REI tent opinions requested

[Roberta]

Camping is not my thing and if I go on overnight bike trips, I’m more likely to stay in a hotel. On Kayak trips, you camp where you pull the kayak out of the water.   So those bike days when I’m forced to sleep in a tent as well as the Kayak camping, I’m looking at tents. For biking, I know, shorter pole size and lighter tent is important.  Neither of these are important for Kayak camping.  I cannot imagine I’d do this more than a few times a year. 

I borrowed a tent for two trips last year. It stayed dry and I could sit up in it. Opinions?  Also, is it worth the additional weight to get two person tent for one person? Other tent recommendations, but around this price point?

 https://www.rei.com/product/243702/rei-co-op-half-dome-2-tent-with-footprint

Thanks, 

Roberta

Philadelphia

[Guy Jett]

Over the decades of backpacking and bikepacking I have carried and slept in many tents.  REI, Sierra Designs, North Face, Mountain Hardware, bivy sacks, generic tarps, high end tarps, and others.  I don't think you can go wrong with the REI tent in the link.  They are well built, sturdy, light enough, and a fair price.  Your can find cheaper and not as well built or durable.  You can find lighter and with more features but at much higher prices.  And REI has an excellent  return policy.  (I've been a member since '71 and have returned a total of 2 items -- a pair of boots and a high-end tent (and the later after several years).)

As a newer camper DON'T go with tarps, bivys, or one person tents.  They will be either too small or way too fiddly to set up.  The two person should be just right.  If you're worried about rain get a small nylon tarp from a hardware store, or simply put a plastic bag over your saddle (and, maybe, a garbage bag over your handlebars).

You will also want to get some sort of sleeping pad for comfort.  You could start with a simple air mattress.  With experience you could graduate to either an inexpensive "closed cell" foam pad or a more expensive self-inflating insulated pad.

My personal favorite is a silicone-coated tarp for very small size, ultralight weight, and flexibility.  But I wouldn't recommend to anyone relatively new to camping as set-up and site selection are critical and take extensive experience.

Best of luck,

GAJett

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[Brian Turner]

Another “rule” I find helpful for deciding on a specific tent, is what I like to call a “+1” rule… meaning, I find it best to select a 2-person tent if you want to be comfortable on solo outings; a 3-person tent if you routinely camp as a couple. Ultralight tents these days are so efficient with space, it helps to size-up if you’re someone who enjoys a bit more room.

Brian

Lexington KY

On Mar 1, 2026, at 11:17 AM, Guy Jett <guy4...@gmail.com> wrote:



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[Robert Blunt]

Thanks for starting this thread Roberta. I am also in the market for a tent and feel equally overwhelmed by the offerings. I'm wondering if people here have any strong opinions about bikepacking-specific tents (shorter pole segments, handlebar-specific stuff sack designs etc.) versus a more standard two-person tent design. 

Rob Blunt in Pennington, NJ

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[Gordon Stam]

I've got that exact tent, maybe 10 - 15 years old, and while I don't use it much anymore it's held up well over the years. It's well designed, uncomplicated, easy to set up, and does the job. You really can go wrong with it.

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[Roberta]

Are poles and tents for BIKEpacking any different from BACKpacking ones?  To me, they seem the same.  

REI has sales sometimes.  Robert--as I recall we were about the same height.  There was lots of room in this one, enough for me, 6" blow up mattress (I drove not biked to the campsite) and my weekend bag without feeling squished.  

Roberta

Philadelphia

[Ian A]

Two summers ago, I did a solo three month cycling tour and spent almost every night in my tent. I used an MSR Elixir 1.  It's a sturdy and roomy one person tent. Comes with the footprint included and has a good size vestibule. I would say a bigger vestibule than the Elixir 2 model due to one vs two entrances.

I love the freestanding design, the very small pitch area required and its wind and water resistance. I'm not the most gentle with my tents, so don't mind a slightly heavier tent to gain durability and the Elixir fit that bill for me.

IanA Prince Rupert BC

[Kesler Roberts]

I used an older version of that same REI tent you linked to for many years - I think it's a solid choice.  My wife and I used it for riding across the US and a few other long tours and it was fine.  

I used to work at REI and found their tent designs to be pretty good overall.  I wouldn't say the same for all the store brand stuff.

[Patrick Moore]

Curious in an academic way: REI used to rent out camping equipment, this 30+ years ago. Do they still do that?

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[Julian Westerhout]

Roberta, 

The REI Half-dome is a classic design and a solid tent. I prefer the design and lighter weight of the MSR Hubba Hubba 2 (no relation to the Riv tandem!), and Naturehike makes a very nice copy of that tent in both a heavier polyester fabric and a really nice lightweight 20 Sylnylon ripstop   -- the Mongar 2   https://tinyurl.com/7zsbshjx    .   I'm a bit of a tent nerd, and have been really pleased with the value proposition offered by Naturehike -- in my experience they are high quality, and well priced  -- less than half of the REI tent, and almost all of their tents even come with a custom ground sheet as well (not strictly necessary, but will add life to the tent by protecting the floor). 

I have an almost new green 20d Silnylon Mongar 2 that's surplus to my needs right now (I have 5 tents -- my tent collecting habit is almost as bad as bike bags for me!) -- if you're interested I'd sell it for $100, and could bring it to the Philly Bike Expo.  

Julian Westerhout

Bloomington, IL 

[Andrew Letton]

H Roberta,

The poles for bikepacking tents are made in shorter segments, so the packed bundle is short enough to fit crosswise, even strapped to (not too small) drop bars.

The one thing I regret about my Big Agnes Fly Creek UL1 is the "end" door. My next tent will have a "side" door. My aging body isn't as flexible as it once was, and getting in and out with the end door is a bit of a challenge. That said, I DO like the 900g weight of my Fly Creek tent!
Also, I have heard good things about the Naturehike tents. My friend had a Mongar 2 on our recent bikepacking trip and spoke highly of it.

cheers,

Andrew in Sydney

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[Hugh C]

I used a Half dome I bought at the Berkeley REI (early 90’s) for a long long time. Great tent, durable, decent space for 2 people and a dog inside. I recently replaced it with a Trail Hut 2 - I think maybe that’s what they call the Trail Made now. I haven’t used it much but 2 adults inside are tight. It would be fine for you and your gear. If you don’t mind a little more bulkiness and the extra pound or so, the Half Dome will be more flexible - I agree with the above; get a 3 person if you ever think you’ll want two people in the tent.

[Roberta]

Thank you, everyone.  this is really good information and obviously other people are also interested in the topic.  

I decided to buy Julian‘s tent as it looks really nice, but if there’s any other information to add to the thread, please do so since other people have an interest.

This is such a wonderful community!

(this is  how far I’ve come – – prior to buying my Riv in 2017, I didn’t realize that you could change out stems and handlebars to make a bike more comfortable— I thought you had to buy a new bicycle!   Now I’m looking for tents for bike and kayak camping, but secretly hope to always be able to stay in hotels. 😝)

Roberta

Philadelphia

[Menos Joven]

Hi Roberta,

The hotel or credit card touring strategy is the best! :) Congrats on getting a 2 person tent, for the comfort of extra space and keeping all of your gear inside, your cost is carrying maybe a couple of extra pounds - not much in the large scheme of things. FWIW, I've used a 1 person and found the interior to be plenty roomy to even sit up in. REI, does rent camping equipment but at least here in the Bay Area, it is limited to certain stores.

Regarding REI, I have been a member for decades and like their products as more affordable alternatives to the big names such as The Northface.  However, I bought a tent from them with what I consider a design flaw. I purchased an REI Quarter Dome 1 person tent(Quarter Dome series now discontinued) which when on sale for under $200 and under 3 lbs offered a compelling product. The design choice on that particular tent to sew a pole/rain fly attachment point to a piece of fabric but then glue that piece of fabric to the main tent body was not good for me. On a summer night in the Yosemite high country, the glue did not hold and the rain fly and tent body drooped down together -- could've been a problem in bad weather. Next tent I buy, I will check that important connection points are sewn not glued on.

Leslie

Redwood City

[Guy Jett]

I bought a high-end tent made by someone like Mountain Hardware from REI years ago.  I used it a few times and liked it a lot.  It then sat in my garage for a couple of years before its next use.  When I went to set it up it simply fell apart in my hands at the seams.  On inspection I saw that many of these failed major structural seams had simply been glued together.  No stitching to be seen.  It's one of two or three items I've returned to REI in my 55 years as a member.

GAJett

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[Russell Duncan]

Good luck with your new to you tent Roberta. If you take care of your tent it will last you a long time. Like many in this group, I too have a tent fetish. Not as bad as the bike bug but close. My recommendation is to toss the included tent stakes into the miscellaneous metals recycling and get some quality aftermarket stakes. In my experience, tent stakes that you get with tents are an afterthought. My preference while car camping are military surplus stakes that work in all sorts of conditions, including dune sand and snow. While backpacking, I use those made by MSR. My favorite tent (that I still use) once I had a job that paid good money, was the purchase of a Dana Design Garuda Nuk-Tuk tent, a now defunct company, but much copied pyramid design. The designer of that tent, Dana Gleason, now runs Mystery Ranch. 

Again, enjoy your new tent. 

Russell Duncan 

western Massachusetts 

[Ryan Fleming]

At the risk of mentioning the obvious, the easiest way to maintain the useful life of your tent is to make sure you dry/air it out after a camping trip, particularly if you camped in the rain. When I toured in the late 80s/early 90s , I'd hang up my tent overnight in the laundry room of my downtown apartment...also prevents that nasty musty odor

Russell, I hear you about the stakes...my 2 Eureka tents(Bike and hike 1-person - great tent - compact, easy to set up and roomy enough for 1 person and all gear except bike) and 2-person (can't remember model name) had pretty flimsy metal stakes which bent,so  I bought some more robust stakes from the Army/Navy surplus...Coghlan, like these: https://coghlans.com/products/steel-tent-pegs-7-in. Coghlan was also the maker of straps like those John's Irish straps Riv sells...those were super useful. I do miss that Army/Navy surplus store we had downtown; it was a great place 

[Brian Turner]

To add to Ryan's advice, I would also make sure you store your tent and rain fly unpacked and loose whenever you're not using them. Same as you would a nice sleeping bag. I store my tents and bags in a large storage bin / tote, just sort of loosely piled up in the bin.

Brian

Lexington KY

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[Roberta]

Thanks for the stake suggestion (I also put a lightweight mallet w stake puller in my bag). 

Thanks for the storage suggestion. To keep it stored loose—is that to help keep it more mildew free?

Roberta