fly (not from condensation) and dripped through the mesh roof on to the foot of my bag. Had I slept with my head at the other end of the tent, it would have been dripping on my head. Also, water seeped through the wall of the tent right down to the bottom. I can understand if the walls allow water to seep through higher up but not right down to the floor. Also, when you open the vestibule doors, rain will go right through the mesh walls and soak the inside of your tent.

I'd have to say that if you never use this tent in the rain, you'll be really happy but you'll be uncomfortable if it is raining. Unfortunately, I'll be using my tent in the rain so the Kestrel is going back to the store. I think I'll get a Mountain Hardware Lightwedge 2 instead. Aside from the Kestrel's door system, it seems to beat the Kestrel feature for feature and in price and it will keep me dry.

Lovely little tent from TNF. Seam seal everything on the fly as well as the floor; we didn't seal the floor and experienced no leaks. Nice and airy for summer without the fly and with the fly on provided a nice little space for wet clothes and accesories. Went backcountry camping with my girlfriend for 10 days half the time it rained and the tent performed nicely. Had to guy the fly out the last two days because of strong winds and rain. After guying it out it was like a rock.