Gear Review

North Face Roadrunner

huge twin vestible
awning cross-pole
redesigned to reduce weight

North Face's Roadrunner is an almost-perfect two-man tent. The design and construction of this tent is absolutely superb. If you want to sit in comfort—no, luxury—through rainstorms; if you like the idea of reclining under a porch to escape the sunshine, this is the tent for you, with a few caveats.

It's heavy (*see footnote)! I'm not sure how this tent got to be quite so heavy. Maybe it's the clever awning design, which features a third pole that forms two eves over the tent's doors, allowing you to roll up the sides of the fly and stay completely dry yet wildly ventilated through heavy rain, provided there's no breeze.

If you do have to roll the fly down all the way, it forms twin, very generous vestibules on either side of the tent. You'll have no trouble entering and exiting in a downpour, unlike Black Diamond's firstlight, for example.

To prevent undue claustrophobia, the fly features two clear vinyl windows—yes, windows—so you'll be able to look out at actual scenery, rather than just drab nylon walls.

If you're car camping, or if the world goes to hell and you need to move into a tent, this is a fine choice. If you're backpacking with a partner who can split the weight, the Roadrunner lets you camp in relative luxury. On your own, however, this really pushes the limits of a solo tent, with a packed weight over six pounds.

North Face seam-sealed this baby with taped seams all around, as all good makers should. Inexplicably, however, you'll need to add a few drops of sealant to the rain fly(!), which has Velcro straps sewn in that will otherwise leak.

Finally, despite the bomb-proof NF construction, this is a three season tent. The extensive use of mesh can lead to problems in windstorms where sand, dust, or snow is blowing about. The fly does stretch all the wall to the ground, possibly enough to seal out blowing dust, but I've heard horror stories from people in other mesh-design tents, so keep that in mind.

* Note: The North Face has redesigned the Roadrunner series. The tents are now lighter by nearly two pounds. I'll have to grab a new one to find out what else has changed.