User Review: REI Quarter Dome

Reviewed March 22, 2004 by Tom

Rating: rated 4 of 5 stars
Design: three season freestanding
Sleeps: 2
Ease of Setup: VERY easy
Weight: under 4 lbs
Price Paid: $229

I've only used it twice so far, so think of this as an initial review. I purchased this tent from my local REI store with the extra ground sheet. My decision was heavily based on the salesperson's recommendation and what I read in a magazine.

My requirements were fairly simple. A roomy 1-person tent that was light, easy to pitch in any condition (Especially at night when it's windy), had a vestibule and good air cross flow. I own several different tents and pick the tent based on the conditions I'm going to use it in. While really needing a 1-person tent, I did want the option of the tent being just big enough to hold a second person in a jam.

Since this is a standard 3-season tent, it comes in two pieces. The main, self standing dome, with mainly mesh walls, and the second piece which is the rainfly. The shape of the floor is not perfectly rectangular. With one end being a few inches narrower. The rainfly also has one top vent which faces the wider side. The setup is very easy compared to some of my other tents. Two poles of equal length cross on top to create the space. With one end having dead end pole sleeves. There are two fairly large sized doors on both sides. Kinda cool if you have two people in the tent. One doesn't have to disturb the other in order to get in or out. The rain fly has guy out loops that are also reflective at night. The mesh dome and rainfly snap together using buckles (so no need for additional stakes).

The rainfly color is a white opaque with certain sides being a light opaque green. The entire tent with stakes seems very light (under 4 lbs) and packs small. The only thing I didn't love was the amount of space the rainfly left open underneath when staked out. The issue wasn't the stake out point, but the cut of the rainfly itself. Not a huge deal because this was for the vestibule and it was far away enough from the dome to prevent rain from hitting the mesh dome. So not really a issue, but I would have preferred a more complete coverage. Maybe REI did this on purpose for the increased airflow.

Overall a great tent. I do recommend it!

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