The North Face Men's Buildering

Advantages: Great wind resistance and great ultralight fly and footprint only pitching
Disadvantages: seamtape on the fly peeled/crumbled and inside of the fly became sticky

...I bought my Tadpole 23 in 2005. I've been camping for more than ten years and owned and used many tents, including the 1999 Tadpole model. For me this tent is emblematic of the decline of The North Face's quality. I used it only one time and one time alone last year. When I inspected it before an upcoming trip I found the inside of the tentfly extremely sticky and the seamtape started to crumble and peel. This didn't happen to the other two tents in my closet. I put it away clean, dry and folded neatly and I can't think of a plausible explanation for it other than that the materials were hi-tech but of inferior quality. I also had problems with two other North Face products i had bought along with this tent: the Patrol Pack Duo and the Venture Hyvent Jacket.... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful

Advantages: Good cardio and classes...
Disadvantages: but the weights area leaves a lot to be desired

...After having been a member of another gym chain for a couple of years I decided it was time for me to try somewhere new and get inspired again. My previous gym was heavily concentrated towards free weights and body builder types although they did hold some classes. It was fun for quite a long time as it gave me a chance to stare unashamedly at all the weird and beautiful people training there but in the end that was not enough to inspire me anymore. I got the final push to try something else when I saw an advertising board stating that for a limited time only you could join Fitness First without paying the joining fee of £100. As I refuse to pay a fee for the honour of paying out regular money this sounded good to me and I went to have a look. Annoyingly they wouldn't tell me of the different offers at reception but I had to actually... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: low on the tendon so comfy at the back of the foot
Disadvantages: midsole just not stiff enough for people of 13 stone

...I bought Scafell because I needed some lightweight waterproof walking boots and was bored with getting my feet soaked in soggy trainers. These might be waterproof, they certainly worked in some light rain for an hour but the soles just don't have the stiffness for anyone my weight 13.5st / 89Kg I feel every pebble, and its not nice. I normally walk on the North downs across fields and the paths are not that rough but I feel like my feet are being prodded and squished by every tiny item I stand on. To compare, my running trainers are much better at soaking up the bumps. Also the padding seems very thin around the toes making downhill walking prone to rubbing. If you are looking for lightweight shoes on very easy terrain and are say, half my weight you might consider them.... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful