A Tale of the 2 Plus

Campfire Guy Here.  All of my camping experiences have been intense.  Wait for it.  I promise the jokes are only going to get better worse.  As I like to be reminded, I have at times, been a serial gear returner.  The gear that didn’t get voted off the island gets put to good use and has met my lofty expectations.  One of those pieces of gear is the REI Half Dome 2 Plus.

I would venture to say that the REI Half Dome 2 and Half Dome 2 Plus are one of their most popular lines of tents.  This past weekend, I camped with my son’s Boy Scout Troop and four out of the twelve adult tents used were one of the two.

Half Dome 2 vs Half Dome 2 Plus

The two tents are very similar, differing only in the overall dimensions and weight.  Half Dome 2 Plus is a 4” wider, 10” longer, 2” taller and six ounces heavier (based on the “Minimum Trail Weight”) than the Half Dome 2.  I opted for the 2 Plus since it’s a little roomier.  We use this tent when we are looking to reduce weight or will be camping where there is limited space to set up.  I have taken this tent on three campouts over the past year and it has served me well.

If you are flying solo in this tent, you are using it wrong.  These are not FAA certified for flight.  For a solo camper, however, this tent has a palatial interior.  At 56” wide by 96” long, you can fit two standard width sleeping pads (which are usually 20” wide) side by side with a little room to spare  There is enough length that a 6’ tall person’s head or feet won’t be touching the ends of the tent.  With a 42” peak height, there is plenty of room to sit up inside, or to wiggle around awkwardly trying to change clothes.

The 2 Plus is a double wall tent, in that it has a tent body with a separate rain fly.  Two entry doors and gear vestibules make getting in and out of the tent easier with two occupants.  Each corner has convenient gear storage pockets.  The peak of the tent has an additional two pockets as well as a loop to hang a small light from.

Some Operator Error

My biggest complaint with this tent was that there was no way to store the tent door out of the way.  During my first two trips, I cursed that blasted door, just hanging smugly in the middle of the opening, getting in the way of accessing my gear inside the tent.  I had resigned myself to bringing a clothespin to tack it open.

Turns out I had an “ID-10-T” issue with the tent.  ID10T.  IDIOT.  Idiot.  I’m an idiot.  The smart folks behind this tent design actually placed a little pocket above each door, called the “Door Stuff Pocket” to store the door up and out of the way.  It only took me five nights in this tent to figure it out.

Now that I have that pesky door issue worked out, I can honestly say I’ve had zero problems with it.  Some reviewers note that the rain fly flaps in the wind because there’s too much slack between the guy out points.  I did spend one really windy night in this tent a while back and if the fly itself made noise, I couldn’t hear it over the sound of the wind rustling through the trees.

If you are in need of a two person tent or want to have plenty of room for one, the Half Dome Two Plus is an excellent option.  There are certainly two person tents available that are lighter, but they are considerably more expensive and don’t have the same amount of interior space.

Pros:

• Spacious interior
• Two entry doors and vestibules
• Doors can be stored up out of the way
• Currently available in six different colors

Cons:

• The rain fly is a little tough to secure at the peak.

Specs (As provided by REI)

Manufacturer:  REI Co-op

Price: Currently $249

Seasons: 3-season

Sleeping Capacity – 2-person

Minimum Trail Weight – 5 lbs. 1 oz.

Floor Dimensions: 96 x 56 in.

Peak Height: 42 in.

Number of Doors: 2

Number of Poles: 3

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

Design Type:  Freestanding.

Special thanks to my friend Tony Gutierrez for the awesome cover photo!

Campfire Guy does not yet have the gear reviewer chops required to have REI send him free stuff to review.  Yet.  This tent was purchased with Campfire Guy’s own funds.