How to Choose a Backpacking Tent

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With 2 doors and 2 vestibules for easy access and gear storage, The North Face Stormbreak 3 Tent offers 3-season shelter for 3 campers from trailhead campsites to your favorite backcountry hideaway.
Shop newer version| Best Use | Backpacking |
|---|---|
| Seasons | 3-season |
| Sleeping Capacity | 3-person |
| Minimum Trail Weight | 5 lbs. 9 oz. |
| Fly / Footprint Pitch Weight | 4 lbs. 1 oz. |
| Packaged Weight | 6 pounds |
| Packed Size | 8 x 22 inches |
| Floor Dimensions | 88 x 65 inches |
| Floor Area | 39.72 square feet |
| Vestibule Area | 10.83 square feet |
| Peak Height | 46 inches |
| Number of Doors | 2 doors |
| Number of Poles | 3 |
| Pole Material | Extruded aluminum |
| Pole Diameter | 9 millimeters |
| Canopy Fabric | Breathable polyester taffeta with water-resistant finish |
| Floor Fabric | Polyester taffeta with 1500mm polyurethane coating |
| Rainfly Fabric | Polyester taffeta with 1200mm polyurethane coating |
| Footprint Included | No |
| Design Type | Freestanding |
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Easy to set up, stood pretty good on 2 nights of 4 inches of snow without any leak, would be perfect for two though
Overall I like my Stormbreak 3 for its easy setup, nice breezy design, and sturdy construction. However, I can't give it five stars when it comes with poor, cheap stakes. A product of this caliber (and price) should include accessories of equal quality. The metal L stakes included with the tent are difficult to use in rocky areas, easily bent, and readily turn in the ground when tugged by the wind so that the short part of the L faces the tent and the tent and/or fly pops off the stake, even when the stake is pounded completely into the ground.
Light Weight, and very easy to set up. Perfect ting for a full sized air mattress.
Camped in it twice and both times were during very heavy rain and wind and stayed perfectly dry with little to no condensation! You do get a bit of water drip in when you enter or exit but a small towel in the doorway fixes that easily. I definitely recommend you spend the extra $45 for the footprint because if you stake it out first it helps you set the tent up solo with no issues in minutes. Also the rain fly color is far less offensive in person lol. More of a pleasant gold color rather than crazy yellow
This tent was exactly what we were looking for. Large enough for two people and a dog, very easy to set up, compact and light in weight, and reasonably priced. So far we have used it twice and have absolutely no complaints. Very satisfied with our purchase!
Used this for a solo camping trip. I would not try to fit 3 people in this tent. I'm not even sure 2 would fit unless you really like eachother. Set-up is super simple. I used a twin inflatable mattress and took up 2/3 of the floor space. Vestibules are not very large and won't fit much more than a normal size backpack or two. It rained the second night and everything in the tent stayed dry which is a plus. Overall if you're backpacking, this is an okay size, easy set-up, lightweight. If you're a casual camper like me, I'd suggest going with something bigger.
Great tent. Ease of set up 10/10. Strength 10/10, once set up, it will take a hurricane to blow it down. Waterproof 7/10; we experienced light rain and it was already showing signs of soaking through, not particularly confident it will hold up to a deluge, but nonetheless stayed dry. Weight 9/10, can be used for backpacking. Packed dimensions 10/10. One thing though, save yourself the $50 North Face wants for the footprint and buy yourself a 5x7' tarp for $5. Perfectly sized and works the same.
It's a great simple little tent and all, but since it's so broad on top, we haven't figured out how to stake it so it won't get puddles over the doors in the rain. Usually there's a way to do it, but we're stumped this time. Of course, you can just drain them off before you open the fly door, if you remember. (You'll remember after the first couple times it drenches you.) It's nice to have the vestibules at each door too keep your shoes dry.
I just got back from my first camping trip with this tent. It was a breeze to set up. Took maybe 5 minutes tops and was a very intuitive setup. I'm sure next time I use it I will be able to save off some more time on the setup. The design of how the ends of the poles connect to the tent is excellent. The rain fly requires no additional poles and make the tent look very sharp. I really enjoyed the dual vestibules. It was great to leave our boots and other gear out of the elements. It rained the first night camping and both our gear in the vestibules and us in the tend stayed dry.
This is an excellent tent for the money. If you have 3 people then upgrade to a 4 person tent, this tent sleeps 2 comfortably with room for your items. Material is excellent. Very easy to put together & very sturdy if put together right. Put this tent up in 6 mins and took it down in 6 mins. Poles are very lightweight and the canopy is a very quality material to resist rain & wind. Fairly good head room. All in all a very good tent by North Face. Only downfalls - you will need to upgrade the pegs & buy a footprint. Tthe color is actually a lot nice in person then the pics.