The gear test of our new North Tek Gear tents continues with a 3-day trip to the Rio General. Testing the tents abilities in a hot and sandy environment, the staff were excited to see how the tents would perform.

Night 1

Our first evening on the riverside was a campsite mostly covered in tallish grass with a good amount of moisture on the ground. Easy tent set up was the name of the game with the painfully easy 2 pole system (and a third for stabilization). After set up the focus became food and campsite banter, but after this integral part of camping it was all about sleeping.

One of the most enjoyable luxuries while camping certainly has to be being dry, which is definitely the strong suit of the North Tek Orion. With the robust rain shell system, everyone was dry and happy during a typical rainy Costa Rican evening. An enclosed structure also meant a little pre-sleep reading was more than possible without every bug on the riverside trying to land on your face/headlamp/illuminated reading material. The only negative to the evening was a toasty sleeping situation. This can be clearly attributed to having the robust rain shell and the door/vent being sealed up tight as it was raining (for the record, I prefer toasty more than wet).

Night 2

The second evening on the river was a campsite with more traditional beach characteristics. Setting up on the shore facing the river  proved a very nice setting, complete with bonfires and all. After the requisite dining and campfire, resigning to the tent was a welcome comfort. With no rain initially experienced, the tent’s rain shell around the entrance was left open to allow a nice breeze to enter the Orion. Additionally, the handy suspending gear net made stowing books/easy to reach items a breeze (no pun intended). With a cool evening in tow, sleep was inevitable after a hard day of paddling/falling out of the boat. After the rain started in the middle of the night, the tent was sealed up and the coveted dry sleeping situation continued straight through to the morning, where packing up and stowing of the tent was as easy as setting it up.

In all, a fantastic performance with two comfortable nights in tow!

We will continue to update on the tent, and how it performs in the harsh reality that is camping in Costa Rica, stay tuned!