Difference Between the North Face Bullfrog & Tadpole

The company North Face produces a number of outdoor accessories and gear, including tents. There are two popular types of tents: the Bullfrog and the Tadpole. Each one has advantages for specific camping experiences and each one varies in size, fabric, and features.

  1. Size

    • North Face calls the Tadpole the smallest of its 2-person tents for its 3-season exploration (spring, summer, fall). In its folded position, the Bullfrog tent is 20 inches by 6 inches, while the Tadpole the 23 inches by 7 inches. But in sleeping area, the Bullfrog is 45 square feet when erected while the Tadpole is 27 square feet. The Bullfrog is significantly larger, but the Tadpole offers a more intimate experience while camping.

    Transport and Set Up

    • The folded up and standing versions of each North Face product is also a consideration for consumers. Both the Tadpole and the Bullfrog are labeled as backpacking tents, and can be folded effectively into a backpack for easier travel. When laying out both tents, the Bullfrog and Tadpole are freestanding tents, only requiring poles for structure. The Bullfrog has the longer poles for the tent set up with three 9.6 millimeter poles. This is compared to the Tadpole which has only three 8.84 millimeter poles.

    Inside Features

    • There are many interior features that each tent has to offer. The Bullfrog is noted for several internal pockets, both large and small, that appear throughout the area of the tent. The Tadpole has a few internal pockets, but is noteworthy for having hanging materials that can hold clothes or small pieces of equipment. One noteworthy aspect to the Bullfrog is that the tent has a polyurethane window that is cold resistant to negative 60 degree temperatures. The Tadpole, for an easier time getting into the tent, has a tent door that is D-shaped.

    Technological Features

    • Most technological features for a tent come in the form of fabric used and pole structure. However, the Bullfrog and the Tadpole are given the same technological attributes. The same fabric is used in both tents, as well as the DAC Featherlite Aluminum Poles, a 2002 patented product tent pole that North Face argues has one of the highest strength-to-weight ratios. In addition, both tents have the Microclip, a clip system that secures the tent pole to the tent fabric. Also, both products have a silicone flysheet, which waterproofs the tents and reduces any ultraviolet light damage.