Gear Guide 2009: The North Face Minibus 33 Tent Review

Great space, ventilation. Very hard to get pitched just right - sags in any kind of rain! The vestibules collapse over the middle - really TNF?, didn't you field test this? It could be fixed very simply with a middle brow pole. Way too fiddly, should I have to tie out 10+ guy ropes - doesn't get used unless there is no rain forecast, otherwise great space; a odd colored palace for canoe camping. .

Tent looks great and pitches easily. This would be a great tent if it doesn't get too windy. The pole clip which attaches the cross pole to one of the main poles, came apart during the wind and the rain. The entire side of the tent collapsed and the entire contents on the inside of the tent got soaked. Also, if the wind comes directly to the side of one of the vestibules, you lose the entire vestible, as the wind blows the vestibule door inwards, regardless of how well the tent is pitched.

Seriously... check out the Black Diamond Squall! We looked at and seriously considered the Stormtrack but went with the Squall. Has a 48 height, offers 48.1 sq ft of space and only 8 lbs. but is a four season tent versus this mesh based 2.5 season unless your willing to freeze your but off tent.

Just used this up in the Adriondacks, If anything I would say the person above didn't know how to pitch the tent. It rained doubly hard and Me and a friend of mine stayed totally dry. You have to have the thing secure at the bottom. and sides tied to trees, I used cooking twine, the couplers will fall if you don't have everything pulled taught. My only complaint was that the directions were not that great, took me a while to figure out how to pull the bottoms like a belt buckle. I also put twine around the bottoms of the poles too.

This tent isn't effective in high winds and rain.
The plastic couplers that are used tend to slip off the brow poles and that let the center section sag and collect water. This has happened reliably every time I've left the tent overnight in wind and rain. Sad, for a North Face tent!