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 calm down. It has a dome form with two doorways and two vestibules for straightforward 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 scale back inner 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 Measurement
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 Flooring dimensions: 85″ x 52″ (precise)
- Inside Peak Top: 42″ (precise)
- Flooring: 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 advisable
Tent Setup
The REI Half Dome 2 is a freestanding double-wall two-person tent with two doorways and two vestibules. The internal tent is freestanding with a dual-hubbed pole (with 19 sections) that slots into nook and ceiling grommets for setup. The internal 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 internal 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 suggest staking out the corners since you’ll get a extra inflexible construction, and the tent gained’t blow away should you’ve stepped out and the wind begins to blow.
The higher a part of the internal tent is mesh for enhanced breathability and air flow, whereas the decrease half is strong for higher privateness. The inside is manufacturing unit seam-taped and made with 75 denier nylon, which you must be capable of use with no tent footprint until you camp on extremely abrasive sand or rock. A footprint is included and comes pre-attached to the internal tent utilizing dowels threading by 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 shifting your stakes. The guylines are wire and greatest staked out with tent stakes which have a hook on high. 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 huge 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 cloth so you’ll be able to put a headlamp in them to diffuse gentle 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 straightforward.
The doorways of the internal tents are D-shaped and equally outsized, with twin zippers that make them straightforward to open and shut. They open onto giant vestibules which might be sufficiently big to retailer gear with out compromising entry to the internal 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 you could prop open for extra airflow. They work brilliantly to cut back inner 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 extra help for the zippers, serving to to cut back snags/ Nevertheless, given their form and design, it may be exhausting to pressure the vestibules drumhead tight until the bottom you’re on is uniformly sloped. That is largely beauty and doesn’t diminish their effectiveness in wind and rain.
Comparable Finances Backpacking Tents
Suggestion
The REI Half Dome 2 ($299) is a well-designed tent that gives an enormous bang on your buck. Whereas it most likely gained’t enchantment to ultralight fast-packers, its spacious inside and plentiful inner storage are an actual eye-opener should you’ve struggled with a cramped 2-person tent prior to now. The vertical sidewalls, quite a few aspect and ceiling pockets, roof vents, and enormous 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 should use extra-large sleeping pads or chair kits inside for added consolation. My favourite elements of the Half Dome is its ease of setup and spacious inside. It’s like sleeping in a palace, open air.
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Disclosure: REI donated a tent for this evaluation.
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