North Face VE 25 tent

Pat Mustard

http://www.outdoorreview.com/cat/outdoor-equipment/backpacking-camping-hiking/tents/the-north-face/ve-25/prd_76738_2955crx.aspx

Apparently, people have been using this type of tent since the 1980's, and the design hasn't changed a whole lot since then. This used to be regarded as a fairly 'bulletproof' tent.

However, I see a number of reviews on the net along the lines that one should avoid this tent unless you can get one of the models that they made in the good old days, that the newer ones aren't made to the same standard.

Does anyone have any experience of using this tent?

Esel

Where/when are you going to use it, and how much do you expect to pay for it?

I just googled it, and it does get a lot of great reviews. While reading one, I came across a reviewer who didn't rate in comparison to his Eureka K2 XT. So I googled that, and it seems at least on a par, and costs a fair bit less. Gets loads of rave reviews too....

Pat Mustard

Esel wrote: »

Where/when are you going to use it, and how much do you expect to pay for it?

I was probably going to use it in Ireland. I thought it'd be nice to have a tent for adverse conditions when wild camping. I was thinking about getting a proper tent that I could use in winter under stormy or snowy conditions.

I wouldn't bother carrying it for summer/autumn. It weighs 5kg, so it's not light to carry.

I saw them for sale on ebay for about Stg£400.


One review of the Eureka K2 XT describes it as a 'VE-25 on steroids'. Might be a better bet alright. I'll look into it. Thank you.

Gillo

For Ireland it's probably overkill to be honest.

Pat Mustard

Gillo wrote: »

For Ireland it's probably overkill to be honest.

Chances are, I wouldn't be bringing it outside of Ireland too often, except maybe Scotland or something.

I prefer overkill to being badly prepared, but I see your point.

Any recommendations for a tent for bad weather in winter in Ireland then? Probably a 3 man - I like having plenty of space.

Esel

No personal experience of this tent, but it seems high spec while being reasonably lightweight. Not cheap, but a lot cheaper than the NF VE 25 (admittedly not in the same league either).

Coleman Phad X3 €240 in the Great Outdoors. They do a Phad X2 for €200. I'd spring for the X3 if you will regularly have a companion.

Product Specifications - Coleman Phad X3
•3 person tent
•Flysheet fabric: Polyester ripstop, 4,000 mm PU coated, taped seams, UV Pro
•Inner tent fabric: Polyester breathable and no-see-um mesh
•Groundsheet: Nylon 5,000 mm, PU coated, taped seams
•Poles: Aluminium 7001-T6
•Carry bag type: 2 way compression with V-shape
•Fire retardant TPU windows
•Carry bag dimensions: 56 x 23 cm
•Headroom: 104 cm
•Duraflex™ plastic components
•Weight: 3.5 kg

I've bolded the bits I think are high-spec above....

You could google this one for reviews and to compare prices.

This is not a tent to bring to a festival - the temptation to walk away from it at the end might prove too much....

However, you could probably find a perfectly adequate tent for extreme camping in Ireland for €100 - €150 by educating yourself on specs and shupping around / online. When weather or climate conditions are extreme, how well you pitch the tent can be as important as the tent itself. The above tent, if poorly pitched, could collapse and/or leak in a gale or very wet weather, while this one - Gelert Rocky 3 - (I bought the Rocky 2 recently for €35 with a bit of haggling ), pitched properly, would stand up OK. Not the same spec as the Phad, but you get the point I'm making.

The Gelert Mistral 3 looks OK too (not as high spec and almost twice as heavy as the Phad; higher spec than the Rocky but half as heavy again). The prices on the Gelert site are RRP in Sterling. You will find them a lot cheaper than this online and in b&m stores.

Lots of choices out there really...

Pat Mustard

Interesting. I hadn't considered Coleman before. The one you've listed is a couple of grades up from the tent I have right now.

I hadn't considered Gelert before either.I haven't liked Gelert stuff previously. Some of thier stuff has been very basic, in my experience. However, there are some very glowing reviews on the net about the Gelert tents you mentioned.

Thanks for the info.

bobboberson

Hello
I dont have ve25 but i do own a mountain 25 its little brother and i have had nothing but haslte with it, had to get new poles 5 times and bought it back due to leaking, the service form the north face has been poor at best.

i would not buy another north face tent again

Anthony