The North Face Wawona 6 Review

The Wawona 6 is a long-standing GearLab favorite, year after year. This tent received an update to the pole material as well as a new color option.

Space and Comfort

It's no surprise that the Wawona scores well here. Boasting 85 square feet of floor space, 45 square feet of vestibule space, and a max height of 6' 4", this tent allows for all the space and comfort you can handle.

The Wawona easily fits a full-sized mattress and a twin with plenty of room for an extra sleeper or two on the ground. However, jamming a full and two twins didn't quite work out.

But because you can store all of your gear in the large vestibule, a family of 4 with two dogs can still be super comfortable. The 6' 4" ceiling is one of the tallest in our test group, so there is ample room for standing and walking around.

There are adequate pockets in the Wawona, but designers could add a few more at the lower level for bathroom break headlamps and phone alarms in the middle of the night. Also, the three-pouch storage area connected to a door at the rear is an odd location choice because it blocks the view, and you lose everything in the pockets when opening. We wish they would move it to the right or left of the door, or they simply should have ditched it when they removed the back vestibule.

We've certainly touted the brilliance of this tent's front vestibule. However, it's just as important to mention the breezy comfort the Wawona offers on hot summer nights when skies are clear and the weather is fair. If you are so inclined, or maybe it is just too hot, you can ditch the fly and enjoy the breeze, the stars, and the scenery, free from obstruction. By removing the rain fly and vestibule, you may lose lounging or storage space, but you don't lose any sleeping space. Even better, this tent's mesh doorways and rooftop allow for cross breezes and the chance to catch a shooting star or two before shut-eye.

Weather Resistance

The Wawona is a well-built tent fit to battle the elements. With the guylines fully staked and some ok-sized stakes, this tent held firm against 50+ mile-in-hour winds in the California desert. When the wind died down and the heat came, the Wawona wasn't too stuffy either. Two top vents help the heat escape, and the uncovered top and front door that leads into the vestibule also help keep air circulating.

The rainfly is tricky to set up, but we will dive into that in the ease of use section. For now, we'll focus on the coverage. It is important to point out that this is not a full fly. It only covers the top, open sections of the main tent and doesn't cover the back window. There is, however, a fully rainproof zipper for that. The overlap from the fly to the side mesh isn't much, so while no water came in during our tests, time will tell how waterproof this design turns out to be in horizontal rain situations. There are two side zippers on the back of the fly that seemed to open on their own with this latest update. We will keep an eye on that feature and see if it becomes an issue.

The sides of the rainfly will flap in the wind unless they are tied down.   Credit: Rob Gaedtke

The side zippers on the rainfly tend to unzip on their own if not fully closed.   Credit: Rob Gaedtke

Side vents do a good job releasing the heat when the fly is fully on.   Credit: Rob Gaedtke

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The option to sport this tent without the rainfly is a great change from the previous iteration. This adds an entirely new use case for the Wawona. And being that this tent screams family, the ability to toss it up in the backyard or simply spare the hassle of the rainfly if you stroll into camp at midnight cannot be understated. This tent is ready for hot, cold, wet, and windy, so don't be scared to push it to the limit and try something new.

We drenched our Wawona with high-pressure hose water for several minutes and we very impressed at the defense it provided.   Credit: Jason Wanlass

A closeup of the Wawona without the rain fly.   Credit: Jason Wanlass

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Ease of Setup

Here is where the Wawona took a little hit. The updated design uses a pin and hook setup to attach the fly to the back of the tent, which is awkwardly hard to do. Also, the front vestibule needs to be fully staked and guy-lined to function. That is strike one.

Strike two comes from the fit of the poles to the grommets. Hopefully, this is just a “first season” problem, but the struggle is real, even for a strong human. The final strike, if you can even call it that, is the bag. Maybe The North Face is trying to nod to its climbing roots by mirroring a rope bag, or they just had extra stock, but the carry case this tent comes in leaves a little room for questioning. It just doesn't ever really close.

On the positive side, there are color-coded poles, and because of the way the fly attaches, it is practically impossible to put it on backward. This tent also comes with plenty of stakes and pre-attached guylines. All in all, it took a two-team crew 10 min 20 seconds to set up. Not bad for a massive camping tent – with a packed weight of nearly 22 pounds – but certainly not the fastest time.

Taking the Wawona down is the same as putting it up: get past the tight fit and awkward clips, and you are good to go. The fully open bag does make fitting everything pretty simple and affords you some extra wiggle should your tent roll be looser than it came the first time.

Family Friendliness

This is another metric where the Wawona excels. We have already mentioned many of the features that make this tent so family-friendly.

The huge vestibule provides a place to stage your gear, wipe off your feet, and even change clothes if the tent is full. It also gives you a place to cook and hang out should bad weather come around. And the main area easily sleeps four people with room for dogs and toys.

It is hard to knock the Wawona for storage. However, some pockets lower to the floor would help in this metric — as would some better hanging options in the vestibule space. If you have some lashing, adding some hooks for lighting and/or hanging wet clothes might come in handy.

Another factor in our family friendliness is “Can you and the family function in a storm?” Now, we don't pretend to know the inner workings of your family dynamic, but we can confidently say this tent will not make it worse. You can even have your own designated timeout corner or two if you so desire. This is all made possible by the sheer size of the Wawona.

Quality

The tent is made from a brand known for durability, and they don't disappoint here. The main structure is made of 150D polyester taffeta, the floor out of 68D polyester, and the new version sports DAC MX poles that North Face says are “stronger, without a weight penalty.” Time will tell on this front, but we can confirm that they are very strong and snap together like butter.

The Wawona's rain fly is solid 75-denier polyester.   Credit: Jason Wanlass

All of the connection points on this tent are reinforced with double-stitching. Additionally, every seam is backed with waterproof seam tape.   Credit: Jason Wanlass

We were most impressed by this tent's poles. They're made from large diameter, high-tensile aluminum.   Credit: Jason Wanlass

The Wawona's cross-beam assembly makes the entire tent structure tougher, sturdier, and ready for extensive use. Even better, it really shows its worth during storms with higher winds.   Credit: Jason Wanlass

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The mesh material on the doors and ceiling feels insanely strong and tight. The seams are sealed, and the tub floor should keep out ground moisture. The bag material is high-quality. This tent is clearly built to last.

Should You Buy The North Face Wawona 6?

The North Face Wawona 6 is superior at utilizing space. From strong floors to an open ceiling, huge vestibule, and functional back window, this is an awesome tent. The versatility means it is great for activities, concerts, backyard slumber parties, and bad weather adventures. A very fair price tag just adds icing to the cake.

What Other Camping Tents Should You Consider?

The Wawona 6 is a value-rich option: a high-quality build at a reasonable price point for a huge, 6-person tent. But we recognize that this is still rather expensive for a tent, and if you are looking for a more affordable option, the Kelty Wireless 6 is our choice for an outstanding value. If you don't need something quite as big and are looking for a tent with a bit more weather resistance, our top pick is the MSR Habitude 4. If you'd rather go all-in, we think the Zempire Evo TM V2 Inflatable Air Tent competes head to head with the Wawona, but it is close to double the price.