REI Co-op  Quarter Dome T1 Tent

I wanted to follow after my 5 days on the Potomac River. I did have a couple of nights of heavy condensation, but I think there's only so much one can expect from a tent. My buddy's tent, a pretty nice MSR, had the same problem. But, note that the fly is a few inches off of the tent, so the tent itself was quite dry. My only contact with anything wet was exiting the tent (inside of the rain fly door). Otherwise, slept well. I was right about the room in my first review. Plenty for me, and I am just shy of 6'. After your first couple of times through, sets up in a couple of minutes, and if pressed I bet you could set this thing up in 60 seconds assuming you had all parts handy. Super light. I am mostly interested, now, at how this holds up through more and more setups/breakdowns. But, from what I have experienced, a great 1-person tent.

This tent seems like it was designed specifically for me. I'm 6'1" 185 lbs and I fit perfectly in this like a sardine in it's can. Ridiculously simple to put together, lite, sturdy, and cool looking. I haven't had it in the rain so I can't comment on that but I was just in 20 to 30 mph winds on top of Standing Indian Mtn. in N.C on the AT and it held up fine, wasn't drafty, didn't flap at all and it wasn't even completely guyed-out! Awesome price too. Also, the new Neo-Air Thermarest size Large fits perfectly. If I had to split hairs about anything it would be the lack of access to the other side of the fly / vestibule for storage or rain coverage. But overall I highly recommend this puppy.

I hiked for three and a half months on the Appalachian trail with this tent. From Georgia to New York (1400 miles) it was my shelter in countless rain storms and even a few snow storms. With this tent, I was always one of the first to finish setting up my camp - it's design is easy to get the hang of and it stays up well in decent wind. I would buy this tent again.

I worked in the back country this summer and lived in this tent for nearly three months solid. Over that period of time we went thogh torrential hail+ rain, snow, and many many 100+ degree days. The tent held up through all of it. The bathtub bottom works extraordinarily well, you can have a sleeping bag touching it throughout the night in the rain and you will not be wet inside. The venting is decent and keeps out the rain. The Vestibules are about the only down side, in the heavy rain the rain would be falling into the puddles created around the tent by the fly and then splash water up into the mesh in the inside of the tent. After setting it up and taking it down daily for nearly 90 days I had 2 bent stakes, no broken poles and a very very dirty tent. I'm 6 foot and I have just enough room in the tent with a small backpacking pillow in there with me so if you are tall this isn't the tent for you. If you feel like you need to roll around in your sleep this also isn't the tent for you. Sitting up in the middle isn't a problem, and the mesh pouches along the sides fit the bill.

Hello fellow campers and backpacker enthusiasts. I performed a lot of research when deciding which solo tent to purchase. I initially purchased a tarp-tent solo tent and after using it and realizing that if the weather was at all foul and rainy I would certainly be uncomfortable. I was sent back to the drawing board for researching a one-person tent. This tent is very solid in construction, yet does not add much weight to my packs total weight. It is slightly heavier than some competitors but the price is just right and I know REI will stand behind their products craftsmanship. The setup is a little well lets say unique, but other then that no complaints here, this tent comes highly recommended. Sincerely, Strategic Vagabond

I used this tent on my 1000 mile hike on the Pacific Crest Trail this year. I loved being able to camp with the rainfly off in the desert. In Washington, I weathered a big downpour and it stayed dry because of the rainfly--unlike the people in tarptents camped nearby. It had no condensation because of the net interior. The only downside was that it barely fit myself and my pack had to sit upright on the end to fit. In good weather, however, I stored the pack outside under the small rainfly in a garbage bag. I switched to storing it inside to be able to get to stuff more readily. I am 5' 4" tall and use a Big Agnes sleeping pad, which fit perfectly from side to side in the tent.

I used this tent every night on my recent 120 mile backpack trip on the Arizona trail. It is easy to set up. Although it is small--it is hard to accommodate me (I'm 5'4")and my backpack inside (I store the backpack under the rain fly in a garbage bag outside the tent), I really appreciated the small footprint of the tent when I had to rapidly deploy it on a ridge when a storm was approaching. I felt totally secure in the wind and rain with the full rainfly coverage, unlike under a tarp.It has a great combo of being inexpensive, lightweight, and secure in bad weather. Plus it can be put up without the rainfly for nice weather nights.

I'm in my 60s. I wanted a LIGHT tent that provided wind, rain, and bug protection and wasn't claustrophobic. I took a solo backpacking trip in September of 2009 up to Tuck & Robins Lakes and "light weight" was key, so I took the T1. The REI Quarter dome T1 worked perfectly. I slept with the rain fly on but the vestibule "open" (no rain). What I like most about it is the headroom you have with a narrow lightweight tent and all the mesh used in the tent canopy so that it can be used in warm dry weather camping - - with lots of ventilation and night sky gazing. With the rain fly secured properly it appears it would hold up very well to wind and/or rain. I own a number of tents including The North Face: Mountain 24; Cirrus; and Tadpole 23. The REI quarter dome T1 will always be my first choice when "weight" is a key factor for a solo backpacking trip. ONE CAUTION: The pole configuration is unique and impressive...but not necessarily "intuitive". Fortunately the instructions are sewn to the side of the tent stuff bag. I tried setting up the tent for the first time at Tuck Lake in a pretty strong wind. I didn't do well until the light went on that I needed to turn the "pole set" over (upside down) and then the set up was a "slam dunk". Once you know the way to lay out the pole assembly, it is an easy set up. So if you buy this nice solo tent, do one dry run in your living room before trying to learn the routine in wind and/or rain. A narrow long Thermarest self inflating air mattress, fits like a glove inside the the T1. The tent is a winner, if you are willing to accept the narrow space that comes with the ultra light weight (which I am). OldManTravels

Can't say enough good things about this tent. It's lightweight and packs down so small that it fits in the bottom compartment of my pack WITH my down sleeping bag. Very easy to set up and extremely sturdy. I camped on top of a high sand dune on the coast of Peru, and again on top of a bald in the southern Appalachians, both times with strong winds blowing all night and had no problem whatsoever - if you drive stakes in all four corners and use guylines on the windward side this tent is drum-tight. I'm 6'1" and fit perfectly inside, with plenty of head room to sit up. The vestibule is plenty big for a pack and a pair of boots.

I have had this for 2 years now. It isnt as light as a bivy but a extra lb or so for a GOOD tent. Yes it is small I touch my toes and the bottom and my shoulders sometimes touch the sides but I stay dry and the bugs don't get in. The size isnt really that bad tough. I'm 6' 1" and 230 and I sleep in a big agnes nugget that is a large but I fit just snug in this tent. It sets up easy a 5' 10" friend loved how easy it was to set up but got the 1/2 dome instead for more room. He now complains constantly how much heavier his tent is than mine. With the nugget unless I'm certain I'm going to get rained on I don't even take a tent. So its this tent or nothing.