Reviews You Can Rely On

The North Face Wawona 6 Review

This tent has one of the best uses of space we have ever seen, a great choice for families or campers with lots of gear
gearlab tested logo
The North Face Wawona 6 Review (The North Face Wawona 6 is a tent with a true garage, ready to store all your toys)
The North Face Wawona 6 is a tent with a true garage, ready to store all your toys
Credit: Rob Gaedtke
Price:  $500 List
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
Manufacturer:   The North Face
By Rob Gaedtke ⋅ Review Editor  ⋅  May 3, 2023
85
OVERALL
SCORE


RANKED
#1 of 18
  • Space and Comfort - 35% 9.0
  • Weather Resistance - 25% 8.0
  • Ease of Use - 15% 7.0
  • Family Friendliness - 15% 9.0
  • Quality - 10% 9.0

Our Verdict

If you are a camper with loads of gear or a family with piles of stuff, The North Face Wawona 6 is your go-to tent. Year after year, this tent continues to outperform the competition and receive our praise. The primary reason is that it's massive, sturdy, and easy enough to pitch. The vestibule is like a two-car garage, and the main tent area boasts 85 square feet and a height of 6' 4". Though some of the features used for the updated fly system are not intuitive and even a little painful on the fingers, once set up, this tent is the gold standard for an outdoor living space, all at a very fair price. Check out our article on the best camping tents to see how it ranks versus competitors.
REASONS TO BUY
Spacious
Great layout
Durable
Very family friendly
High value
REASONS TO AVOID
Not the easiest to pitch
Odd bag
Editor's Note: This review was updated on May 3, 2023, after testing the most current version for our Spring updates.

Compare to Similar Products

 
Awards Editors' Choice Award
Best Overall Camping Tent
Top Pick Award
Best 4-Person Tent
Top Pick Award
Best Tent For Bad Weather
Top Pick Award
Best Form and Function
Best Buy Award
Best Bang for the Buck
Price $500 List
$500.00 at Backcountry
$599.95 at Backcountry
Compare at 2 sellers
$549 List
$549.00 at REI
$349.93 at REI
Compare at 3 sellers
$228.99 at Amazon
Compare at 2 sellers
Overall Score Sort Icon
85
82
82
80
75
Star Rating
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
Bottom Line It's hard to imagine a better use of space at this price pointA unique tent both in looks and features, built with quality material from a well-known brandA well-engineered, thoughtfully designed tent that offers of convenient features, including the ability to attach you vehicle to your shelterWith good looks and even better functionality, this tent was built rightYou may have to sacrifice a little on quality, but this tent is fairly solid, cleans easily, and can sleep a platoon of kids and pets
Rating Categories The North Face Wawo... MSR Habitude 4 REI Co-op Base Camp 6 NEMO Aurora Highrise 6 Coleman Skydome XL 8
Space and Comfort (35%)
9.0
8.0
9.0
9.0
9.0
Weather Resistance (25%)
8.0
9.0
8.0
7.0
6.0
Ease of Use (15%)
7.0
8.0
6.5
7.0
6.0
Family Friendliness (15%)
9.0
7.0
8.0
8.0
9.0
Quality (10%)
9.0
9.0
9.0
8.0
6.0
Specs The North Face Wawo... MSR Habitude 4 REI Co-op Base Camp 6 NEMO Aurora Highrise 6 Coleman Skydome XL 8
Measured Weight 21.9 lbs 12.0 lbs 20.8 lbs 18.9 lbs 20.3 lbs
Max Inside Height 6' 4" 6' 1" 6' 2" 6' 5" 6' 1"
Floor Dimensions 10' x 8' 7' 11" x 7' 11" 9' 2" x 9'2" 8' 4" x 10' 16' 2" x 7' 1"
Floor Area 86.1 sq ft 62.4 sq ft 84.3 sq ft 83.3 sq ft 114.5 sq ft
Seasons 3-season 3-season 3-season 3-season 3-season
Windows Mesh top 2 2 2 2
Pockets 9 7 14 7 6
Number of Doors 1 1 2 2 1
Room Divider No No No No Yes
Vestibules 1 1 2 2 0
Vestibule Area (total) 44.7 sq ft 23.5 sq ft 44.5 sq ft 23.6 sq ft N/A
Packed Size 10" x 32" 23" x 9" x 9" 24" x 10" x 10" 26" x 9.5" x 9.5" 28" x 11" x 11"
Floor Materials 150D polyester DWR 68D polyester taffeta 150D polyester 150D PU Polyester Polyester
Main Tent Materials 75D polyester 68D polyester ripstop, DWR, PU 75D polyester 68D Polyester/ No-See-Um Mesh Polyester
Rainfly Materials 75D polyester 68D polyester ripstop, DWR, PU 75D polyester 1500mm PU Polyester Polyester
Number of Poles 4 3 hubbed 4 4 4
Pole Material DAC MX aluminum 7000-series aluminum Aluminum Aluminum Fibergblass
Extras Dual exits in vestibule, 3 pockets on back door Porch light Vehicle attachment Oversize duffel storage bag, nightlight pockets Integrated string lighting system

Our Analysis and Test Results

The Wawona 6 is a long-standing GearLab favorite, year after year. This tent received an update for 2023 to the pole material as well as a new color option. Everything from the 2020 model is the same, and no new features were added.

Performance Comparison


the north face wawona 6 - bring the family, the toys and the dog, the wawona 6 can handle it all
Bring the family, the toys and the dog, the Wawona 6 can handle it all
Credit: Rob Gaedtke

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.

the north face wawona 6 - wet dogs, big smiles, and loads of fun come free in the wawona 6.
Wet dogs, big smiles, and loads of fun come free in the Wawona 6.
Credit: Rob Gaedtke

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 love a good set of pockets, but putting them on a door is a little annoying.
Credit: Rob Gaedtke

However, we can't stress enough the glory that the front vestibule offers. A large cooler, a bike, and a makeshift shower fit easily and still afforded a clear, open path to the door. You can stash a big wall bag of gear or a full fly fishing setup here. Whatever type of adventures you are into, this tent can keep it covered and hidden. 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.

the north face wawona 6 - even without the impressive garage attached, the wawona 6 is still...
Even without the impressive garage attached, the Wawona 6 is still an impressive tent.
Credit: Rob Gaedtke

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 2023 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...
The sides of the rainfly will flap in the wind unless they are tied down.
The side zippers on the rainfly tend to unzip on their own if not...
The side zippers on the rainfly tend to unzip on their own if not fully closed.
Side vents do a good job releasing the heat when the fly is fully on.
Side vents do a good job releasing the heat when the fly is fully on.

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.

Ease of Use


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.

the north face wawona 6 - even with the 2023 update, getting the last main pole in takes some...
Even with the 2023 update, getting the last main pole in takes some real effort.
Credit: Rob Gaedtke

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.

the north face wawona 6 - the wawona 6 bag makes cleanup easy, but it doesn't cinch down very...
The Wawona 6 bag makes cleanup easy, but it doesn't cinch down very well.
Credit: Rob Gaedtke

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.

the north face wawona 6 - storing a bike or two in a vestibule? yup, you sure can.
Storing a bike or two in a vestibule? Yup, you sure can.
Credit: Rob Gaedtke

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.

the north face wawona 6 - value is important, and the wawona 6 has lots of it.
Value is important, and the Wawona 6 has lots of it.
Credit: Rob Gaedtke

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 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.

An overhead view of The North Face Wawona 6.
Credit: Rob Gaedtke

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.

Rob Gaedtke