REI Half Dome 2 HC

Gear Review

REI Half Dome 2 HC

Page Type: Gear Review

Manufacturer: REI

Your Opinion:

- 6 Votes

Page By: Arthur Digbee

Created/Edited: Jan 30, 2007 / May 6, 2008

Object ID: 2385

Hits: 2369

Product Description

This is advertised as a moderately light, three-season tent for two people. It’s certainly all that, and in fact it’s also good for winter camping (see below).

It’s roomy for its weight and class, as I am a big 6'2" and I feel that I have plenty of room inside it. I have not tried this with two big people, but I wouldn’t have any qualms about it.

The tent has a lot of features that add a little weight - - the second door, the attic, two vestibules, some pockets in the walls and miscellaneous strings hanging from places.

Setup

The tent has two poles permanently attached to an x-shaped hub. The entire pole complex almost self-assembles when you shake it out.

The tent has one color-coded corner, and if you line that color up on the footprint, tent, and fly the whole thing sets up in a snap. My only complaint here is that the contrasting colors are orange and black, so there isn’t much contrast in moonlight, requiring use of a light.

Durability

We’ve put this thing through the standard paces for a three-season tent. We were snug and dry in a strong rainstorm on Isle Royale, and the vestibule was big enough to keep both packs dry too. The bathtub floor and the seams were all watertight, and we had no problems with rainfly leaks.

With guylines, the tent held down fine in 30-mph wind, with gusts, in the Tetons. We tied down to two trees with rope instead of using the included guylines, so I can’t vouch for those.

I use the tent for winter camping in the Midwest. I sleep warm, but my son does not, and we both stay warm in this tent down to the lower 20s. We haven’t tried it below that, but I would have no qualms about going down to the mid teens.

However, the floor of the tent doesn’t provide too much insulation, even with the footprint. If I put my hand flat on the floor of the tent, I can melt snow on the other side (but the hand stays comfortable). In the 20s, I bring two sleeping pads and I'm warm as can be in a three-season Slumberjack bag.

Specs and cost

Specs

Data here are from REI, not verified but they all seem right.

Minimum weight 5 lbs. 1 oz., average weight 5 lbs. 11 oz. with stuff sack, guylines and so forth.
Floor 90 x 54 inches, 34 square feet
Vestibule area 9.4 + 9.4 square feet
Peak height 41 inches
Two doors
Canopy fabric Nylon ripstop
Floor fabric Coated nylon
Rainfly fabric Coated polyester taffeta
Number of poles 2
Pole material DAC Featherlite aluminum
Pole diameter 9.9 / 8.5 millimeters
Packed size 7 x 23 inches

Cost

REI Half Dome 2 HC Tent, $169 online at REI
REI Half Dome 2 HC Footprint, $25 online at REI

Action shots!

Since you can't simply attach images on these gear pages, I'll add them manually. If you have shots of your Half Dome in action, give me the link and I'll post them here.

Here's my Half Dome in Iceland. Here it is in the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness.

And, pictures from other people:
Here it is at Hidden Lake -- the lake is hidden but the tent is not!

Here it is at Mt. Berman, Lower Phillips Ridge, and Carter Lake, all on Vancouver Island.

And here it is at Ceder Peak (UT)

And here it is at Canyon de Chelly

Images

Reviews

Viewing: 1-7 of 7

Smith93

Awesome Tent

Voted 5/5

I bought one shortly after I started working for REI, I used it all summer and loved it. It’s easy to set up with plenty of room for two full grown adults. I even have the older version of the tent, the Half Dome Plus 2 and that was such a great tent that I didn't hesitate to buy the newer version. Plus the price is good too.

Posted Jan 30, 2007 10:25 pm


	Arthur Digbee	Re: Awesome Tent
	Voted 5/5	Yeah, I have the older version too and decided to carry two half domes for the family instead of one 4-person tent. The older one does have a slight curve in one pole sustained in a different windstorm but is still structurally sound.
		Posted Jan 30, 2007 10:38 pm

Travis Atwood

2006 Model

Voted 5/5

I bought one of these early last year and have used it a lot. It's a bit heavier than some of the more expensive tents out there, but for the price, it can't be beat. Very easy to set up and it should prove to be very durable. It also seems to vent very well. I've used it in temps ranging from well below zero up into the 70's and condensation has been minimal.

Posted Feb 1, 2007 4:06 pm

skagitteam

2006 model

Voted 5/5

This is a great tent all around, I've never had a better one for the money. My only complaint is that the vents in the fly tend to flap a bit if you set up in the wind, and the zippers on the fly can be a bit hard to reach from the inside of the tent.

Posted Feb 4, 2007 2:44 am


	Arthur Digbee	Re: 2006 model
	Voted 5/5	True, the bottom zipper on the fly is a long way out. I have long arms, so it's OK, and obviously the space buys you vestibule room. Also, just learned the hard way not to leave the rainfly vents open if the temperature is going to drop 35 degrees overnight. It wasn't quite so toasty in the morning as it had been at night!
		Posted Mar 15, 2007 5:14 pm

2skinners

Great tent!!

Hasn't voted

My wife and I have had this tent for a couple of years now and we have no complaints. It is lightweight and comfortable. It has endured wind, rain, and snow and is still in great shape. It is light enough that when we accidentally set up camp in an RV campground in Bryce Canyon, we were able to just pick it up and place it on top of our car. We got some great looks but it was much easier than breaking it back down and putting it back together again. It takes only a short time to set it up and the vestibule in bad weather does a good job of keeping things dry.

I recommend this tent!!

Posted Jun 17, 2007 4:32 am

jfox

Love it!

Voted 5/5

Very light weight, roomy and ventilated well. Easy as heck to set up even with the rainfly. You can erect the tent alone, with the rainfly, or just use the footprint with rainfly w/o the tent. I've used it a lot of places in CO & WY in all four seasons. Dead of winter in Colorado high country with the fly, it slept well. There was no wind, so I don't know if a full winter force gale would destroy it. I'm quite happy with the tent though.

Posted Mar 19, 2008 11:25 am

Viewing: 1-7 of 7