Online: www.REI.com
URL for this product:

From the U.S. and Canada — Call 1-800-426-4840
Mon. through Sun., 4 a.m. through 11 p.m. PT.
International — Call 1-253-891-2500
Mon. through Sun., 4 a.m. through 11 p.m. PT. English language only.

GOLDEN APRICOT/PLATINUM

360 Pictoview
See 360 Pictoview
NOW PLAYING

REI Half Dome 2 Tent

$189.00

(128)

Item # 794294

This item may be available in your local REI store.

FREE U.S. STANDARD SHIPPING Through February 20. No minimum purchase! Learn more

More videos

To view videos or use the zoom feature on REI's websites, please download the latest version of Adobe Flash Player.

NOW PLAYING

The new REI Half Dome 2 is a lightweight, weather-worthy backpacking tent for 2 that maximizes livability, access and storage—and the price is unbeatable!

Backpacker 2010 Editors' Choice Gold Award winner: “‘Half Dome remains the epitome of functional, affordable design,’ remarked the same testers who used it 8 years ago”
The Half Dome tent brings together the successful design philosophy that made the original Half Dome so popular and adds insightful technological updates
2 side doors and 2 vestibules offer easy access and personalized storage for each occupant; 2 vents ensure the tent stays well ventilated
Frame design combines multidiameter Combi poles and unique dual-hub architecture to create nearly vertical side and end walls; the result is spacious area-wide headroom
Rectangular floor plan optimizes usable space and allows comfortable sleeping shoulder-to-shoulder or head-to-toe
DAC Featherlite® NSL poles and engineered plastic hubs combine to offer a high-performance pole set that is strong, durable and lightweight
Color-coded poles and pole clips ensure an easy setup
Exclusive Tension Truss architecture leverages bound seams to provide low-weight structural stability and to increase interior volume
Fully adjustable ceiling vents mitigate condensation by drawing cool air under the fly and exhausting warm, moist air
Hybrid floor combines sealed seams and bathtub curves to create a waterproof, taut floor; tautness enhances door-zipper operation and maximizes volume at end walls
Multiple storage options include corner pockets, roof pockets and hang loops
Location and shape of tent door zippers allow smooth, 1-handed operation; use the door pockets to hold doors out of the way or for storage
Vestibule zipper opening aligns with tent door for no-hassle operation, entry and exit
UV-resistant polyester rainfly will not stretch or expand when wet, ensuring a consistently taut pitch
No-wick welded construction ensures that moisture won't sneak through susceptible areas, such as guy-out points, pole wraps and zippers
Mood-elevating colors create a pleasant interior even when the weather outside is uninviting
Save weight and create a lightweight setup by using just the rainfly, poles and footprint (sold separately)
Comes with guylines and tighteners, stakes, pole repair tube, pole and stake bags, and tapered, easy-to-fill compression stuff sack
Want a little extra room in your tent? Check out the Half Dome 2 Plus which offers an extended floor plan; it's 10 in. longer and 4 in. wider

Imported.

Item 794294

View all REI products

REI Membership

REI Membership $20.00

REI Half Dome 2 Tent Customer Reviews

REVIEW SNAPSHOT®

by PowerReviews

REI Half Dome 2 Tent

4.1

(based on 128 reviews)

85%

of respondents would recommend this to a friend.

Pros

Comfortable (97)
Durable (82)
Lightweight (82)
Fly works well (79)
Waterproof (71)

Cons

Condensation (27)
Heavy (12)
Difficult to setup (10)
Too cramped (9)
Poor fly design (8)

Best Uses

Backpacking (98)
Car camping (69)
Backyard (39)
Beach (32)
Climbing (12)

- Reviewer Profile:
- Avid adventurer (57), Casual/ recreational (51), Outdoor professional (6), Environmentalist (4), Military/law enforcement (4)
- What Is Your Gear Style:
- Survivalist / minimalist (58), Comfort driven (57)
- Was this a gift?:
- No (53), Yes (3)

Reviewed by 128 customers

Sort by

Displaying reviews 1-10

Previous | Next »

Mar

2010

(125 of 128 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

Outstanding Value - Perfect First Tent

By Dave in Seattle

from Seattle, WA

About Me Environmentalist

See all my reviews

Pros

Comfortable
Easy To Set Up
Fly Works Well
Lightweight
Sturdy
Versitile
Waterproof

Cons

Best Uses

Backpacking
Car Camping
Hiking
Scout 50 Milers
Scout Overnights

Comments about REI Half Dome 2 Tent:

I purchased the previous version of the REI Half Dome 2 for my oldest son as a gift for use on scout outings. These outings include weekend overnights in the Cascades and Olympics (Fall, Spring, and Summer), as well as week long "50 Miler" trips during the summer (canoeing, backpacking, and sea kayaking). By coincidence, my younger son was given the current version of the Half Dome 2 as a prize - and thus, I have had an opportunity to use both versions of this tent on outdoor trips. There is a lot to like about the Half Dome 2 - and I particularly like the changes that were made between the previous and current editions of this tent.

First and foremost, this tent is an outstanding value. It is a perfect first tent for a scout or beginning backpacker. The tent is light weight, easy for kids to set up(guided by a color coding system), easy to divide up between two people during backpacking trips, and versatile. For example, the available "footprint", poles, and rain fly can combine to make a more lightweight shelter - which has been a nice option during summer time outings.

Second, the tent is well made, and well designed. It has enough space for two people, good headroom with two very welcome personal storage compartments near the ceiling, and two doors that allow for effortless entering and exiting by two people. It is a simple pleasure to be able to enter and exit a tent without the need to disturb your tentmate.

Third, The rain fly is equally well designed. It provides excellent coverage and protection, with vents that enable good air circulation. The vestibule outside each door creates a very nice protected space that is large enough for gear and boots. I must say, I do like having functional vestibules. It is an important consideration for any tent for use in the Northwest. I have used this tent in the rain, and found that the rain fly preformed perfectly - being fully waterproof, stable, and well vented.

Finally, I thought so much of this tent initially, that I was surprised that REI made changes to its design. After spending some time in the current edition of the Half Dome 2, I do like the changes. For example, the shift from a pole system using a "hub" design to a pole system that uses a short ridge piece has opened up a lot of headroom, resulting in a much more spacious feel. Another example is a change from a more oval door design, to one that is more triangular in shape - which resulted in much improved zipper action (so much so that it is easy to operate the door zippers using just one hand). Granted, these are little things, but they are nice little things.

I really enjoy using our Half Dome 2's, as do my sons. I always recommend this tent to other scouts looking to purchase a tent. The quality to value ratio of this tent is tough to beat. For tall people, or those looking for more space, REI also sells an extended version of the Half Done 2.

Dec

2009

(48 of 50 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

Awesome tent, especially for the money

By afterburner2020

from Houston, TX

About Me Casual/ Recreational

See all my reviews

Pros

Comfortable
Fly Works Well
Lightweight
Sturdy

Cons

Best Uses

Backpacking
Car Camping
Hiking

Comments about REI Half Dome 2 Tent:

I've been camping since I was a kid and have recently started backpacking and this is my first real backpacking tent. Was going to get a kelty gunnison 2.1 but saw this in the store and haven't looked back. It is about 4lbs lighter than my old tent that i have packed on a few weekend trips before deciding it was time to upgrade to something lighter and better. It is big enough to be very comfortable for two medium sized people like myself with some gear and two very roomy vestibules for more gear and i can even see it holding 3 people in a pinch. The pockets inside the tent are great for holding gear and the door and vestibule zippers lining up makes it very easy to get in and out. It's a little heavier than some other tents out there, like my friends Tadpole 23, but to me the extra comfort and practicality of the half dome is worth the extra few ounces. The pole set up is a little tricky at first, but its a breeze now. Very impressed, would buy again in a heartbeat.

Dec

2009

(44 of 153 customers found this review helpful)

1.0

Bad redesign

By mhungry

from Tacoma, WA

About Me Avid Adventurer

See all my reviews

Pros

Cons

Difficult To Setup
Heavy
Too Cramped

Best Uses

Comments about REI Half Dome 2 Tent:

This is a bad redesign of the original. The original was slightly larger, and was a simple 2-pole setup that was simple and easy to track. The addition of a third pole across the top, and the shrinking of the length and width is unacceptable. Go for the Kelty Gunnison 2.1 instead.

Dec

2009

(42 of 63 customers found this review helpful)

3.0

This tent has its own weather system

By Camrod

from Ellijay, Ga

About Me Casual/ Recreational

See all my reviews

Pros

Easy To Set Up
Lightweight
Sturdy

Cons

Collects Condensation
Poor Fly Design
Too Cramped

Best Uses

Backpacking
Hiking

Comments about REI Half Dome 2 Tent:

This tent looks great, packs up really small ( I use compression packs), and is built well. However, I took this tent out for a spin on the Appalachian trail for the past couple of days and I am sad to say that it rained on us. When I say rained on us, I mean the tent actually collected enough condensation inside the fly to actually drip back down. This happened with both vents open on top, and with around 10% humidity. The only hope for the tent to have done this was that it was rather chilly (15-20 degrees), and the body heat inside actually was enough to form a weather system.

Mar

2010

(41 of 43 customers found this review helpful)

4.0

Great Product - Detractors are Misguided

By Bear O

from Austin, TX

See all my reviews

Pros

Comfortable
Easy To Set Up
Fly Works Well
Lightweight
Sturdy
Waterproof
Windproof

Cons

Best Uses

Comments about REI Half Dome 2 Tent:

This seasoned backpacker says tent is great at what it does (solid quality but not super high end and reasonable cost). Detractors need to stop being Luddites. I've been backpacking for a while. For the last two or three years, we've been using my brother's REI Quarter-Dome, which has served us wonderfully. I had been looking for a modestly priced two person tent to take my new wife (who isn't sold on backpacking yet) camping. I wanted one that would be simple, durable, not too expensive, but that we could use for more serious backpacking if the wife decided she liked it. I didn't want to spend a bundle because if she hates it, I'll just keep going with my brother and we'll use his tent.

After a few uses, this tent has been exactly what I expected it to be: a very well designed, solid, but not super high-end tent. Square foot per person, it's larger than the great quarter dome series, and there is more headroom. It does weigh a little more than the ultralight quarter-dome, but it is still very usable for multi-day backpacking trips. It also costs over $100 less than the quarter-dome. Just what I needed. Just what I expected. Great price.

No condensation issues at all, because I set it up properly. Not a ton of space inside because it's a backpacking tent, but more space than many ultralight tents. Materials and design are consistent with the quality that we admire and expect from REI.

Dec

2009

(41 of 132 customers found this review helpful)

1.0

Condensate much?

By Bucktown Trotter

from Athens, GA

About Me Casual/ Recreational

See all my reviews

Pros

Easy To Set Up
Lightweight

Cons

Collects Condensation
Flimsy Construction
Too Cramped

Best Uses

Dog House

Comments about REI Half Dome 2 Tent:

Tent looks nice, packs down small and is light. The good stuff ends there. After setup, a small limb fell on the tent tearing the fly. I thought, bad luck. That night, it got cold. We were two inside and it was barely enough for us with everything else sleeping outside. I awoke the next morning with a shiver. The footbox of my bag was soaked. So much condensation was in the tent, it was a continuous drip onto my feet. When I went to unzip the door, tons of water came down on top of me. REI needs to take this one back to the drawing board.[...]

Feb

2010

(33 of 84 customers found this review helpful)

1.0

Redesigned for the worse

By nacnudus

from New Zealand

See all my reviews

Pros

Lightweight

Cons

Best Uses

Comments about REI Half Dome 2 Tent:

People said the old design was too cramped, so they redesigned it even smaller.

They also made it more complicated, meaning more likely to fail.

A lot of good, fine mesh has been replaced with a flimsy mesh. The groundsheet now barely leaves ground-level, unlike any other tent on the market. Perhaps these changes are weight savings so that REI can pretend the tent is lightweight despite having an extra pole.

I bought a Marmot Earlylight instead.

Jan

2010

(32 of 127 customers found this review helpful)

1.0

Bad revision of a great tent

By Tony the backpacker

from Bend, OR

See all my reviews

Pros

Cons

Best Uses

Comments about REI Half Dome 2 Tent:

Please R.E.I., bring back the original half dome tent. You took a simple trustworthy tent and made it complicated and unreliable. I dont want to have to get one on [...]

Jan

2010

(27 of 70 customers found this review helpful)

2.0

Why change a good thing?

By Linhawk

from NE Texas

About Me Avid Adventurer

See all my reviews

Pros

Cons

Difficult To Setup

Best Uses

Backpacking

Comments about REI Half Dome 2 Tent:

I went to the Dallas retail store to purchase another Half-Dome and much to my disappointment the design had changed. The new version is more complicated to pitch. Being a creature of habit I will likely opt for the Kelty Gunnison 2 as it's more like the previous and nearly perfect Half Dome. Again, why change a good thing?

Jan

2010

(26 of 33 customers found this review helpful)

4.0

Comfy tent

By XThomas

from Arvada, CO

About Me Avid Adventurer

See all my reviews

Pros

Comfortable
Lightweight
Waterproof

Cons

Best Uses

Backpacking
Car Camping

Comments about REI Half Dome 2 Tent:

Keep us comfortable and dry for 2 nights on the ocean coast. The extra room was nice for getting dressed inside the tent and hanging out in wet weather. I am getting used to a little extra work of set-up from my previous dome tent, but so far I think it is worth it.