Gear Review: The North Face Kings Canyon 4 Tent
Few four-person tents best this blend of livability, low weight, and reasonable cost.
[family]
Few four-person tents best this blend of livability, low weight, and reasonable cost. At 60 square feet, it’s bigger than similarly priced models, and headroom is also above average. The unique geometry uses one Y-shaped pole for the main support, complemented by a brow pole to straighten the side walls and a third pole to expand the space around sleepers’ heads.
The result is a roomy feel and 46-inch peak height that endeared it to weather-bound families and tall campers (the 109-inch length accommodates NBA-size sleepers). Ventilation is excellent, thanks to all-mesh walls and fly vents that keep condensation to a minimum. Two doors and a pair of 11-square-foot vestibules stored most of a quartet’s gear. And when storms brought rain and light snow to testers in Washington’s Central Cascades, the Kings Canyon proved its backcountry cred by remaining unflappable in moderate winds. $499; 6 lbs. 6 oz.; thenorthface.com