How to Choose a Backpacking Tent

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The 3-season REI Co-op Half Dome 2 Plus tent provides plenty of room for you and a partner to camp in comfort. Plus, its exterior delivers a striking view of the highest mountain in the Cascade range.
Shop newer versionBest Use | Backpacking |
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Seasons | 3-season |
Sleeping Capacity | 2-person |
Minimum Trail Weight | 4 lbs. 14 oz. |
Packaged Weight | 5 lbs. 5 oz. |
Packed Size | 7 x 20.5 inches |
Floor Dimensions | 92 x 56 inches |
Floor Area | 35.8 square feet |
Vestibule Area | 22.5 square feet |
Peak Height | 44 inches |
Number of Doors | 2 doors |
Number of Poles | 1 hubbed poleset |
Pole Material | DAC Pressfit aluminum |
Canopy Fabric | 40-denier ripstop nylon/20-denier nylon mesh |
Floor Fabric | 70-denier taffeta nylon |
Rainfly Fabric | 40-denier nylon |
Footprint Included | No |
Design Type | Freestanding |
Sustainability | From a Climate Label Certified brand |
From feedback to field testing, all of our gear is dialed-in by REI Co-op members. Their adventures informed every stitch and detail—making for better, longer-lasting gear.
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I love my new tent! It's the perfect size/weight for touring on bike. Easy set up! The first night of use it rained a few hours and the tent stayed perfectly dry inside. The ceiling vents provide good ventilation. The doors are well designed with various options to tie back from partially or fully open. It's really nice to have two doors which also tuck away at the top of the tent. I purchased the foot print separately, which kept the bottom of the tent protected and dry. And finally I love the rainier design.
I loved this tent until our last trip, when the glue sealing the seams flaked off, the velcro fly-to-pole fasteners and the fly tie-backs fell off, and the fly leaked during rain. I took it back to REI (it has been more than a year since purchase) and was very condescendingly told that I had stored it wrong and should have had it in a mesh bag in the off season. If this is the case, why isn't one included (my sleeping bag did include a cotton storage bag, for example)? Why aren't customers informed of this VERY IMPORTANT piece of information at time of purchase? Why is there nothing about storage included in the directions on the tent?
I bought this tent with my dividend and one-item discount after test driving a friend's Half Dome for the past couple of summers, and have already put it to use on a couple of trips this year, and love the small improvements made on my friend's older version, like all of the stash pockets, pole system, and all of the interior loops for hanging lights, fans, and disco balls! However I wasn't compelled to write a review until this tent became the MVP of a comedy-of-errors weekend. I planned to use this at a music festival in upstate New York that ended up being canceled due to excessive rain and flooding in the region. Depressed, we decided to camp out anyway with other displaced fans and make the best of the weekend. Not long after we set up camp in the "lush grass spot" did it start to downpour. I was focused on keeping the fire going and getting items out of the rain under a tarp when, about 10-15 minutes into the storm I hear "baby, we're under water." the EZ-Up I had put over our tent had collapsed from the rain onto the tent, and water had risen about 8" up the side of the tent. I nearly cried! Could this weekend be any more of a disaster!? Well, when the rain finally gave way to the sun, we went into the pool of water to pull out the tent, expecting the worst. Turns out, it was bone dry inside!! It still spooks me to think about how that could be so? WHO KNOWS— I chalk it up to the integrity of REI products. The whole scenario lit a fire in the group and renewed our general sense of hope and joy. The weekend turned out to be a wonderful one— we packed up camp the next morning and stayed at a different KOA each night for the rest of the long weekend (setting up this tent is SO simple, the poles allow it to be done by one person in just minutes).
I originally fell in love with this tent years ago while doing a Yellowstone trip with REI. Ever since then this tent has been on my camping wish list! I pulled the trigger a few weeks ago (yay dividends!) and am so happy with my purchase. It was super easy to put up (I did it all by myself the first time with no help in crazy wind), looks great, has so many convenient pockets, and withstood crazy wind with no problem. I car camp and backpack and I like that this tent is versatile enough for both. Since I was car camping this weekend, I threw in a twin size air mattress and my dogs bed, and still had about a foot of clearance for our stuff. Very happy customer!
I really liked this tent. Nice internal design and enough space for 2 adults. Large vestibules for gear and lots of internal storage for headlamp, phone, keys, etc. Light enough for backpacking and very easy to set up. Where the REI Half Dome 2 Plus will let you down is the rainfly. It worked well for about 1 year and then I was caught in a torrential downpour on the Buffalo River in Arkansas. Hours of heavy rainfall saturated the rainfly inside and out. I tried water-proofing but it didn't take. On the next outing with light rain the rainfly again was saturated and I had a puddle of water inside the tent by morning. With only a 1 year warranty, this 3 year old tent has seen its last day on the trail.
I read the reviews and out of 4 were pretty bad. I think one guy here has the wrong product and the other guy is really up tight with his snags. This tent is awesome. Love the grid pattern and is a smart choice from REI, bc when you have this tent lit up it looks amazing from the outside. Yeah, there were a few snags on mesh but nothing to worry about at all. Tent performs well in high wind 40-50mph at the badlands in South Dakota last month. Hated the 1 pole system because it was awkward to set up, until I discovered you need to stake in your tent first in order for it to be a breeze. Lots of pockets. More than I need. Fly vestibule is big enough for my liking. Vertical walls are awesome as I am a tad claustrophobic. Makes it seem larger. Love this tent.
I have had this tent for a few years now and I finally decided to leave a review. The tent is lightweight and does what it's supposed to do! I have taken this tent with me to different terrains (beach, mountains, forest..) and I have always felt protected (mostly). I will point out that it doesn't protect you from the harsh wind and dust. I once had dust get inside the tent because of the harsh wind but I think there's also so much a tent can do to protect you from that. Overall I love this tent, its easy to assemble and I am glad that I bought this.
I really enjoy using this tent. Yes it's not the greatest and lightest tent in the world but I can say for sure it's the best bang for your buck. It is very comfortable, spacious (you can even fit 3 people if you really need) lots of storage space, pockets are everywhere, also there are lots of loops to hang lanterns or other things. We've spend 6 days on Mount Aragats in Armenia and this tent performed very well. Only thing I would like to change about it - add compression straps on the tent sack.
I bought the REI Half-Dome 2 Plus tent ahead of a 10 day camping trip in Iceland. Even in June and July, Iceland threw some crazy weather at us (lots of wind and rain) and this tent held up well. PROS: Comfortable size for two people: my brother and I are both over 6 feet, and we fit comfortably in the tent together with room for small bags, and there are tons of pockets on the walls and ceiling where you can stash things. Very fast to set up: I found the single pole system very easy - once the tent is staked down you just put the poles together, stick in the corners and clip the tent hooks to it. Weatherproof: We had tons of wind and rain and I kept waking up to check on the tent because I was SURE water must be getting in - but it never did. The tent definitely wiggled around when the wind was really strong, but it never collapsed, and no water got in. Even boots left in the vestibules stayed dry. The vestibules on the sides are also very spacious. CONS: The stakes bend fairly easy, but the bigger thing is I wish they provided at least two more so you could better stake out the rain fly. In decent weather it's fine as is, but when it was really wet or windy, we would have liked to stake out the vestibule in more places so that the wet fly would not flap towards the tent as we opened it. Mesh: I loved how much mesh the tent had. Mine does have a few small snags throughout though. Hard to say if they really matter or would let bugs through (Iceland has no mosquitos), but when there's that much mesh you notice it once you start looking. OVERALL: The pros of this tent greatly outweigh the few cons, and I think it's definitely the highest quality tent in it's price range.
This is an AWESOME tent! It's surprisingly roomy and relatively light weight. Containing only one pole, setup's a breeze. Once setup, it's tall enough to comfortably sit upright. The equal amounts of room on the head and feet ends allow for extra space, great for 2 people plus 1 dog. (Or 1 person plus 2 dogs!) Inside, there are plenty of pockets (six small overhead pockets and four lower/larger side pockets) to keep all of your things organized and your tent lit at night. This is my new go to tent for car camping or backpacking trips that I might need to spend more time in the tent (ex. rainy or cooler weather)!