We spent the first four
days in Grand Teton Nation Park doing some car camping, day hiking, and simply enjoying
the view of the mountains. We tested some of our North Face gear, such as
vaporwick clothing, the women’s Cat’s Meow, and my personal favorite, the
women’s Diez. The Diez was probably my favorite piece of North Face gear on
that trip. Who knew I’d need a down jacket in August! On Friday morning we set
off for Grand Teton on a two-day backpacking trip to the top. My dad loaded up
his El Lobo 75 with his clothes, water, the Phoenix 2, and other necessary goodies.
My brother packed his Crestone 65 with climbing gear and clothes, and I packed
up my Crestone 60 with clothes, food, and the Minibus 2. The Crestones are
fantastic packs and I would not consider changing packs. My dad thought his El
Lobo was too big and he said the hip belt was too thick for climbing up a
mountain. He’s considering the Alteo 50 for our next adventure.
After
hiking for ten hours and eight miles, we made it to our base camp in Grand
Teton. We camped at the Moranian campsite, right underneath the Lower Saddle,
which is about 10,000 feet high (Grand Teton is 13,770 feet tall). It was
7:00pm, we were so tired, and the wind was blowing at high speeds. We knew we
would have to wait out the weather and see if it would improve for our ascent
to the top. We set up the Minibus without a problem. The ball cap clips made
the Minibus a quick and easy setup, which is something that is necessary when
hiking and climbing in the mountains and one has little energy to spare! We
secured it with some large stones, since the ground was too hard for stakes. We
moved on to setting up the Phoenix 2, which was another quick and easy set up.
As we were focusing on the Phoenix, our Minibus was suddenly lifted up by the
wind and it was nearly blown away. I started chasing it down the mountain. I
finally caught the big guy and noticed that the commotion caused two rips on
the fly. We were sure that the tent would hold up with two rips, even in the
treacherous weather. The Minibus is a fantastic tent and I cannot wait to get
it fixed so I can take it on our next adventure. 
The
Phoenix, on the other hand, behaved perfectly! First of all, the tent is
incredibly light and easy to set up. When staked down, it barely moved from its
spot, even as the wind shook it the entire night. Sleeping in the Phoenix was a
very comfortable experience. My dad slept in it alone and he had plenty of room
for his El Lobo. The temperature dropped to 40 degrees Fahrenheit and the wind
was blowing at 35 miles per hour, but he was cozy and comfortable! The Phoenix
proved to be a fortress against the Teton weather! There was no rain, so we
have no testament on how well the single wall would do in the rain, but we are
confident that we would take it with us again.
All in
all, we loved our experience with the Minibus and the Phoenix 2. The Minibus is
comparable to a secure, cozy, but spacious mansion. My brother and I slept in
that tent and we had no complaints! The Minibus is heavier than the Phoenix and
it offers more space. Although the Minibus is heavy when compared to the
Phoenix, I would prefer to use it over the Phoenix because I like the security
of having a fly. The Phoenix is a great, lightweight tent that is perfect for 2
to 4 day trips. It is trustworthy and certainly holds up its own in windy and
unpredictable weather. We decided not to climb to the top of Grand Teton on
that day because the weather was not conducive to our plans. We were
disappointed, but we knew we’d be back next year. 
We packed up our gear and
hiked back to the bottom of the Grand in seven hours. We looked forward to hot
showers and big steaks that night! The rest of our trip consisted of car
camping, horseback riding, whitewater rafting, and a visit to Devil’s Tower and
the Badlands of South Dakota. I could not have asked for a better adventure and
our awesome North Face gear only made it better! I honestly don’t believe our
trip could have been possible without the help of the North Face!
