This is The North Face Stormbreak 2 review. Looking for your first tent or a new one to add to your collection that won’t break the bank? Cost of this tent is well worth the price and value!

Choosing your tent depends on your ultimate goal of what you’re looking for it to do and, to future proof your investment a bit, what you see yourself using it for (front country, back country, hiking, paddling… etc) in the medium term. My goal for this tent was 2 having a lighter smaller tent that will fit well in backcountry as my current one has suffered several challenges in finding good places to pitch.

Read on for more of the review and the video below!

Bottom Line Up Front

• Good valued tent for under the price, but little heavy
• Best for backpacking, runner up for car camping, not recommended for paddling.
• Minimal gear storage in the multi-configuration and versatile vestibule, though no window
• Large tent doors allowing for ease of access in and out of the tent
• Footprint purchased separately
• Waterproofness on average with other tents

Specifications (for nerds)

• 31sq feet (2.8m2)
• 5 lbs 5 oz (2.41kg)
• 43 inches (109 cm) height
• Fly: 75D Polyester, 1200mm waterproofness
• Floor: 68D Polyester, 3000mm waterproofness

Pros

• Tub-styled flooring with extra side walls to prevent splash back into the tent in foul weather
• Large vestibule and tent doors to allow for great ease of access in and out of the tent
• Extra guy line support that pulls from loops attached to guy line points
• Fast setup with identifiable (red) tab on the footprint and tent to orientate the tent

Cons

• Vestibule door can easily get caught on the rain flap
• Water can collect on the pitched roof of the tent
• Little heavier compared to other ultra-light options

Stormbreak 2 Review Comments

For the Stormbreak 2 Review, this is a good valued tent. I would put this tent on the heavier side of tents for being a 2 person tent. Comparatively, my 3 person light-weight tent, is much bigger and just slightly lighter.

Wait a minute, I heard a 3 person tent is best for 2 people, dog and gear. Why have a 2 person tent for 2 people? There are several kinds of tents out there with “built in cargo space”, allowing for extra gear sometimes. My 3 person tent is definitely a 3 person tent with cargo space, in that I could squeeze 4 people in a pinch, with gear in the vestibule to keep things dry.

So why a 2 person tent if my existing one works well? The square footage and area of the tent is too big and so sometimes I’m finding it hard to place the tent in backcountry places. These spots can sometimes barely fit a 2 person tent. Furthermore, the weight of the tent is a mild consideration, but I’m not gunning for any ultra-light options here.

Best Uses

I found this tent to have its home in backpacking with two people. If you have a furry friend that you don’t allow in the tent, this might be an option, depending how big your furry friend is. I say this mainly because the vestibules really can’t store that much gear. Again, I’m not concerned about weight with it being at 5lb 5 oz (2.41kg).

Generally, when you’re backpacking, you’re self sustained with two packs and the vestibule can store just that, with most your gear still packed in the pack. I took this tent out paddling and had found having life jackets, paddles, fishing rods, other packs, we fast ran out of storage space in the vestibule.

Car camping would work with this as well as most of the gear and food would be kept in the car over night.

Not paddling as I mentioned, you run out of vestibule space quick. However, if you’re one that usually sets up a tarp anyways for storage, then go nuts on this.

I may consider taking this into the low alpine, but would be wary, as it is rated for 3 seasons and I don’t believe the pole structure would be able to withstand the weight of snow and high winds. I may also consider winter camping in this tent, so long as I know I’ll be covered from winds in an appropriate camping spot.

Highlight Features

The vestibule and tent doors struck me the most. There are so many ways to configure it and even use it as an awning on days where you want to hang in your tent but still get some shade from the sun.

On the tent doors, they are some of the biggest and most accessible doors. With my 3 season tent, I constantly kneel on them when I open them, and they’re kind of in the way a lot.

Deep tent pockets right next to the door is amazing. And they store a lot. I mean, a lot. This will help keep your tent organized as much as possible.

I was pleasantly surprised (confused at first) with a glaringly single red tag on the footprint and the tent. This helps orientate the tent quickly, on set up, in case of a scramble to set up in foul weather.

That’s it for the Stormbreak 2 Review, but still check out the video below for all the details!

Stormbreak 2 Review Video

If you liked this article you’re looking for more gear talk, check out:

Paddling Gear Run Down

Paddling Gear Run Down

Rock Climbing Shoes

Rock Climbing Shoes: Amateur Hour Episode 2