North Face Docking Station?

[kcscout]

I was getting ready to pull the trigger on buying a new 'family' tent and considering the Marmot capstone 6 person tent. Then a person suggested I look into the North Face docking station tents. The plus being with these tents is that you have a main 'docking station' which of course you need to get the docking station and mesh tent to make it an actual tent, but then that could hold 6 people and if you wanted to you could eventually add a 4 or 2 person dock to the tent. e.g. if you were taking kids or kids and their friends camping, you could have completely separate areas which would be a plus. The down side is that when you get the docking station, mesh inside and another sleeping area the cost adds up quickly.

Anyone familiar with the North Face docking station and how well it works or just as well off to get a northface manor (1 room) tent? my only concern with add-on tents to the main dockstation is that you present possible integrity issues for water to get in or structurally? but maybe that isn't an issue.

[renodesertfox]

Re: North Face Docking Station?

And an assortment of weak flimsy little tent stakes! Phooey! Thanks HS! Will steer clear of this junk! And the wind wasn't blowing or raining, what kind of demo was that?

[swebob]

Re: North Face Docking Station?

I like keeping things simple and light..

[kcscout]

Re: North Face Docking Station?

Interesting... Yeah I saw the video that showed them put the tent together and part of me thought... Hmm. if you get the main tent that can hold 6 people and I would most likely only get 2 pods, a 4 person pod big enough for me and one other person and a 2 person pod for kids or one of the kids and their friends, or who knows. Or could always sleep in the middle if that was an option. It seems like a great option for someone like me that is the engineering mind type and like customization, but when I look at the tent it looks like you lose some of the integrity compared to what a normal tent might be. yeah and in the video when you have to setup 3-4 bags of tent(s) that doesn't look real appealing either. My last camp out I used my 3p marmot limelight and had it setup in no time in the dark and before the rain poured down on us. I finally bit the bullet yesterday and ordered a Marmot Capstone 6p tent for when I do the family camping. I considered some others like Cabelas as well as Big Agnes. Cabelas has a tent where the guys are in Alaska in crazy wind / rain storm and they stay dry and un-bothered by the weather. But I think their design is a little bit cheaper so far as the materials.

Yes, quick setup is key in case of bad weather and also so you can actually enjoy camping and not setup/take-down.

I highly considered the 6p Halo tent as well, but I like that there is a room division for the Capstone and it looked to be bigger and more family friendly. It would be nice if there was one spot to go to really get the low-down on all of the different tents.

I think the plus with the North face system is that you could have privacy from different sleeping parties (Seems like a huge plus) and customize it to how many people you were camping with... so maybe just the docking station/ mesh set for a small campout or add-ons for extra people. I think I saw somewhere that the NF docking station didn't get great reviews either...

[renodesertfox]

Re: North Face Docking Station?

Just be sure to purchase better tent stakes....may I recommend www.monkindustries.com they are our newest preferred vendor!

[swebob]

Re: North Face Docking Station?

I watched the video on the Marmot capstone 6 and it has taped seams that just dont seem to last. it didnt have a bathtub type floor with the seams high from the ground either. Too much mesh

[tytyguy]

Re: North Face Docking Station?

I like keeping things simple and light..

I agree, dont wanna lug that thing around...

[Johnny Test]

Re: North Face Docking Station?

This North face looks rediculously complicated. Stay away from it.

[kcscout]

Re: North Face Docking Station?

As a follow up... although I haven't done any 'real' camping yet in the marmot capstone 6person tent, I set it up in my backyard... Caveats being that I have a 2 1/2 year old and 9 year old running around and I made sure that I had the ability to set the tent up 100% by myself without assistance and with distractions, etc. The tent went up fine and the poles are really thick compared to my backpacking tent and much longer and I thought might cause me problems to do by myself, however I was able to complete it by myself. Important because the wife may not want to help me or annoy me once we go camping.

I setup the little divider and laid down in the kid area or pet room to see how it is for room. By camping standards you could fit 2 full size adults side by side in that area assuming that they like each other, which means 2 of the older kids will fit fine. and I can easily fit a queen mattress in the main area for sleeping with room for gear or a chair or whatever else suits my fancy in the larger area. The fly is nice and there are plenty of tie downs. When I set my tent up I didn't stake down anything and just tested out if I could set it up and what the feel of the inside, etc. was.

I'm anxious to try it out, but doubt I will do the family camping before May 2013... which may still be a bit chilly around here.. If you are a hard-core / rough elements camper I wouldn't recommend the tent, but this is a 3 season rated tent and I think it will be more than adequate for any camping I take the family in.

I also really love the fact that I can stand up in the main compartment of the tent and I'm 6' 3"!! That is a major plus

[renodesertfox]

Re: North Face Docking Station?

Thanks for posting your review! Hopefully on a dry weekend you might pitch the tent again and share some pics!

[kcscout]

Re: North Face Docking Station?



Here are the 2 distractions I had while I still put it up by myself. The center of the large area is probably close to 7' tall although inside it is about 6 1/2 feet tall. I was always surprised by the 'small' area to the right on the picture, because I'm 6'3" and about 250+ and I could easily lay down in that area. can't stand in that area, but lots of space to fit 2 people cozy like.

[Mike]

Re: North Face Docking Station?

I wonder why tents these days are made with attached mini-rooms for the kids, pets, etc. In addition to giving the tents enormous footprints that require large and awkward space requirements, they don't provide the campers with any more privacy than a Japanese paper screen wall.

I now realize my father's wisdom of having separate tents for the kids. We loved it and it gave mom and dad at least a little privacy whether they needed it or not after a day of fishing and camping...

[kcscout]

Re: North Face Docking Station?

@Mike... the whole foot print / size of the tent is not bad and the whole purpose of the tent is for family camping. I have a backpacking tent that I use that is about a 1/5 of the size or even smaller by comparison. .. My key was finding a tent big enough for the whole family, but built like a 'real' tent with a fly that extends to the ground, and could withstand weather if necessary, but at the same time be vented well enough to keep us comfortable during nice weather. I like having 2 doors and vestibule space as well. In the current situation I can stick two older kids in the smaller area and if they need to use the bathroom, they don't have to run through the main area of the tent.

I have a 'cheaper' Coleman tent that is more of a fair weather tent that I could always bring as well but I would prefer that 'family' camping we all go together. I don't expect privacy by having the separate area, but just an easy way to say kids, keep your stuff in this designated area and enter/exit the tent here versus the other side. but they will probably have fun running through the tent regardless.

[Mike]

Re: North Face Docking Station?

My opinion is that the North Face Dicking Station "abbreviated" set-up video took longer than I like to spend setting up a tent.

Lots of poles = complexity and time robber.

The more frame poles you have beyond two means you are heading to necessary complexity. Three?... well, OK. Four or Five - nah, forget it. four or five poles usually also means lots of corners which means lots of unusable floor space.

The old rule of thumb for two man tents was that a person should be able to set up in less than two minutes and the really skilled guys could do it in less than one minute. Bigger tents - more time, but use the two minute rule as a point of reference.

[swebob]

Re: North Face Docking Station?

"Docking station" Sound like something from outer space just like the "inflatable Kelty Mach 6 ".. Both are just another gimmick that will fail and later you wont see them...