| The North Pole SHP-23102 lodge-style tent
is like a home away from home, featuring more than enough room to
fit up to seven sleepers and an attached screened porch area for
easy lounging after a day of hiking. Designed for car camping or
using on RV trips, this tent comes packed in an extra-large, highly
durable polyester carrying bag (with two nylon handles), which is
essential for hauling the 27-plus pounds of gear. In addition to the
tent, this package includes a room divider curtain and an attachable
fly to help shade the tent and protect it from the elements.
You'll definitely want two people to handle set-up duties for
this tent (and perhaps an architect, as we had, to help visualize
how its moderately complicated design all fits together). The
sleeping area of the tent is erected using three shock-corded poles
that are joined together by a center three-way hub at the top of the
tent. The two sides also use shock-corded poles to elevate them, but
make sure not to confuse them with the pole used for the porch area,
which is just about an inch longer. Poles connect to the bottom of
the tent via pin-ring bases, which can be a little tricky to
navigate but offer a solid connection.
The interior of the tent's sleeping area is quite sizeable
(measuring 15 by 14 feet), and it offers a top-most height of around
6.5 feet (though that area is only about 2 square feet). It provides
a very large ventilation area at the top of the tent--perfect for
keeping things cool on warm summer days (and nights). Additionally,
it has two large D-style doors on either side with screen windows
and screen doors at the front (all of which can be zipped up). For
added privacy, the included room divider is a snap to install.
The best part about this tent is the addition of the screened
porch area at the tent's front (measuring 8 by 7 feet), which is
erected via a combination of a shock-corded pole and guy lines
secured by the heavy-duty included stakes. It's roomy enough to
provide a dining area away from the mosquitoes for just about all
your campers (though seven large adults may feel a tad cramped).
This tent offers the GoBe Dry rain protection system, which
includes the DryTek fabric (repels moisture with a protective
coating), DryFloor Tub design (elevates the floor seams to keep away
water), and DryGuard Skirt (deflects rain from floor the seams and
stake loops), as well as the water-repelling Dry-Tanium protective
coating on the tent and fly. While we didn't have rain during our
testing, we did use a sprinkler for an extended period, and found
that the fly did indeed keep things dry and helped to guide water
away from the tent. Unfortunately, the fly doesn't cover the entire
sleeping area (nor does it completely protect the porch area). Thus,
the screen windows on the two D-style doors on either side of the
sleeping area will accumulate water during rainfall, which could
find its way into the tent should you roll down the window without
first drying the outside.
Overall, this generously sized tent is a great choice for a large
family car-camping outing if you aren't expecting overly inclement
weather. It will certainly handle some rain, but its design doesn't
seem suited for the worst that weather can throw at you. --Agen
G.N. Schmitz
What's in the Box?
Tent, rain fly, metal stakes (with bag), six fiberglass shock-corded
poles (with bag) of varying sizes, center pole hub, room divider,
heavy-duty nylon carrying bag (with handles), printed instructions |
