The North Face Minibus 23 Named New & Notable Product of 2009

The North Face, the world’s premier supplier of authentic, innovative and technically advanced outdoor apparel, equipment and footwear, today announced The North Face Minibus 23 tent was named New & Notable by Climbing magazine. The Minibus 23 is new for 2009 and boasts revolutionary interior volume with huge vestibules and well-thought out liveability features, all while being extremely lightweight.

“The Minibus 23 — with it’s ingenious pole system, super-sized head room, slick ventilation system, and other thoughtful tweaks — stood out as ideal for those day, weekend, or weeks-long cragging trips — the trips most of climbers seem to make most of the time,” said Justin Roth, Senior Editor at Climbing. “It is basically a perfect tent for the typical road tripping climber. For a good portion of us, comfort and quick, simple set up are top concerns in a tent.”

Climbing magazine’s Gear Guide features the latest and greatest of climbing product and gear, as the ultimate guide for climbers of all disciplines. The New & Notable honor is bestowed upon products that are the most innovative, exciting and functional, in each respective category.

The Minibus 23, a three-season tent, features large windows, clever high and low venting and mesh canopies to assist in warm weather comfort and breathability. Its comprehensive color-coded pole and webbing pitch system contributes to ease of setup and Twist Clips make the tent pitching and disassembly simpler and faster – all while saving weight. The fly is crafted of lightweight, yet rugged and weatherproof, siliconized nylon and boasts massive vestibules. The Jake’s Foot, a mini come-along of sorts, allows for fly tension leverage for a sound structure, regardless of weather. In addition, inside-outside pockets allow for accessibility without having to crawl back in the tent and convenient overhead pockets stow headlamps and accoutrements. The three-person version, The North Face Minibus 33, was recently awarded “Best Headroom” in Backpacker magazine’s 2009 Gear Guide.

“We are proud to have worked so closely with our athletes to build The North Face Minibus 23. With their help we were able to determine how to create the ideal tent that minimizes weight and footprint while maximizing comfort, roominess, and gigantic internal liveable space through the use of innovative pole and clip architecture that builds nearly straight walls” said Barry McGeough, VP of Hardgoods for The North Face. “We are thrilled that the editors at Climbing recognized this tent during their intensive gear testing process.”

For more than 40 years The North Face athlete team has defined the limits of what is humanly possible, and continually works with Research, Design & Development, creating innovative designs that push new technologies and inspire cutting-edge products.

Purchase The North Face Minibus 23 at www.thenorthface.com
Check out Climbing magazine at www.climbing.com

About The North Face®
The North Face, a division of VF Outdoor, Inc., was founded in 1968. Headquartered in San Leandro, California, the company offers the most technically advanced products in the market to accomplished climbers, mountaineers, snowsport athletes, endurance athletes, and explorers. The company’s products are sold in specialty mountaineering, backpacking, running, and snowsport retailers, premium-sporting goods retailers and major outdoor specialty retail chains.