Backside Line
If you happen to’re in search of a real basecamp tent with an nearly impossibly giant vestibule, top-quality cloth and poles, cavernous inside house akin to a New York Metropolis condo, tons of pockets in handy areas, and a design that can maintain as much as the weather regardless of its spectacular ceiling peak, look no additional than The North Face Wawona 6. This tent performs nicely throughout testing metrics, and regardless of its higher-than-average worth level, we nonetheless assume it affords nice worth.
It’s not good. It doesn’t include an included footprint, it’s fairly heavy, and it actually isn’t the best to pitch, however we imagine the general positives far outweigh the negatives.
We hit the highway with this beast for six weeks throughout eight states on a household highway journey to place each single element of the Wawona 6 to the take a look at and it carried out admirably.
Fast Specs
The North Face Wawona 6
Sturdy & Snug Tenting Tent with a Giant Vestibule
Value:
$500
The scale we examined feels:
Luxurious for 3-4, snug for five & tight for six
Weight:
21 lb. 14 oz.
Dimensions (LxWxH):
120 x 96 x 76 in.
Execs
- Excessive-quality cloth & poles
- Large inside house
- Good pockets & group
- Many guyline attachment factors
- Tall ceiling
- Huge vestibule
- Efficient vents
Cons
- Heavy
- One door
- Takes time to pitch
- Footprint not included
Consolation
The North Face Wawona 6 has a brilliant beneficiant 86.11 sq. toes of inside house. Once you issue within the large 44.7-square-foot entrance vestibule, the tent begins to really feel extra like a full-on basecamp. This mannequin is supremely snug for a household of 4. You may sleep six inside, particularly if some are babies, however that gained’t go away a lot room for further gear. Happily, the massive entrance vestibule serves as the right gear closet. Throughout numerous journeys with the Wawona 6, we used the vestibule to retailer toys, bikes, and coolers. In dangerous climate, it even grew to become a hangout house because of its versatile design. We as soon as used it as a spot for a fast bathe after a very muddy hike with the children.
Taller customers will admire the spectacular peak peak of 6’4″. The tent’s form permits for extra headroom, not simply within the middle, offering house to stroll round. Whereas the peak does taper in the direction of the sidewalls, we discovered little to complain about on the subject of the Wawona 6’s spaciousness and luxury.
Sturdiness
In comparison with the opposite tents we examined, the Wawona 6 is correct within the combine for sturdiness and high quality. All technical particulars apart, the tent’s supplies really feel high-quality and sturdy in use. The newest model of the Wawona 6 obtained a little bit of an improve, together with improved materials high quality. Probably the most notable change is using DAC MX poles, designed to be sturdy with out including weight, which we discovered to be correct.
The poles are certainly sturdy with out feeling too heavy, even for an almost 22-pound tent. All of the zippers perform easily with out catching, and the material supplies, together with the tent ground—now constituted of sturdy 150D polyester with a PU coating—are thick and of top quality. Nonetheless, it’s nonetheless clever to make use of a footprint or floor tarp to guard the tent ground.
Climate Resistance
Whereas we wouldn’t take the Wawona 6 on a real climbing expedition, we did exit of our solution to camp in poor climate, and the Wawona 6 held up very nicely. Tents of this dimension and peak will at all times wrestle a bit in windy situations, however even when pitched in uncovered areas, our tent dealt with 40+ mph winds properly, because of the numerous guylines and stake-down factors.
In driving rain, we didn’t expertise any leakage, even supposing the fly doesn’t cowl all the tent physique. The fly doesn’t lengthen a lot previous the mesh higher of the tent, so in extreme sideways rain, that may very well be a problem, however we didn’t encounter any issues. If you happen to’re a four-season camper, you’ll doubtless need full double-wall building, making the Wawona 6 greatest suited to three-season tenting.
Ease of Setup
Our greatest gripe about this tent is how lengthy it takes to pitch. Solo, it took us about eleven minutes to completely arrange. That’s with out wind. If there’s a breeze organising the Wawona 6 can get hectic fairly quick. It’s faster with a companion, however in case you’re tenting with babies, you won’t at all times have assist. It’s not that the method is difficult—the pole colours match the sleeves they match into—it’s simply that it’s a number of tent. And that a lot tent takes time to pitch.
Ideally, we’d like to chop the pitch time down to 5 to seven minutes. Whereas we did get faster with follow, it nonetheless takes extra time than most resulting from its dimension and the massive rainfly/vestibule. General the sheer quantity of fabric concerned in organising this tent makes it one of many tougher tents to pitch. The Wawona 6 does include pre-attached guylines which is a pleasant contact.
Options
We applaud the Wawona 6 for its considerate design, which incorporates ample pockets for sensible group. We had been delighted to seek out sufficient pockets to carry all our youngsters’ gear, in addition to our nighttime necessities like telephones, watches, and stuff sacks. Nonetheless, we discovered the pockets on the rear door a bit awkward, as our gadgets tended to fall out after we unzipped the door. We’d additionally prefer to see some decrease pockets which can be simpler to succeed in from our sleeping baggage.
Giant tents have a considerable floor space that may catch wind, which is why lots of the tents we examined carried out poorly in excessive winds. Happily, The North Face addressed this problem of their new design by incorporating quite a few guyline attachments, permitting you to completely stake out the tent in intense climate—bonus factors for the pre-attached guylines.
Lots of the tents we examined this yr lack efficient air flow when the rainfly is deployed, however the Wawona 6 solves this with two kickstand vents, permitting use in inclement climate. The fly additionally rolls up on both facet to show the mesh sidewalls, offering further air flow in truthful climate. This design ensures wonderful airflow, lowering condensation and maintaining the inside snug.
Final, however actually not least, the defining function of the Wawona 6 is the large 44.7-square-foot entrance vestibule, which makes this huge tent really feel cavernous.
Ought to You Purchase the North Face Wawona 6?
The North Face Wawona 6 is right for households or giant teams who want a big inside with a powerful peak peak. It’s additionally good for bikers and climbers because of the ample gear storage the vestibule affords. This tent is well-suited for campers who want further house and plan on tenting in numerous climate situations, because of its high-quality supplies and sturdy design.
Nonetheless, the Wawona 6 is greatest for automotive tenting resulting from its dimension. If you happen to plan on mountain climbing greater than a brief distance out of your automotive together with your tent, you could wish to discover different choices.
What Different Tenting Tents Ought to You Take into account?
Kelty Wi-fi 6 Overview: If finances is a priority, take a look at the Wi-fi 6. It’s simply over half the worth of the Wawona 6 however nonetheless affords spectacular livable house and a twin vestibule design.
MSR Habitude 6 Overview: If finances isn’t a problem and also you’re in search of a extra premium tent constituted of high-quality supplies, the Habitude 6 is value a glance. It’s a real upper-echelon tent fabricated from even higher-quality supplies than the Wawona 6. If you happen to want a tent that can stand as much as excessive situations, the Habitude is likely to be what you’re in search of.
