Very nice place to hang out. Most of these large 8 person tents seem pretty much the same. They give you a place to hang out and cook, stay dry, store gear, take showers etc. I've enjoyed all the time I've spent in here. The downside of this tent is the weight. 57lbs- wow. Imagine when it is wet with morning frost when you pack it. It is more than 1 porter load. The Marmot Lair 8 is basically the same size and weighs 25 lbs., a much more reasonable load.

First off, I do NOT own this tent, and I would not normally review something I do not own, but I am finding myself compelled to rate this 5 stars, just to offset the above review of Chesterche2195927. This tent is in NO WAY a 'rip off'. Expensive? Yes, it is. Worth it? Every penny! If you are going above, oh say, 6,000 meters, or above 50 degrees N or below 50 degrees S latitude, especially for an extended period of time, or for a base camp, then you are going to thank (your)God that you inside this tent or one similar. If we are ever on the same mountain together, and you are in your $379 bargain 4-season tent, don't come knocking at my door!

There is a reason why its The North Face sponsoring expeditions to Everest and not Coleman. This tent does the tough job and does it well.

The Dome 8 is an ideal base camp tent for our outdoor programs. When looking for tents in this size range, we needed a tent that would thrive in mid-Winter Wasatch blizzards (strength), but would also take the brutal heat of the Desert Southwest in the late Spring and Summer as well (ventilation).

After setting up the top base camp tents, we ultimately went with the Dome 8 because of the warm/hot weather flexibility. The "fly-only pitch and vestibule" option is brilliant, saving mucho weight and giving us everything we need for our groups.

That's right, you set up the fly and vestibule with the poles first. If wanted, the actual tent then clips to the inside of the fly (simply brilliant). I'll attach a photo to give you a visual. I'm not sure when we'll ever use the actual tent that hangs from clips - the "fly only pitch", vestibule and a ground tarp do the job for our year-round programs.

Ventiliation... When you open the 3 sets of screened double doors on the fly, you get virtually unobstructed airflow. In short, none of the oven effect we get with our other mountaineering tents. Utah's Canyonlands never felt so cool in May's scorching sun.

I personally think this is the best tent ever because, it is! Takes two people to set up fly first-10 minutes! Fly only is great! Should have a clip in footprint for fly only pitch though! I'm having one made for my dome 8. If you need it you have a complete other tent called a canopy,that hangs inside the fly you just put up! OVERKILL. Beautiful inside though! Real PLUSH! Lots of big net pockets to stuff stuff! Loops to hang stuff! Very nice tub floor,thick! Great vent system,really works nice! All doors and vents are screened and have storm flaps that zip tight! I wish they would have lined up the windows in the fly with the inside canopy so you could check the weather outside better! Nice glow in the dark zippers! Plenty of room for 2,less for 4, almost 13 feet in diamater with pleanty of head room! Over 6'. I still have my Northstar 5 person base camp that I bought 30 years ago from Northface when they had a store in Campbell Ca. I would not have bought the dome 8 if I would not have been able to stand up, draw back for the Northstar! When you need the BEST-You need the BEST! Cheep man pays twice! When your life depends on a safe place to spend the night or day, this is it!!! Its that 4th season that can sneek up on you - nice to be ready for it!!! With the Dome 8 you are more then ready~You'll love it!!!