REI Camp Dome 2

Summary

Lots of room and two doors make this a good fair weather tent. Not much in the way of overhang of rainfly over doorways. Also, doors attach at bottom of doorway instead of on side. Since there is not much of overhang from fly, a wet door will be difficult to open and close.

This tent is a replacement tent for car camping and short distance backpacking. It replaced a Coleman Peak 2-person that I used for 14 years. The configuration is the same as the peak, but much more room for the same weight. However, it does not replace my ultra lite backpacking tent. I use a Big Agnes Fly Creek UL2 that weighs 2Lbs. for long distances. The 5lb Camp Dome 2 is a bit too heavy for long distance pack trips.

The Camp Dome tent has lots of room and two doors. If you need a screen tent for bugs only, it can be used without the rainfly to save weight if used as a backpack tent. However, without the rainfly, this tent offers no privacy. The Peak had privacy because the tent walls were not see through. The trade off is Camp Dome 2 has two doors and more room. Similar tents have one door, less room, but non see though walls.

There is no overhang of the rainfly, so no place to put boots and other gear. REI could improve this tent by adding at least another foot on overhang in front of door. I really can't say how this tent will perform in rain downpour since the tent walls slant outward and front door is exposed and rain at even a slight angle will hit it. Hence, more overhang in front of doors would be a good improvement. Also, doors should be D shaped instead of being attached along bottom of doorway. It would make it easier to reach out for boots without losing privacy.

Tent seems to be well made and so far, I have had no problems with it. It has strong zippers, and sets up easily.
I will do a review after 14 years of use to see how the REI Camp Dome 2 stacks up against the Coleman Peak 2.

I use this tent for car and motorcycle camping and, as many do, I use a two man tent as a one man tent. Thus the absence of storage under the fly is not really an issue, as there is plenty of room inside for one person and all his gear. The lack of a real fly translates into small pack size and relatively light weight.

The quality seems good. The tent sets up and strikes quickly and easily, and the windows, doors, and vents make it comfortable in use. Plus, the price is a bargain.

My experience with this tent has been limited, but satisfying, so far. First off, it's light and small. I haven't taken it backpacking yet but I don't see where there would be any issue with its size or weight. Second, you can have it set up in about 3 minutes.

The first night we camped it in we had on heck of a storm and we didn't get a single drop of water or any dampness in the tent. I was worried because I had forgotten the foot-print but it still held up remarkably. This wasn't just some summer rain shower either. The tent was pulsing from the wind and the rain was coming down in sheets off of Lake Huron and the tent didn't even give a sign of weakness.

The ONLY thing I wish this tent had was a vestibule. With 2 people in the tent and a pack or two, it's pretty crowded. I'm 5'11 and I wouldn't want to be much over 6'1" in this tent. Luckily, most the camping I do involves me having my car nearby so I can keep excess out of my tent. If you're looking for a cheap, reliable and easy tent, you can't go wrong with this one.

I paid less than $100 for this, and it has outperformed a lot of other more expensive tents. First of all, it's REI, so you know it's quality gear no matter what the price. Second of all, it packs to about 20 inches long and about 5 inches wide--it is small to fit inside my internal frame and still have room for everything else I need. Last, this thing holds up in any weather. I have camped in Nor'easters in this and I had not so much as a puddle, even with its skimpy rain fly (which is the only thing I'd want different, the fly doesn't go to the ground, but since it works, what does it matter).

I have slept two adults in this thing, plus essentials like clothes, snacks, lights. I love it when I'm camping solo, because there is twice as much room as you need to put yourself and your pack and everything else next to you. My only beef, as I said, I wish the rainfly had a vestibule to put my pack in when it's raining.

Great tent! I got this cuz I'm cheap and I wasn't expecting much, but REI has a really nice product here. Set up fast, poles are strong and light. It's a little...uh...intimate inside, but I was able to stretch out and put some of our gear and my wife in with no problem.

The last reviewer is right about the fly. The fly pole is a tight fit and the fly could be a little bigger, but I really liked the tent. No snow and only light rain and winds on our trips so far, so I don't know how bombproof it is. Overall quite impressed.