REI Quarter Dome T1 Tent

Comments about REI Quarter Dome T1 Tent:

I really don't understand why anyone complains about the size of this tent. It is designed to fit 1 person. It is not designed to give you space to do jumping jacks. I am 6'1 195 lbs and I easily fit inside with a sleeping mat and a sleeping bag. I even have room to drag my osprey 60 lb backpack inside with me. Bottom line - if you are backpacking and want a light, portable 1 person tent (and you are no taller than 6'3-6'4) this would be a great tent for you.

Comments about REI Quarter Dome T1 Tent:

I am a 5'6", 125-pound woman and this tent is too small for me. It's very cramped. If you have to spend much time in it you will go nuts. There is no way you can have your pack inside, which means it's under the vestibule sitting on the ground. The only place to hang a small drying line is right over your head - there are no clips at the foot end of the tent. There is only one small gear pocket. The rain fly pools water at the top (though it never leaked). This tent withstood 6 days of heavy rain and wind with no leaks. The mesh lets in lots of cold air. Your body heat will never warm up the inside of the tent.

Comments about REI Quarter Dome T1 Tent:

I still own the old T1, and like things about it better than the new one, which is actually just barely lighter than the old one while also larger.

I like how the old one holds a sleeping mat perfectly so that it doesn't slide around at all, and the feeling of sleeping in the old one or me is comfortable for being just enough for 1 person's pad. It's pretty tight if you needed to bring your backpack inside for a rain storm, though.

The new one is pretty cool when you get used to it, having that missing space for plenty of gear.

The new one is kind of awkward how it's not really freestanding, and needs to be staked out more so than the old one, which was a true free-standing tent.
Also, the new one takes getting used to how to set it up (read the directions! you need to set up the right corner first, and follow the correct sequence to properly set this tent up, or it will be kind of twisted.

Once you figure it out, it's no big deal, and actually is a good design, because when you do set it up properly, you will find that it is a very strong design in wind. If you DON'T, then it would be flimsy.

It's really not that hard to figure it out, and it's nothing to complain about.
Overall, I do prefer the new design to the old one, although I am glad I still have 2 of the old T2 tents. Without any gear inside, I do slightly prefer the old one for being more comfortable, but it is definitely better to have more room.

Still, I have the old T1, the new T1, but my overall preferred tents are the expensive but SO light UL2 platinum, and the non-platinum UL2. The weights are so close to the UL1 versions that it really only makes sense to by the UL2.

Those tents are VERY expensive, though, so the regular REI and other less expensive brands do have their merits.

Removing weight usually also means less strength when there is severe weather, and it does also seem a bit odd that the lighter, flimsier tent with less materials needed to produce is of course the most expensive!

Comments about REI Quarter Dome T1 Tent:

This is a GREAT little tent. And I do mean little. I'm 5'8", 160lbs and it's a snug fit. It's not totally impracticle, and you are saving tons of weight.

The major flaw that I found out the hard way is the use of several glued seams that came apart in hot weather under direct sunlight. I think most of the seams are sewn on, however a couple on the fly are glued and simply melted away. I've had this happen on another tent (NON-REI brand), and the ENTIRE tent fell apart around me.

Not the end of the world, I'll just sew them back, BUT it's discouraging that many new tents are going towards glued seams instead of the reliable stitched ones.

I'd recommend this tent 100%, however since I'm going to have to alter it to suite the hot weather, I only gave it 3 stars.

Comments about REI Quarter Dome T1 Tent:

the weight is decent but not great. i bought this and the big agnes fly creek UL1 at the same time to compare. the quarter dome is heavier and much more difficult to set up...a lot more difficult. getting into and out of the 1/4 dome tent is a little easier but i wanted something minimal and easy like a bivy. i found it in the big agnes and returned the 1/4dome.

Comments about REI Quarter Dome T1 Tent:

You can get good lightweight performance for less money with this tent. I've used it for many trips including a six day walk-about in the Smokies during some very unpleasant weather. The rain fly fits to the ground nicely and keeps water from splashing up. It also dries out pretty quickly.

The reliable, color coded poles match the tent straps and set up is effortless. It accommodates a 20-inch wide sleeping pad just fine; but you have to keep in mind this is a minimalist tent. There are only two tiny gear pockets inside and the vestibule is on the small side. Ventilation is average.

It has a small footprint (I use construction fabric underneath) that's good for picking out a flat spot and it packs well.

Comments about REI Quarter Dome T1 Tent:

This tent is in the shape of a triangle, with high, wind-catching sides. While in Yosemite, a wind of about 20mph collapsed the tent because it hit on one of the high, flat sides. It was thoroughly staked to the ground, and had rocks on top of the stakes. This tent has a very poor design and is undependable as a backpacking shelter. After my backpacking trip, I threw it away.

Comments about REI Quarter Dome T1 Tent:

I love gear that is compact, light and only takes seconds to set up. This tent meets all three of my requirements. It breathes well and fits perfectly in my backpack for a good day of hiking. Good one man/woman tent. My only con, I'm not fond of having to to stake corners down to keep tents taut which is one design that I would change with this tent but everything else about it is great.

Comments about REI Quarter Dome T1 Tent:

I have gotten into the sport of backpacking and needed a lightwieght/small tent I decided one man was the best choice given it was less fabric used. I got it and set it up, it was very difficult seeing as the instructions were hard to follow and the fly didn't fit 100% correctly but this is forseeable on most REI tents, I would also reccomend purchasing lightwieght, hollow, or split stakes as the ones that come with the tent are solid aluminium. The build and quality of the tent itself is GREAT

Comments about REI Quarter Dome T1 Tent:

As a 5'3" female this is a great size for me and a large pack. I've spent 10 nights in a row in this through rain and wind in northern MN. I stayed dry and the tent stayed up. To avoid condensation, I had to use all the guyout points so the fly didn't touch the tent walls in the wind.

Great for those who don't like sharing tents and still want to sit up.