The North Face Vapor

Our test crew fell in love with the Vapor for its all-mesh body, two-D-door design, large interior mesh pockets, and great rainfly adjustments.

Setup is easy, the design allowing the tent and rainfly to be pitched and fully tightened using only three stakes. The rainfly coverage is the best of the lot-a very taut fit and complete coverage which means a dry stay through rough weather.

The dual D-style mesh doors give the Vapor the best accessibility, especially for two. Remove the fly and the whole tent mesh body means great ventilation. In dry warmer weather, the Vapor would mean good night views and cool sleeping.

The down sides are the small (almost non-existent) vestibule, the tent's short length, and weight-the Vapor is the heaviest in this test at four pounds eight ounces. With only enough space for your boots, you can't count on the tiny vestibule for storage space.

Although all of our testers found the tent long enough, its length may be a problem for those over six feet tall. >

The strong tent stakes North Face includes represent one more nice touch from this well-designed and efficient tent.

Summary: A favorite for features and design, but sacrificing a little in weight. The Vapor was the overall favorite of our test crew, but most admitted that if they had to make the pull up Agony Pass they'd certainly reconsider, possibly opting for the Clip Flashlight (two-person) or the Walrus Swift (one-person), for savings of 14 ounces and 24 ounces respectively. Contact North Face at 800-719-NORTH ext 155.