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The North Face Minibus 23 Tent 2-Person 3-Season

The North Face Minibus 23 Tent 2-Person 3-Season

Item #TNF3806|5 in Stock – Ships Wicked Fast & Free
On Sale: $311.16
20% Off, Regularly: $388.95
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Citronella Green, One Size (311.16)
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The North Face Minibus 23 Tent 2-Person 3-Season

Two large vestibules, space to sit comfortably, and a taut, non-sag pitch? Sounds like The North Face Minibus 23 Tent. A few moments of poles, canopy, and fly color-matching and you’ll have your Minibus set up and ready to go. Large D doors mean you don’t have to feel like you’re in contortionist tryouts every time you get in or out of the tent, and high-low venting keeps the air fresh. A window, pockets, and Gear Loft #2 compatibility (sold separately) increase your camping comfort.

Bottom Line: From the spacious, fresh-air outdoors to a spacious, fresh-air tent.

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Rating for this product: 5

This tent rules!

By:
June 23, 2009

This tent is pretty much pure awesome. It's big enough that you don't have to intimately know your tent buddy to sleep two people comfortably. This was a HUGE concern for me, as I looked at a lot of Mountain Hardwear tents that claimed to be 2 person tents, but realistically only hold 1.5 people.

I've taken this tent to a few venues and it has performed admirably. It's easy enough to set up in the dark of Jasper National Park, and it's sturdy enough to stand up to 24 hours of rain and gusty winds in Landmannalaugar, Iceland. There was plenty of room for gear inside the vestibules, and even a little in the tent.

Technical details aside this tent is simply a joy to use. I highly recommend it. Also, the glow in the dark zipper pulls are just plain cool.

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Can someone please confirm if the windows have a covering that

Can someone please confirm if the windows have a covering that you can pull over them?

By:
July 6, 2009

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There is no closure or shutter for the small see through window on the fly. Also the tent body is primarily see through mess.

By: Backcountry.com Employee
July 7, 2009

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Minibus 23 in Iceland

By:
June 23, 2009

Rocking the Minibus in Landmannalaugar.

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Rating for this product: 5

Innovative--FORM & FUNCTION!

By:
May 30, 2009

I'ts cool to see something innovative come to market that is strong in both form and function.

Function: Last year I took this tent to misty/rainy eastern Europe and then to the high altitute/arid Tibetan plateau...performed in both environments perfectly..i'd take this tent for just about anything besides a full on winter himalayan expedition

Form: The roomy overhead space has helped me with my lingering claustrophobia induced by hanging portaledge bivies!

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Actually a two man? Hi, first off, thanks for the floor plan

Actually a two man?

Hi, first off, thanks for the floor plan Angus. That will help out immensely. I'm just wondering if anyone has had a chance to see this thing in action. Most of my experience with tents has lead me to believe that a "3-man tent" is actually suitable for two people and a "2-man" is usually suitable for one person and a midget. So my question is this: Can you comfortably fit 2 people and some gear in the Minibus 23?

By:
April 7, 2009

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what is the floor plan size?

By:
July 26, 2009

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I agree _ I have this tent. Although it seems most tents state their occupancy based on absolute capacity, this does have that "extra" room- the head room is wider than the foot. I fit two fullsize Thermarest mats, with extra room to boot. Plus generous vestibules free up alot more room for the gear and beer.

By:
June 17, 2009

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Why hello me. I would first like to thank those that tried to answer my question. However, since none of them actually own the tent in question, I will now answer my own question.

Yes, this is actually a two man tent. It is set up in my kitchen right now and it's easily the biggest two man tent I've ever seen. It can accomodate two Exped DownMat 7s with room to spare. There are plenty of pockets for gadgets and reading material. Once I have slept in it a few times outside my kitchen I'll throw up a review for it.

Hope that helps. Thank me.

By:
April 30, 2009

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I actually just bought this tent!! doesn't seem that anyone that responded actually has this tent.
I have the Minibus 33. and i got it for me and my son or out biking with a friend. The 33 is the 3 person tent. I can tell you that the three man is actually comfortable for two.

if you want a comfortable two man get the three man. i'm glad i went with the 33 instead of the 23!! i am going to write a fuller review after this.

By:
April 8, 2009

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If you want to comfortably fit 2 people and gear in a 2p tent at a weight way less than this, then i would suggest the Marmot Aeolos. Way more room (bent knees at the tent tabs), huge head room (cross poles), beefy strength (camming clips and sleeve combo), 2 doors 2 vestibules and weight under 6lbs. Buy the Aeolos, or at least get inside one. I am 6' 2" and could eeasily sleep with someone my same size and have a good 12" of wiggle room.

By:
April 8, 2009

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Good to be appreciated. Thanks man. I've slept in two different two-mans, one from Marmot and one from Sierra Designs, never a TNF. The Marmot was extremely cramped and had pretty much no room other than people, whereas the SD had a lot more. I'd guess that since this is a 3-season and features some pretty techy high walls, it'll be roomier than most. But again, I don't really know. I'd just suggest the footprint thing.

By:
April 7, 2009

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Comfort is such a subjective thing. I can tell you this, I have a 2 person tent that is 60" wide and I wouldn't have it any other way. I like to conceptualize how well a 25" sleeping pad (or 2) will fit in there. In your case, you would have 4" of wiggle room comfort. Now given there will be a slight slope on the sides, that brings your comfort space down even further. As for gear, you have tons of vestiblue space. If you are really set on this tent, best advice would be sleep toe to head.

I have the Big Agnes Sunnyside 2, but th Parkview 2 by Big Agnes practically the same thing except lighter. Definitely a a two person tent!

By:
April 7, 2009

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Minibus 23 in Iceland

By:
June 23, 2009

The vestibules were more than big enough to hold all our stuff.

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Rating for this product: 5

Good Stuff

By:
June 17, 2009

It's a lil on the heavy side, but not really, considering what this thing is all about

There is generous headroom (more than footprint) thanks to the smart engineering of the two small orange poles and the C-Clips.

Pitchin' and strikin' is easy as pie- just set up once before you head anywhere. I'm diggin' the Twist-Clips and The hub system allows for a nice distribution of wind stress on the DAC poles, allowing the tent to hold up really well in higher wind. This system I believe also contributes to the condensation control.

I've had this tent in a couple rain situations. One was three days of non-stop rain with one solid hour of blinding down poor. I was camped next to a slope that fed ALOT of rain our way and did dig a very small trench around one side of it.
No leaks (tarp under floor). No condensation, either. At night with the rain, it would get muggy with my girlfriend and I in it, however, I just pulled back the sleeping bag, and could actually feel cool, clean air- so I believe the low-high vent system is smart and works really well.

A cool feature I liked is the inside-outside pockets. And the glow-n-dark zipper pull tabs glowed fairly bright all night on a night darker than a black steer's derrière.

So I really don't have any complaints, and actually LOVE this tent. And this is coming from a fella who avoided The North Face because I never took it serious with its wilderness chic business.
I think the company may spread itself a little too thin because of the chicness - some stuff is made poorly, some good. The Minibus 23 Is made GREAT.

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Tech Specs:

Material:
[Fly] 40D 210T nylon ripstop; [Floor] 70D 210T nylon taffeta with 5000mm PU coating 
Freestanding:
Yes 
Poles:
Pole Material:
DAC Featherlite NSL 
Doors:
Clip / Sleeve:
Clip 
Floor Space:
35sq ft (3.25sq m) 
Interior Height:
42.5in (107.9cm) 
Vestibule Space:
23.5sq ft (2.2sq m) 
Packed Size:
24 x 6.5in (61 x 16cm) 
Ventilation:
High & low vents 
Weight:
6lb 12oz (2880g) 
Recommended Use:
Camping 
Manufacturer Warranty:
Lifetime 

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