A brand new tent goes to assist extra campers get exterior.
A part of a brand new assortment from The North Face, the Common Wawona 3 Tent incorporates common design ideas right into a camp shelter that works for a wider vary of out of doors lovers, no matter age or bodily means. The gathering, out there this month, additionally features a sleeping bag, daypack and camp slip-ons.
“We noticed plenty of points with the present tent setups [on the market], and we needed to alleviate [them],” says Vasu Sojitra, a incapacity entry strategist {and professional} skier for The North Face who supplied suggestions to the model throughout the assortment’s design course of.
The Common Wawona 3 cuts again on some frequent challenges campers expertise, like cramped quarters, too-small tent doorways and a excessive entryway threshold that may trigger tripping. The new shelter’s intentional enhancements—like ample area for mobility units or gear and a minimal entryway stepover to make rolling or strolling in straightforward—assist all campers spend time exterior with extra ease.
“I feel one of many coolest issues about this line is that The North Face introduced these merchandise to the disabled group,” says Mo Beck, an expert climber for The North Face who additionally contributed enter throughout the design course of. “They flew to Adaptive Climbers Fest three years in a row, had them arrange and bought suggestions from folks with a variety of disabilities.”
Learn on to be taught extra concerning the Common Wawona and the options that make tenting somewhat simpler for everybody —from an built-in, roll-back rainfly to a leash attachment for securing four-legged campmates.
Who’s the Common Wawona 3 for?

The Common Wawona is designed to make 3-season automobile tenting simpler for a variety of adventurers. Options like a low-threshold entry that accommodates wheelchairs or strollers, vast poles sleeves which can be straightforward to string, and a roomy vestibule for further cupboard space make pitching and utilizing the tent extra handy.
“I feel it’s an ideal tent for somebody who is usually automobile tenting, which, when you concentrate on it, is essentially the most accessible model of tenting,” says Beck.
Professionals
- Massive, reflective pole sleeves are straightforward to string
- Roomy vestibule supplies storage for massive gadgets like adaptive gear or strollers
- Inside has sufficient area and top for 2 cots
- Constructed-in rainfly units up simply, even in windy circumstances
Cons
- At practically 14 kilos, this tent can’t double as a backpacking shelter
- A single door could make entry/exit tougher for a number of campers
Finest for
- Small car-camping teams
- Campers who need a shelter massive sufficient for 2 cots
- Those that want cupboard space for adaptive gear, a stroller or different gear
- Anybody who needs a tent that’s straightforward to setup and tear down
Notable Options
Massive vestibule and low-profile entry
Amongst the standout options of The North Face Common Wawona 3 is its large vestibule and low-threshold entryway. The area is designed to suit as much as two wheelchairs, with out disassembling them, and has an awning to protect gear from rain showers or present shade on sunny days. A burly, built-in floor mat retains gear off the dust whereas you’re enjoyable inside.
“Of us with medical gear can go away it exterior in the event that they wish to, whether or not it’s a walker, a wheelchair or a stroller,” says Sojitra.
Plus, a low threshold makes rolling or stepping contained in the tent straightforward, even throughout after-dark pee breaks.

Simple-to-pitch design
Campers know the challenges of pitching a tent: threading tent poles via tiny sleeves, muscling tent components into grommets, orienting what pole goes the place. Setup is simpler with the Common Wawona 3. First, this shelter has pole sleeves vast sufficient to drop within the rods, requiring far much less dexterity than threading them does. And broad cloth sleeves exchange conventional small grommets at every tent nook for simplified attachment.
The sleeves embrace reflective materials that glows underneath a headlamp to make them straightforward to identify, and the poles are all the identical size in order that they will pair with any of the tent sleeves. (No extra matching color-coded pole ideas.) A built-in footprint means you gained’t must wrestle along with your floor fabric.
Beck says the design is meant to make setup simpler for everyone. “When you have a visible impairment, you don’t have to seek out colours to match up. The poles are all the identical size, and that’s simpler for everyone, not only for people who find themselves blind.”

Canine leash attachment level
No must find a tree or pack a tie-out stake to forestall Fido from wandering too far. The Common Wawona features a leash attachment level behind the tent to safe your service canine or journey pup. Your four-legged tentmate can discover the lengths of his leash when you prep dinner.
Constructed-in rainfly
Rainflies will be troublesome to pin in place, particularly if it’s windy. The North Face made wet days simpler with a built-in, roll-back fly. Simple-to-grip fasteners like massive buckles, hook-and-loop closures and a broad strap behind the tent make it straightforward to safe the material.
“I really feel like this tent was designed to be put up with mittens as a result of that’s the extent of dexterity we’re going for,” says Beck.
Sunny day? The fly can double as a shade. It’s made with light-blocking materials to assist maintain the tent cool on sizzling days.

Concerns
With options like a sturdy floor fabric, connected rainfly and strong {hardware}, the Common Wawona 3 is understandably heavy, with a packed weight of just about 14 kilos. Provided that, it’s not an important decide for individuals who need a shelter that may double as a backpacking tent.
Campers also needs to bear in mind that if a number of of your tentmates is bringing a cot, you gained’t have the ability to max out its inner area: The shelter is ideal for 2 cot campers (and a small canine) or as much as three floor sleepers.
Backside Line
The Common Wawona 3 from The North Face champions 3-season journey accessibility for a lot of campers, because of purposeful design selections that make setup, takedown and tent-living so much smoother.
The submit First Look: The North Face Common Wawona 3 Tent appeared first on Unusual Path – An REI Co-op Publication.
