The brand new REI Half Dome 2 ($299) is a freestanding and inexpensive two-person tenting and backpacking tent with an extra-large inside excellent for {couples} wanting extra room to unfold out and chill out. It has a dome form with two doorways and two vestibules for simple entry and kit storage. Pockets within the partitions and ceiling present loads of gear storage, whereas ceiling vents within the rain fly assist enhance air flow and cut back inside condensation. However better of all, this tent is well-built and a strong worth that ought to present years of use.
Consolation
Ease of Setup
Climate Resistance
Durabilty
Weight
Packed Dimension
Specs at a Look
- Folks: 2
- Doorways: 2
- Vestibules 2
- Kind: Freestanding
- Minimal Path Weight (minus baggage, stakes, and footprint): 4 lbs 8.4 oz (precise)
- Inside Tent: 30.6
- Rainfly: 22.8 oz
- Poles: 19 oz
- Footprint: 8.6 oz
- Packed Weight: 5 lbs. 12.1 oz.
- Inside Ground dimensions: 85″ x 52″ (precise)
- Inside Peak Top: 42″ (precise)
- Ground: 75-denier taffeta nylon
- Cover: 75-denier polyester taffeta with polyurethane coating;
- Rainfly: 40-denier ripstop nylon with polyethylene coating
- Minimal variety of stakes to arrange: 2, 6 really useful
Tent Setup
The REI Half Dome 2 is a freestanding double-wall two-person tent with two doorways and two vestibules. The interior tent is freestanding with a dual-hubbed pole (with 19 sections) that slots into nook and ceiling grommets for setup. The interior tent hangs from the poles with hooks, making setup fast and simple as soon as the poles are in place. The rainfly drapes over the interior tent and connects to the corners with quick-release buckles. The one a part of the tent that needs to be staked down are the 2 vestibules, which require a single stake every. I’d nonetheless advocate staking out the corners since you’ll get a extra inflexible construction, and the tent received’t blow away in case you’ve stepped out and the wind begins to blow.
The higher a part of the interior tent is mesh for enhanced breathability and air flow, whereas the decrease half is strong for higher privateness. The inside is manufacturing facility seam-taped and made with 75 denier nylon, which it is best to be capable of use with no tent footprint except you camp on extremely abrasive sand or rock. A footprint is included and comes pre-attached to the interior tent utilizing dowels threading by means of loops within the corners, so that you get excellent placement.
The stakeout factors on the doorways have Lineloc-style guyline tensioners, making them straightforward to anchor and tighten with out transferring your stakes. The guylines are wire and finest staked out with tent stakes which have a hook on prime. REI features a set of generic metal stakes with the tent, that are usable however comparatively heavy: do your self a favor and don’t push them into the bottom along with your foot to keep away from bending them.
Tent Livability
The Half Dome 2 is a spacious tent with an 85″ x 52″ inside that has sufficient room for large sleeping pads and tall occupants. The ground is rectangular and never tapered so you’ll be able to sleep along with your heads collectively at both finish. There are 4 mesh pockets within the corners of the tent and two gear lofts: the latter are made with an opaque material so you’ll be able to put a headlamp in them to diffuse mild all through the tent. The height peak of the inside is 42″, which is excessive for a two-person tent, and sitting up or kneeling inside is simple.
The doorways of the interior tents are D-shaped and equally outsized, with twin zippers that make them straightforward to open and shut. They open onto giant vestibules which can be large enough to retailer gear with out compromising entry to the interior tent. The vestibules even have two bi-directional zippers, so you’ll be able to open them partway to create a top-down opening for air flow.
There are two kickstand-style air flow ports over every vestibule door that you would be able to prop open for added airflow. They work brilliantly to scale back inside condensation by minimizing the temperature gradient between the within and exterior of the rainfly, which causes condensation.
The vestibule doorways require one stake to anchor. These stakes present further help for the zippers, serving to to scale back snags/ Nonetheless, given their form and design, it may be laborious to pressure the vestibules drumhead tight except the bottom you’re on is uniformly sloped. That is principally beauty and doesn’t diminish their effectiveness in wind and rain.
Comparable Price range Backpacking Tents
Suggestion
The REI Half Dome 2 ($299) is a well-designed tent that gives an enormous bang to your buck. Whereas it in all probability received’t enchantment to ultralight fast-packers, its spacious inside and ample inside storage are an actual eye-opener in case you’ve struggled with a cramped 2-person tent up to now. The vertical sidewalls, quite a few aspect and ceiling pockets, roof vents, and huge vestibules give the tent a sense of spaciousness that you simply seldom expertise in different two-person tents. Plus, its inside dimensions offer you sufficient room so you need to use extra-large sleeping pads or chair kits inside for added consolation. My favourite features of the Half Dome is its ease of setup and spacious inside. It’s like sleeping in a palace, open air.
Disclosure: REI donated a tent for this assessment.
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