The North Face
The North Face VE 25
Best use
- Made for
- Backpacking and wild camping, Winter mountain
- Not for
- Bikepacking
Why these labels
- Backpacking and wild camping: The maker states this use, and the published specs do not rule it out.
- Winter mountain: The maker states this use, and the published specs do not rule it out.
- Bikepacking: Heavy for bikepacking: 4.3 kg
From the maker's stated use and the published specs.
- Summer wild camp: 4/10 UK, roughly May to September, nights above about 8 °C, sheltered pitches.
- Three-season hills: 5/10 UK hills in spring and autumn. Wind, rain, and nights near freezing.
- Winter camp: 6/10 UK winter or high ground. Below freezing, strong wind, possibly snow.
- Weight: 1/10 How much it adds to your pack, compared with the whole market.
No shop we checked has it in stock
Three people on winter or mountain trips where gales and snow are expected
- Freestanding
- Yes
- Walls
- Double
- Sleeps
- 3
- Seasons
- 4-season
- Min. weight
- 4.31 kg
- Flysheet
- 1,500 mm
Packed size 25.1 L, 61 cm long and 22.9 cm across Compare with a 2-litre bottle
About two 2-litre bottles long and about twice as wide. Drawn to scale.
Where to buy
Alpinetrek £575.96 Out of stock. Delivery time 5–7 working days; page shows £719.95 crossed out.
View at shop: AlpinetrekSportsShoes £399.99 Out of stock. Shows 44% off RRP £719.99 but the page lists it as out of stock today. Delivery cost not stated by the shop.
View at shop: SportsShoesPrices checked 8 Nov 2026 on each shop's own page; shops can change them. We earn no commission on these links; shops are listed by price. More
Our ratings (out of 10)
1 to 10, compared with the whole market. Each says what it's based on. How we score
Weight
From maker's figures 1/10How much it adds to your pack. This is the whole tent: two people sharing can split it. 1: A real weak point.
The North Face's trail weight of 4.31 kg (4.68 kg total) is in the 2.7 kg+ band.
Rain protection
From maker's figures 5/10How well it keeps out heavy, long rain. 5: Does the job. Average for wild-camping gear.
Fly 1,500 mm is the 1,500–1,999 mm band, band 3 (5 out of 10); the floor is 5,000 mm, so no point comes off.
Wind
Estimate from maker's specs: maker's season rating (fewer than 3 reviews about wind) 7/10How steady it stays in strong wind on open ground. 7: Better than most.
No published review says how it copes with wind, so this is an estimate from the maker's season rating.
Space
From maker's figures 8/10Room to lie, sit up and keep kit inside. 8: Clearly better than most.
4.5 m² floor ÷ 3 people = 1.5 m² each, in the 1.35–1.59 band (it is rated for three; two would get 2.25 m² each). Peak height 123 cm.
Packed size
From maker's figures 1/10How much room it takes in your rucksack. 1: A real weak point.
Packs to 61 cm long x 22.9 cm across: 3.1416 x 11.45 x 11.45 x 61 = 25,125 cm³, so 25.1 L, in the 15 L+ band.
In short
Good for
- Three people on winter or mountain trips where gales and snow are expected
- A shared basecamp where the tent can be split between packs
- Two people who want a large, storm-ready shelter and accept the weight
Strengths
- Winter design: DAC aluminium poles, welded reinforcements on the fly and guylines with tensioners
- Floor rated 5,000 mm, the top of the range, with a fully taped bucket floor
- Two doors with a poled vestibule at the front, plus eight inner pockets
- Fly can be pitched on its own; four snow stakes are included
- Peak height of 123 cm for sitting up three-up
Weaknesses
- 4.31 kg trail weight and 4.68 kg in total: very heavy for one or two people to carry
- Packs to about 25 L (61 x 22.9 cm), a large roll for a rucksack
- No independent hands-on test of the current version found, so wind, pitching and durability are estimates, not reviewed scores
- Far more tent than most UK wild camping needs
Sources
We haven't tested this ourselves. Every score comes from these specs, tests and reviews.