User Review: REI Quarter Dome T1 Tent

REI Quarter Dome T1 Tent
Above: The current Quarter Dome T1 Tent, which may differ slightly from the version reviewed.

Reviewed April 3, 2009 by LeTiger

Rating:
Design: Three Season Ultra-Light
Sleeps: 1
Ease of Setup: Extremely Easy
Weight: 2Lbs 12oz
Price Paid: $179

An Ultralight Headache.

A note to the reader: Through a very odd series of events I bought the t2 version of this tent off of Ebay, but had a problem with it and due to the t2 being from an "Used Gear Sale" was only able to return it for the T1 version as I was strapped for cash.

If you are looking for the "Super Ultra Uber" light tent, then look no further, however though the design is innovative and the tent does indeed keep the rain off your back, I feel that it is a very limiting purchase for the almost $200 retail value of the tent.

Let me first off start by stating that the actual footprint of the tent is very small, and at my height of 6 feet even, I could barely fit myself and a full-length Therm-a-rest into the tent without bowling out at the sides. The construction seems up to par with the majority of the REI gear, and the lifetime warranty is nice, but that doesn't make up for the fact that this tent is to small for most backpacking uses.

I use a 4000CU pack for my backpacking, and while squished into the tent its-self, have not yet been able to find a good way to get myself, and my pack under the rain fly. The Vestibule is simply too small to accommodate any pack sizes over 1500CU (this also depends on your other "ultralight" gear and what you carry with you). I ended up settling for having the bottom of my pack stick out of the vestibule and get wet, while keeping my clothes dry in the top part of my pack.

Overall, the tent is well made, but designed for a VERY specific use with not a lot of lee-way for those who are carrying medium to heavy loads of gear. While its design fits its purpose, I feel that it could be slightly larger (not a 2person, but at least a wider footprint with adequate vestibule space) and still fit the bill of an ultralight without the pitfalls of actually being to small to be practical.

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