The North Face - Sequoia 6

Your experience with the Ozark Trail tent actually highlights the biggest factor here: in wind, size and shape matter more than brand. Tall, boxy 6-person tents act like sails, especially at this price point. Sustained \~35 mph wind is pushing any budget family tent, but lower-profile dome tents tend to handle it much better, which is exactly why your smaller backup tent performed better. If bad weather is a real concern, I’d focus on a simple dome design with a full rainfly, fewer big mesh panels, and solid guy-out points. From your list, the Coleman Sundome is probably the most proven option in storms when it’s well staked. The larger Coleman models and the Sequoia are more comfortable, but their height makes them more vulnerable in strong wind unless you’re very sheltered. Personally, I’d take a slightly smaller, simpler tent that stays standing over extra space when the weather turns.

Just returned my 20 yr old North Face 6 person tent for a broken zipper. NF stated it was too old to repair and offered a $400 gift card instead. I paid less for the tent when it was new.

It was never questioned. I'm going to add to this story. I bought this from an LL Bean outlet. About five years ago I sent the same tent rainfly in because the velcro restraints had become detached. They replied that the UV protection was worn out and they offered a 4400 gift card which I took. But they made a mistake and sent the rainfly back to me., So I ended up with $400 and a still usable tent which I used a couple more years until the zipper let go. Payed $400 used for 20 years and received $800 back. I feel slightly guilty.

I had a bad experience with the north face 6 person tent, 2nd time using it and the bug netting on the doors started ripping at the seams. I had to send it in and they did fix it but beware. It’s a shame cause my other tents from them lasted at least a decade before starting to fall apart. We also have a Big Agnes 4 person tent since 2018 and it’s been flawless.

I was thinking the tent is 82 inch long. I could sleep in it, but I would be more comfortably laying in a larger tent. I have a North Face tent that I thought was a great find, just to find out it's so tiny inside it annoys me (I think it is only around 80"). I would rather pitch a tarp and sleep in my bivy sack underneath.

Honestly you just need something with a fly. We’ve had a North Face, and Coleman and a McKinley all with fly’s and all have been perfectly fine riding out rainstorms. A ground sheet/tarp tucked under the tent is never a bad idea either as long as it’s not sticking out catching rain. Set the tent up properly with the guy lines out and you should be good. A vestibule has always been something we have too, one with the full fly not just mesh screens.

I’ve owned a lot of tents Eureka, Kelly, North Face, Big Agnes, REI and our last two have been Core (big and cheap) tents. Only one of my tents has ever leaked even with significant rain and thunderstorms.  Make sure things are not pushing on the wall of the tent and properly stake out your tent and fly.   Others have pointed out getting a better tent will help, and it will but if you have stuff pushing on the wall or you don’t stake it out, they will leak too.   Pay attention to how you are storing your tent too.  I had a wonderful North Face tent that got moldy and after that, the waterproofing was shot.  Water literally pouring in the tent as a thunderstorm roared over Lake Superior.  This was the only tent I ever had that leaked and it was an entirely my fault.  

The one that fits your needs. Car camping 4 seasons = Kodiak canvas flexbow or a Spring Bar tent is good. Backpacking 4 seasons tents = North Face Small car camping tent = Cabela’s dome tent Two rooms = Gazelle. Car camping 4 seasons White duck bell tent .

Second what others have said. UL is always a bet that the worst won’t happen and you can ignore discomfort in the name of weight as comfort. The same can’t be said for winter camping where the margins are much tighter. With that being said alpine climbing has been doing UL since before it was cool. There are plenty of 4 season (in reality 1 season) alpine single wall tents like the Rab Latok, Samaya 2.0, MHW AC 2 that are all around 1.7kg and designed to take intense weather. They tend to be designed for snow not rain, so struggle above 0. I got a TNF one on pro deal it’s only useful for mountaineering ascents. But they’re cramped and you get wet every time you run any body part along the wall. I’ll take the extra 1kg of an MSR Fury which is more spacious and more comfortable any day. For ski tours I prefer pyramid tents and dog down using the snow for insulation. One option that balances out fairly well is the SeekOutside hot tents. Tent pole pyramids with the option for titanium stoves. They get super hot, too hot really while you feed the fire. Unfortunately the stoves only accept small bits of wood and require regular feeding. You often go to bed sweating and wake up very cold. You also need the time to gather burnable firewood, which is not always easy in some environments. Without the stove they are lighter than compatible pyramid tents, especially the Dyneema version.

Yes and no. I have a half dozen tents that I bought for less than $100. Most are decent enough and for the casual camper they’ll last quite some time. I also have a $600 North Face tent that I could live in for years.

The easy answer is that it’s a well built solid piece of gear. Color coded tabs so there’s no guesswork with the fly, aluminum poles over fiberglass, good quality screen and the seams are still solid after a decade. It’s just made really well.

The only real 4 season tent on your list here is The North Face tent. IMO a 4 season tent excels for winter, late fall and early spring camping but is less than ideal for warmer weather camping. Simply not enough ventilation which will create condensation issues. From what you are describing for your needs I think a 3 season tent would better suit your needs. Or a three season plus tent if you can find one. One of the best things you can learn to do with your tent is to properly stake out the tent guylines. In windy conditions that is really crucial.. Out of the tents you are showing I would say to go for the REI Half Dome. That is mostly because I have used the Half Dome and Quarter Domes tents a lot in the past. I even lived out of the Quarter Dome for several months one year on a work trip. While typically solid tents one of the only disadvantages is that there are no direct from REI replacement parts for their tents. You cannot get replacement poles or repairs directly from REI. When I had an issue with my Big Agnes tent a few years back they had me send in the tent body and they repaired the issue ( a sewn in buckle clip to attach the rainfly broke) and I am pretty sure they even washed it too.