The North Face Petrel 23

I was looking to replace my early '80's Eureka Geom4. This (Eureka) tent has influenced my opinion of the Petrel. North Face has me hooked on brand recognition. I trust that anything with the North Face logo is excellent in design and construction. I live in a part of the country where there are not many outdoor stores, so my purchasing was limited because I couldn't see any of the NF 3-person tents. I purchased the Petrel impulsively at the NF outlet in Berkeley, CA while visiting. The tent is much smaller than the Eureka. The fly fits funny in the rear end of the tent, leaving quite a gap between the tent and the fly, but no way to access that space. The tent is slightly tapered from front to rear, with the door at the wide end. I think I would like the door at the foot end, not the head end (my son crawls out over my head when he gets up during the night). Craftsmanship is excellent. The vestibule in front is pretty small. With the Eureka tent, there was room for two duffels inside; not the Petrel. The stats make it a bit heavy for backpacking, but we intend to use it for canoe camping. I am accustomed to a dome, so this type of tent has side walls that slope in more. There is not much room for two people to sit up at the same time. Although the specs say that this tent is free-standing, it is not. Free-standing to me means that the tent and fly need no stakes. The tent is freestanding, but the fly and vestibule require stakes.