REI Half Dome 2 Review

The REI Half Dome 2 is a well-designed, comfortable, strong and affordable tent. It’s an excellent all-purpose shelter with a price tag that does half the damage of similar quality tents.

The Half Dome’s pole design is simple and strong. Three multi-width DAC Featherlite NSL poles connect with two burly plastic hubs. The 2010 model has steeper walls and a more tensioned body than all previous models. The 32sq. ft. floor measures 84” x 52”; there’s plenty of space for two people plus their gear. The Half Dome has a unique door design with two zippers: one tackles the bottom, and the other the top. The nylon and mesh body is sufficiently tensioned so that you can easily open each zipper with one hand. There’s also a medium sized vestibule and vent above each door.

The inside is very comfortable. Eight pockets make it too easy to bring your life into the tent at night. Two of them are designed to stuff the door in (easier and faster than rolling and fastening), but also provide an upright and rigid place to store a 12oz. glass bottle. Of the other six, two are small, two large, two are integrated into the roof.

Several testers found the Half Dome’s bathtup floor to be incredibly waterproof. Two events created an optimal testing environment: a rare high desert rain storm and poor site selection in the lowest part of a large area. A full night of driving rain flooded the area under the tent with 4” of water, creating a natural waterbed. In the morning the pond was so large that shoes were submerged, but the people remained perfectly dry. They also left the doors unzipped for ventilation and woke up with a frog in the tent. We’ve included a photo of the tent from around 10:00 that morning (much of the water had infiltrated the soil). Take our word for it, the Half Dome is waterproof.

While it is well-designed, spacious, and waterproof, the Half Dome’s best attribute is its price. A mere $180 makes this tent a steal.


Dislikes
The Half Dome has less than optimal door zippers. Two straight zippers are family camping style. We prefer large U shaped or teardrop doors. The tent also has cheap and flexible stakes and weaker vestibule guy lines. The vestibules also drip water into the tent when they’re opened. These drawbacks, however, are negligible when you take price into account.

Best Application
Car camping and backpacking.

Value
This tent is an exceptional value. Unless you need something that’s much lighter, we have a hard time wondering why anyone wouldn’t buy this tent.

Other Versions and Accessories
The Half Dome 2 Plus offers an extended floor plan. It's 10 in. longer, 4 in. wider, and $10 more. We haven’t tested this because we believe the normal version is plenty spacious. There’s also a $25 Footprint.

REI Promotional Video

How to set up the REI Half Dome 2 Video