REI Co-op - Half Dome 2 Plus

I have hiked with: REI Half Dome. Too heavy but free standing and plenty of room for two. Probably 90 miles with it. A couple discontinued tents. About forty-fifty miles with them. A Big Agnes Copper Spur. The 2p gets feeling cramped for two after a while. About 1,200'miles on the AT with it. A triplex. Great tent, especially with the pole caps. Finished the AT and did a good part of the PCT with it. XMid Pro 2. It is smaller than the XMid 2 and gets to feeling crowded after a while-which is why they brought out the 2+. Great for one person though. Did more of the PCT and part of the Oregon Coast Trail with it. Off-set Trio. My wife and I will be back on the trail in a couple weeks with it. 43 square feet. It is a palace. Almost 2,000 miles with it, mostly on the CDT.

My favorite car camp tent is the REI half dome. It's actually comfortable. If you want a cheaper option, the Ozark Trail tent from Walmart is pretty decent, but doesn't have aluminum poles. The half dome can do backpacking, but it is on the heavy side. When I care about weight, I bring my Fly Creek from Big Agnes. Copper Spur and Nemo Hornet are also great options. The fly creek is crazy light, but you really have to like the second person if you're going to fit two.

The price spectrum is a bit of a bell curve on this question I think: At the cheapest end, I have a Coleman that I bought at Target for about $40 a decade ago. It's.. fine. Camping near home in good weather I take it because the footprint is larger and the ceiling is higher. But I've had it leak in afternoon thunderstorms and had to patch it in various places after scrapes with sticks or rocks in the ground that really seem like they shouldn't impact a non-ultralight tent. On the mid-priced part of the spectrum, my parents have been using the same REI Half Dome since it was released sometime in the 1980s, and I've been using a newer edition of it for at least 15 years. I've never been leaked on, and it's stood through serious windstorms. Great for car camping. At the expensive end, I have an MSR ultralight backpacking tent that I treat like a baby. It cost a small fortune, if an ant looks at it sideways it tears, but it's sure nice and light. It's for sure not BIFL despite the price tag.

It is. I had a Half Dome from 2000 and it only had 3 nights on it. Fly was completely delaminating, seams, etc. Inner was good but locating a fly was impossible.

I did a study on the tents available in school. The answer is "some" tents are 2-person tents, but very few. At the time, the REI Half Dome 2 was the best in terms of largest size, with reasonable weight and cost. The half dome 2 plus was even better. I think the half dome 2 has an accommodation % of 78% on length and 97.5% on width, assuming two sleeping pads side by side. I'm taller than 6 feet and two people my size fit into the REI Half Dome Plus with some gear just fine. The majority of the gear goes in the vestibules and stays reasonable dry above the ground.

My REI halfdome 2 went around the world with me multiple times. I almost lived out of it for a couple summers. They also make a 2 plus version with a little extra space, but I don't have personal experience with that. Only problem is the price is $299 nowadays. (Used to be pretty cheap if I recall.)

I'd go for a 2p, but make sure your sleeping pads will fit. Many 2p tents are tapered meaning they can't accept 2 rectangle wide pads. If you're both on 20 inch pads, then it'll be fine. There are tapered wide sleeping pads for just this reason. The MSR Hubba Hubba and the REI Half Dome are examples of tents that have a full non tapered rectangle floor.

I've been happily car camping with an REI Half Dome 2+ for a decade. If I were in the market for a new tent, I'd probably stay with the Half Dome line but size up to the 3. Easy to set up but still nicely roomy (I don't mind not being to stand up in my tent), reasonably lightweight but not as delicate as a full-on backpacking tent. For protecting the floor, just get a cheap moving blanket from Harbor Freight or Menards to use as a rug. Bonus, it'll improve your own comfort too, and it muffles the annoying nylon-y rustling sound of mats and sleeping bags against the floor.

Oh yeah 2nd the 3 person if you can swing it and will have the room setting it up. I used a half dome 2+ for several seasons and upgraded to the 3p version a few years ago. We only sleep two in there but that extra room sure is nice. I don't know about the current half dome 3p but at least ours, the fly can also roll up to the top of the tent so you can get really good ventilation but still be able to redeploy the fly if needed.

I have the half dome sl 2+, it fits either me and my pack, or me and my friend and nothing else (tho we're both 6'2")

Not at that price and weight. I like the fly creek UL 2 as a light option, but it's more expensive. On the cheaper side is the half dome or quarter dome but they are heavy and prices vary. A good tent will last you many years, so factor that into your decision.

You guys could both fit but just be aware that your bags will have to go outside. If you get the Half Dome 2 tent it has a rain fly that would cover where your bags are but again still outside the tent.

Rei half dome. I'm a little tall for it at 6'4.5" but it's OK if I lay on an angle.

Copper spur is awesome. 2p tents are tight with two people. If I want room, I use the REI half dome. If I'm concerned about weight, I use a fly creek ul2. Two pads barely fit in the fly creek, but it works, and I've had two people and a 45lb dog in there. It depends on priorities, how much hiking you will do, and how much you like the person you are with. Also, are you willing to have two tents? A copper spur 2 for tougher backpacking and a cheaper tent for easy trips and car camping works as a great combo.

Before that, had a Rei Half dome SL 2+ which also had pretty much full mesh upper and gave great views. But the double rainbow def excells with how fast you could attach/remove the fly, also lighter. Tarptent is great. Highly recommend them

My gf hates waking up to pee with the door at the head. I've often thought about getting a copper spur to have the side doors, but I love the weight. Semi freestanding isn't an issue, either, even on rock. Just need to get creative with stakes and guy lines. I also have my half dome for any situation where I don't care about weight.

I'm on my 2nd REI half-dome tent, had the first one for over 10 years. It's not the lightest thing out there but it's super easy to set up, has enough room for 2, and has been extremely durable

I have an REI half dome 2 for car camping and it is really bomb. I use MSR Freelyte2 for backpacking.

REI's halfdome and quarterdome are great affordable, durable starter tents.

Second this! I have the REI Half Dome 2+ and it's a solid tent for the price, especially when you catch it on sale. Used it in everything from heavy rain to gusty winds and it kept us dry and comfortable.

I have on of these and also a REI halfdome 2+, which is a very similar style. It's not a bad tent, it's just not great either. The "tub" openings on either side are pretty low to the ground, which tends to let dirt into the tent easier and doesn't keep water out as well when it's raining. The weight is an issue if you're doing long hikes, as it has fiberglass poles instead of aluminum. There are only 2 storage pockets inside the tent, where the REI tent has 6 I think. It packs down a lot bigger than the REI tent. For me, all of that adds up to preferring the REI tent over saving ~$120.

I like the rei half dome plus. It's about $370 which is out of the price range but you could wait to an rei sale like Labor Day or get a used one on eBay.

Depending what you're using it for! Do you go camping with your car? Or do you do backcountry hiking? If you're gonna be carrying your tent you want to go for as lightweight as possible. Ounces really add up. I have an rei brand two person tent that's super light and still spacious enough for two. If you won't be carrying it on your back, you can go for more space, maybe a more heavy duty rain cover depending on your most common terrain. I would also find a tent that has its own footprint that can attach to the bottom. Saves on time and space when setting up. :)

Bivvy's rule! I have a solid military surplus one that is holding up well. I have an REI Half Dome 2 that I got for $40 used and it's great.

Honestly, look for a 2P tent with a "plus" designation (like REI Half Dome 2+) or just go with a lightweight 3P - the extra 8-12 inches of width makes all the diffrence between feeling trapped and actually sleeping well after a long day of hiking.

Hey OP, if you did have interest in the half dome I have one I'm trying to let go of. PM me or see my post on geartrade. It's a great tent. Mods hopefully this isn't against the rules to say...

I got the SL 2+ just for the dog as well 🤣

REI Halfdome is probably the best mix of quality/value

Cabelas six or 8 Alaskan Guide Tent. I have owned this tent for 15 years. Did lots of family camping and kept us dry. Backpacking I just use the rei 1/2 dome. Seam seal it. However my hard core backpacking day are behind me.

Before I met my husband I had never camped before. I don't remember exactly when our first camping trip was but I just immediately fell in love with being out in nature, hiking, the campfire, roasting marshmallows, making food... eventually we tried backpacking too. Although it was really rough (I was super slow and out of shape) I still enjoyed the experience so much! For backpacking, starting out he tried to carry as much as possible so my load would be light. Now I'm the one who's planning all our camping and backpacking trips (but he's still the most knowledgeable in terms of backcountry safety skills, navigation, etc from his Boy Scouts experience) I recommend picking destinations that are really beautiful. That's the main draw for me at least. There's nothing like seeing a sunrise over a lake, or the stars at night, sunlight filtering through a forest. We have had the REI half dome tent for a long time. It's great! Finding a good sleeping pad is key. We got sleeping bags that can zip together into one giant one. We tend to just do 1-2 night trips, maximum 3 nights. That's about as long as I can go without showering. I know some campgrounds have showers but I'd rather take a nice shower after getting home. Good luck!

Yes! My 2 person REI backpacking tent is awesome. Just enough room, easy to set up and breakdown, affordable, and has lasted a decade already with no problems. I strongly recommend to new tent to users to make the investment of buying the "footprint" if theres one that corresponds with your exact tent, or throwing a tarp underneath your tent. And be sure to lay it out in the sun to dry before packing up if possible, or do so once you get home. Just don't pack up a wet tent for weeks or months.

Me too, I have the half dome plus for trips where packing volume matters but weight is not an issue and also because it is more roomy and made of more robust fabrics. I do a fair amount of trips that start with a flight so a lighter tent that takes up less room is a must. Copper Spur is perfect though I have also used a 20+ pound REI Kingdome when space was less of an issue.

Yep that's the backpacking tent I have as well. Love REI gear. The footprint is a no brainer if you want to stay dry for sure!

Second this. I carry the tent and my wife offsets by carrying most of the cooking stuff. We're not super-duper ultralighters of course, but I don't think it's bad at all. We got the Half Dome SL 2+ for when there's a dog with us and the extra room is nice.