The North Face Kaiju 6 Review – Huge Porch & Aluminum Poles

The North Face Kaiju 6 person tent is a really nicely built non-freestanding 3-season tent with aluminum poles and huge porch, and with lots of storage elements and space.

Key features

What type of a tent is this

The North Face Kaiju 6 is an extended dome style tent with the main dome and a porch supported with an extra pole shown in the picture above. This extension makes it non-freestanding, it must be staked to be functional. This is a very tall construction with a stand-up design and huge doors, the peak height is 80 inches (203 cm).

The porch is so functional and huge that I would call this a 2-room tent, see the pictures. Though the porch area is floorless and this is a mud room for sitting and cooking. The picture above shows the roll-up feature – you can roll the fly from one side and use the integrated webbing to fix it in place so that you increase the air flow. The tent still remains in shade with the fly.

See the cross-section below, it reminds me a bit on their other great tent, the North Face Wawona 6 Tent. But note that this Kaiju 6 is a 2-layer tent as compared to their Wavona 6 which is a single layer type.

This is a tent with a full coverage fly as you realize from the picture below, so you have a complete protection from elements. I have included it in my list of tents with full fly.

Who is it for

Capacity-wise, the declared capacity is 6 people. The inner area is rather small 86.7 ft² (8.1 m²), but the tent has two vestibules (in fact, one of them is a porch) so that the total protected area is 154 ft² (14.5 m²). This gives 25.7 ft² (2.4 m²) per person, and this is quite a luxury. See the floor plan and what they suggest for using the sleeping area:

So the tent can accommodate the declared number of people with all the gear they can have. In the case of families and camping, it is best if used by parents and up to two kids.

Seasons-wise, this is a true 3-season tent which offers full protection. The waterproof rating is not particularly high but you do not need more. The picture below shows the inner tent without the fly so you get some idea about the amount of mesh which you have here. So you will be cold if you use it in a cold environment, but the same with any other tent as you know.

What you also see in the picture is that the poles cross at several places and the front pole goes to the ground. So this is a very stable and strong construction. It is less strong with the fly on because of the huge gap between the main section and the porch pole, so I would not use it where the snow can be expected.

As mentioned above, this is a very tall structure and not particularly aerodynamic, I would avoid very strong winds. But you have all that is needed to stake it down properly.

Weight-wise, with its 19 lb 2.6 oz (8.69 kg) of weight, this is a camping tent. The packed size is 32 x 10 inches (81 x 25 cm) so this is for places with a car access.

Materials & construction

The poles

They use aluminum poles here and you have them 4 in total. One of them supports the porch. Actually, most of the complaints I have seen so far are about their durability.

The fabric & doors

The fly fabric is 68D polyester with 1200 mm PU coating and the canopy is a breathable 68D polyester. The floor is a stronger 150D polyester with a bit more coating so the waterproof rating is 1500 mm.

Ventilation

There is plenty of mesh everywhere so ventilation is really good. The tent has no floor vents but this should not be an issue because of the huge inner mesh doors which give plenty of crossflow. The fly, however, has several vents and this should be good enough.

Other features

• 10+ pockets.
• Hanging tablet pocket.
• Internal hanger loops.
• Foot wiper.

In this video you will see parents with a baby setting this tent up, you will enjoy it:

Specifications

• Type: dome tent.
• Capacity: 6 people.
• Best use: camping.
• Weight: 19 lb 2.6 oz (8.69 kg).
• Trail weight: 16 lb 11 oz (7.57 kg).
• Dimensions: 240 x 120 in (610 x 305 cm).
• Area: 86.7 ft² (8.1 m²).
• Area per person: 14.4 ft² 1.35 m²).
• Vestibules area: 56.1 ft² (5.4 m²) + 11.2 ft² (1 m²).
• Total area: 154 ft² (14.5 m²).
• Total area per person: 25.7 ft² (2.4 m²).
• Peak height: 80 in (203 cm).
• Packed size (L x D): 32 x 10 in (81 x 25 cm).

The North Face Kaiju 6 person tent vs Competitors

I have decided to show you this Kaiju 6 side by side with two other top-notch tents built in a similar style, but there are differences so please follow the links for more.

As you see, it is considerably taller and it offers more space under the vestibules. But it is also more expensive.

Summary, rating, pros & cons

Please see how I rate it for various parameters:

The North Face Kaiju 6

8.6

Area per person

8.3/10

Weight

8.2/10

Packed size

8.2/10

Protection

9.4/10

Ease of use

8.3/10

Features

9.2/10

Pros

• Very tall.
• Quality materials.
• High-level craftsmanship.
• Very good organization.

Cons

• Very expensive.
• Complaints about poles.

Check on Amazon

Check at Moosejaw

You might want to compare this tent with a new model on the market the Eureka Space Camp 6 Person Tent which is built differently but also with aluminum poles. If you need something for extremely cold and severe weather conditions, check this The North Face 2-Meter Dome tent 8 from the same brand and also Marmot Lair 8 Person Tent.

Please note that this is not a sponsored text and I am not paid by the brand. In the case of comments or questions, please use the comment box below. Have a nice day.