A regular discussion on climbing forums seems to be 'which light weight 2 man tent should I buy' and I'm always quick to respond with advising the North Face's Tadpole.

What struck me about this tent, other than it's weight and packed size, is it's sturdiness in all weathers. I've camped out in a mountain storm in Snowdonia, alongside other, far more respected tent brands, and ours has been the one that stands strong whilst others have flapped, ripped, and even blown away!

The North face bill it as a 3 season tent, but I really wouldn't hesitate in taking it to more extreme environments, as it's never failed to satisfy me.

Internally, its big enough to sleep two fairly comfortably, and you can even get your rucksack inside too. I think most people would be surprised at the amount of space in there, and the porch offers a brilliant level of shelter against the elements, both for cooking, and for getting ready to depart, and gives adequate space for storing extra gear or rucksacks overnight.

Small gear pockets around the inside walls of the tent ensure you've got somewhere to put your valuables or other items which you need to hand, and the option of additional storage space in the roof of the tent, using North Face's 'gear-loft' means you can put wet clothes in the warmest part of the tent to dry, or anything else you'd like to store up there.

The guy-lines are rigged in such a way that they offer equalised pull on multiple points, and so this facilitates pegging the tent out, and definitely contributes towards its exceptional sturdiness.

North face also do an optional 'footprint', an extra groundsheet to place under the tent to protect from rocks or other potentially damaging protrusions. Although I choose to put my roll mat under the groundsheet, rather than in the tent, as this protects it, and means I don't need the extra weight.

One suggestion though if you do buy the tent...the pegs are crap! fact! Go out and buy some new ones! Yes, the North Face Pegs won't bend...but they won't hold your tent down either, which isn't ideal!

So...conclusion...Great Tent, perfect size, lovely weight, well made, strong, reliable, but needs new pegs.