REI Half Dome 2 Plus: One Tent to R...

I’m an enormous fan of REI’s home model of substances. Their Magma down jacket is a greater worth than something from Cotopaxi or Patagonia. If you happen to don’t need to shell out $25 for a single pair of Darn Toughs, their two-pack of merino wool socks is a complete steal. And their Wonderland camping chair is the inexpensive improve you want. However there are few merchandise extra ubiquitous, or time-tested, than the REI Half Dome tent. I not too long ago checked out the newest iteration of this tent to see how the REI Half Dome 2 Plus has modified and whether or not it continues to reside as much as its status. 

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Key Options

• 
  Weight:

  
  6 kilos, 4 ounces

• 
  Dimensions:

  
  92 inches x 56 inches

• 
  Peak Peak:

  
  42 inches

• 
  Doorways:

  
  2

• 
  Poles:

  
  1

• 
  Poles:

  
  7000-series aluminum

• 
  Tent Materials:

  
  75D polyester

• 
  Rainfly Materials:

  
  40D polyester

• 
  Footprint:

  
  Included and preattached

This tent is primarily for people who find themselves new to the outside, and undecided precisely what they’re going to be doing with it. It’s spacious sufficient for automobile tenting. It’s mild sufficient for entry-level backpacking. And once you’ve dialed in what your wants are — whether or not it’s lighter weight or extra space — then it transitions completely to change into your loaner tent. 

Whereas the Half Dome has been round for many years, this newest iteration incorporates numerous new design particulars that I’ve seen on the best backpacking tents and the best camping tents, making it the most effective fashions but. 

Packed Dimension

I knew I used to be going to love the REI Half Dome Plus as quickly as I noticed the stuff sack. That’s as a result of it includes a facet opening, fairly than one on the finish. If in case you have ever tried to stuff a moist tent again into its stuff sack, you already know what an enormous deal that is. With the previous end-style openings, you’d make your self loopy and muddy fastidiously rolling a tent across the poles as tightly as potential to get it again within the bag.

However with the facet openings, you are able to do a reasonably haphazard job after which yank on the drawstring to get it the remainder of the best way into the stuff sack. 

Setup

Like most different tenting and backpacking tents, there are 4 components to the REI Half Dome Plus once you open up the bundle — tent physique, rainfly, poles, stakes.

There may be additionally an non-obligatory footprint you should utilize — I like to recommend this for tenting and low-key backpacking journeys the place weight isn’t a difficulty. Preserving the bath ground of this, or any tenting tent, needs to be a precedence when weight isn’t an vital difficulty, as it should assist guarantee your gear stays dry when inclement climate hits. 

As soon as the physique of your tent is laid out, it’s time to assemble the poles. Like lots of the best 2-person tents lately, there’s a single pole that snaps into place. Additional simplifying setup, the pole is helpfully color-coded to match the tent. The black ends go into the black 4 corners of the tent, whereas the orange ends match into the grommets within the middle part. I additionally actually appreciated that the pole was reversible. These sorts of particulars assist make this tent one of many best to arrange that I’ve tried in recent times. 

Whereas grommets will not be at all times the simplest to make use of, particularly for entry-level campers and hikers, I believe it’s the fitting alternative for this tent. First off, you don’t want as a lot flexibility to get poles into grommets versus tent sleeves, which suggests you should utilize greater high quality DAC aluminium poles and never fiberglass. Extra importantly, greater high quality tents at all times use DAC or comparable model poles, and so you’ll be able to count on to be utilizing grommets, that are a extensively out there and really light-weight and sturdy part half. Getting used to organising this tent will set you up for fulfillment sooner or later. 

As soon as the poles are inserted into the grommets, there are a bunch of clips to tack on. Now you’ve obtained the physique of your tent arrange. Subsequent up is the rainfly. Like all rainflys, besides a little bit trial and error whilst you get this one oriented. Some day, a tent designer will determine tips on how to save us from inevitably placing the tent fly on inside out and on the unsuitable 90-degree angle, necessitating a number of moments of confusion, however I haven’t seen it but. (Though one may argue that the European model, just like the Hilleberg Allak, of connecting the poles to the rainfly and hanging the physique of the tent does resolve for this.) I did recognize nevertheless, that there are buckles to attach the rainfly to the physique of the tent. These have been straightforward to make use of and simple to tighten into place.

Whereas the instructions for tents at all times name to stake in earlier than you arrange the poles, I at all times do it final. It’s only a lot simpler to determine precisely the place I need to stick the tent as soon as it seems to be like, properly, a tent. On this case there are six stakes you’ll need to use, 4 for the 4 corners, after which two extra, another to tug out every of the doorways. Whereas these aren’t absolutely the best tent stakes (that’d be the MSR groundhogs), these are high-quality stakes that can final you for years. 

Inside Area

Loads of so-called two-person tents are actually stretching the declare. Two small folks, positive, however two giant folks? No approach. So I used to be impressed on the quantity of ground area within the REI Half Dome 2 Plus. This factor is 7.5 toes lengthy, and 4.5 toes broad. That’s sufficient for 2 full dimension males and their gear. The pole design additionally helps you get essentially the most out of its 3.5 toes of inside peak. Not solely does that peak peak prolong throughout the center of the tent (the place the orange pole part is), however the H-design created by the connection to the 2 black poles means you get a number of that peak prolong lengthwise too. All this actually helps to make this a really livable tent for automobile tenting along with its potential use on a backpacking journey. 

It additionally has no fewer than six pockets, staged at three completely different peak ranges on both facet of the tent. 

What the REI Half Dome Does Finest

As regular, REI has nailed the small print on this one. From setting as much as tearing right down to organising a base camp on the within, every part is geared to make for a seamless expertise. And whereas different manufacturers are getting fancy and reinventing the wheel, REI has been very considered with the brand new tendencies that they’ve included into this tent — these are actual enhancements and never simply fads. That’s nice as a result of it signifies that the talent you be taught with this tent can be transferable to no matter you improve to sooner or later. 

The place the REI Half Dome Must Enhance

Whereas the REI Half Dome 2 Plus is nowhere close to the highest of the market — different comparable tents from the likes of Sea to Summit and MSR retail for as a lot as $100 extra — it’s nonetheless fairly costly. Costly sufficient that you just’ll need to be sure you have a superb guarantee and (ideally) a restore program for once you want it. Whereas REI did have a close to legendary return coverage as soon as upon a time, their current warranty policy is a bit more opaque.

If there’s a blatant producer defect within the first yr (uncommon with a top quality model like this, however it does occur), you’ll be coated, but when there are different points down the street it’s much less clear in case you’ll get the assist you want to hold utilizing the tent. (Queries to REI about their guarantee coverage directs readers to succeed in out to their customer support line.) I’m hopeful sooner or later that they’ll begin to promote part components for this tent (resembling a alternative pole), provided that this flagship a part of their model line isn’t going away anytime quickly. 

Closing Ideas

First-time backpackers and campers have been inspired to select up the REI Half Dome for years, and this newest iteration continues that legacy. Even in case you’re an skilled camper or backpacker, it’s price having one readily available for when buddies and households want a loaner for the lengthy weekend.