The North Face Mica 12 Tent: 1-Person 3-Season - 2009 BCS

I’ve spent a night or two in a tent. Typically, I go for a big one person tent and I’ve always been happy. On my last solo bike ride (New Orleans, LA to Philadelphia, PA) I carried my Big Agnes tent, the Emerald Mountain SL1. On one of my many climbs, I realized that I am using my tent for just one reason (sleeping) and therefore I do not need a tent that is a size of a boulder. So going compact was cool. I started to think about what I need from my next tent (it is kind of simple), a one person three-season tent- it must have a window (or two), be smaller and lighter than my previous tent, have enough room to fit all of my panniers, and be free standing. Two tents immediately came to mind, the Mountain Hardware GHISALLO 1 and the North Face MICA 12. At that time I got to the top of my climb and parked my bike for lunch. On a full belly of rice I decided on the MICA 12. Fast forward five months and I got my tent. Yes, it is a tiny tent- I need to cut my toenails so that I can fit in it (I am 6 feet tall) and when you don’t stick the tent down, it kind of looks like an 80 year old man’s face. Don’t get me started on the window. I love the small attention to details, but to wake up every morning to, "NEVER STOP EXPLORING," is annoying. I love the tent, it is not perfect, but neither am I on the other side, it is a light and fast set up. It’s got a stealthy look (if you are into stealth camping), I love the glow-in-the-dark zip pulls, multiple pockets (one above the head and on the side), and I like the venting system on the fly. The first night that I spent in the tent I lost my camera and all night I was laughing about it. For me, it is just what I am looking for in a solo touring cycling tent. BOTTOM LINE: if you are under 6 feet tall looking for a compact and fast tent, the MICA 12 is a damn good choice.

I think this tent is a great value and stacks well against the competition. I also think the material on the Mica is more substantial than some Big Agnes tents I've seen. I have a REI Chrysalis which I use in the colder months because it has less mesh (I'm not crazy about it), so I wanted something primarily mesh and very light to use in the summer. I was looking at this and maybe the Marmot EOS 1p. As soon as I got in both, the winner was clear. The Mica is better quality materials, better tent stakes, etc and the design is better. You can sit up without touching your head, there are places to hang a light and pockets for little gear. You can lie down without hitting either end. More length than the Chrysalis. I think the design really maximizes space where you need it for such a small package. It looks so tiny set up but it's not bad inside if your just sleeping. So there. Now I haven't used it a lot yet since it's been cold and I've been in my other tent but when I did use it on a few occasions, it performed as expected. I like the big vestibule for my pack and I really prefer the side door to a front door. I like the stuff sack which has three compression straps to make this tiny. I agree with the other reviewers who say the worst part of the tent is the cheezy Never Stop Exploring logo. I like the window but I wish that slogan wasn't there. If I were going to do a long distance hike this is the tent I'd grab. I was in Cape Hatteras NC car camping and saw a guy bicycle touring with this tent and he was going from something like Philly to New Orleans (hey, is that the guy who reviewed below me?).

I last wrote a review for the Mica 12 when i first got the tent. Since my last review i have ridden my bike 3,800 miles and spending some quality time with my tent in the process. Now I’m going to report back and try to give an honest review of the tent.
The mica 12 exceeded my expectations. All of the things that I was concerned with proved to be minor issues that you can live with so let’s start.
The most frequent question is concerning whether or not the mica is a free standing tent. Yes, it is. If you build it in your living room, it will look bad, but put in the sleeping pad and the tent will become more stable. I found out that if you slide the mattress to the back of the tent it helps the heft pole to stay in place (a pair of shoes can do it too). I prefer to stake down my tent when i can, and when you do, the tent can fit a 6 foot tall person and leave room so that they do not touch the wall.
The door on the tent is great- you can zip the zippers all the way with out snagging them.
The pockets are placed in a good way and I really love the top one- my headlamp can fit in it and i can work on my maps for the following day at night. If you love reading books you really should find a tent with this setup.
The rain fly, oohh the rain fly. It really keeps you dry even when Mississippi thunder storms are rolling over you. My biggest complaint is that at the point right above the door, the tent is flat, so water just sits above you and when you exit the tent in the morning you get all wet (well, maybe I’m exaggerating...). The good part about it is that you can leave a beer can on the top of the tent when you need to grab stuff out from the inside.
The vestibule is also great. I can fit my backpack or my four panniers and I’ve found that you can fit stuff on the other side too.
The glow in the dark zippers are a cool touch. One night in Kentucky, I slept without the rain fly and when I woke up in the middle of the night, it took me a minute to realize that it was not the stars above me, but the zippers.) 
The venting on the rain fly is great. I spent a couple of cold and muggy nights and a couple nights in Mississippi during the summer and the condcisn control was great.
I almost forgot the window. It’s great to have a window, the location is good and you can get a great look at the weather.
I hope I helped with you in finding tent. I can honestly say, that if I will need to buy a new tent sometime in the future, the mica 12 will be on top of my list.
 
  

Took it for a section hike on the AT through VA. It's a pretty basic set up, no hassel breakdown, and color coded for those of us who like that sort of thing. Taller hiker beWARE, THIS ONES NOT FOR YOU. Hate to break it ya Back Country but this tent only has one door. Good Hiking because a lighter tent this bad A** does not exist 2.8lbs by my scale. If your packs bigger than 4000cu the vestibule will be tight when you add shoes and wet jackets. It packs down smaller when you slide the pole down one side of the pack and keep the fly, footprint, and tent together. We're talkin 5'' by 5''. We'll see how it does in the Whites in 10'.

At 6' 1" it will be a tight squeeze to stretch out in this tent. Goes together relatively easy. Totally rain resistant, just wish it was a few inches bigger.