Half Dome 2HC

I've stayed completely dry in a full day downpour in the 2005 version of the half dome.

The Amazon tent is going to be worse than the Agnes tent. I recommend the REI halk dome 2 or REI trail made 1

I bought my first tent in the late 90’s. The original REI Half Dome. $129. Just retired it last year. I don’t use trekking poles so I would also opt for another free standing tent.

Do the Halfdome. It's fine.  I would pack the fly and main tent separate. When it rains, you'll want to keep the fly away from your less wet inner part anyway. And now it's two smaller, easier to manage pieces to put in your pack instead of one huge ass annoying tube. Use the current bag for one piece, and you can probably find another bag you like in a hiker box. There's always ton of random gear bags. 

Rei, you will appreciate the space, if you don’t you can always mail the other to you and swap. Field strip the tent, ditch the bags, bring only the poles, number of stakes needed for fly, tent body and fly, and just roll it up and carry it on the outside of your bag. It’s nice at the end of the day to sprawl a little. Also having space for your gear if it’s raining or in general is nice

Where are you based? If you're in the US, REI's house brand has a couple of options - Trail Made and Trail Hut 2P tents that go for under USD $250. Sounds like your usage is pretty low, so I would also consider exploring your local FB Marketplace for 2P tents. You might get a higher end version or older models of REI tents for far cheaper. Lots of people who are new to camping go buy new gear only to find out that perhaps it's not for them. I found a used Half Dome 2 on Craigslist 5 years ago for $30. The Half Dome goes on car camping trips, or trips where it'll sit out in the sun for day. I've also had a REI Quarter Dome and a Passage before - they are decent tents. If you're buying used, just inspect the waterproofing layer for signs of wear and delamination. Good luck!

Agree with most of the comments here that the REI is the better option so you can actually use the space. I would strongly recommend some room in the budget for gear upgrades. You may find the Halfdome just fine and the weight to be not a problem. You may also end up really feeling it on your back and want to upgrade after a month. **If** that ends up happening, I'd recommend you pick up something like the Lanshan 1, Gossamer Gear One, or Six Moon Designs Lunar Solo. All are ~$200ish if you can catch a sale on the latter two. Don't take the bivy.

Analogy for you: OP has a beater car and wants to make it last a while. This **clearly** implies they are cost sensitive. You suggest that if OP wanted something better than their beater, they should buy a BMW. While technically true, this totally ignores the context that they are cost sensitive. It creates the illusion that the only options are to keep their old beater or buy a brand new BMW. If I were OP, I would probably find this to be an intimidating proposition and avoid it. You completely ignore the existence of the economical Camry and Accord, which are far more valuable recommendations to OP. If you think my comment was that toxic, you need to chill out. There's always someone on social media who chooses to make a scene because someone mildly disagreed with them...

Howdy! I’ll be attempting to hike the AT SOBO in about a month and have been dialing in my final gear choices, but am having a dilemma regarding my tent. Of course I’ve been watching hours of YT gear videos and while I was leaning towards bringing my Halfdome tent, the videos I’ve been watching seem to often “mock” those who do use this tent? Not sure why, but it’s making me second guess my choice. I currently own 2 “lightweight” tents — the REI Halfdome 2 and the Winterial Bivy (pics for reference). I will NOT be purchasing another tent when both of the ones I currently own do not have any outright issues, so ultimately I need help choosing between the two of them. Here are the pros and cons imo: WINTERIAL PROS - takes up less pack space, is lighter weight, better packaging (storage bag?) WINTERIAL CONS - I cannot sit up straight in it. REI PROS - I can sit up straight in it, item is still under warranty? REI CONS - takes up more pack space, weighs more, terrible storage bag Now I’m aware that the obvious ultralight answer is to go with the Bivy, but that ain’t me. I have done several thru hikes in the past with both tents, but none of those hikes were longer than 20 days. For context - I also did the “van life” thing for nearly a year in my Toyota Scion and the thought of having to lay down to change my clothes once again in my life makes me want to scream. Obviously bc of this, the Halfdome is kinda the way I’m leaning but now in concerned. So I guess the real question is has anyone taken the Halfdome to thru hike the AT? What was your experience with it? Do you have any recommendations for a “better” or more compact storage bag situation? Has anyone taken a Bivy of any kind? Did you feel like you were locked in a coffin every night? Any suggestions or recommendations would be helpful! Thank you!

Fair points, but I don’t want to sell the Halfdome — it’s a great tent (other than the stains) and the perfect size for weekend trips with my 2 large breed dogs. There is absolutely no possible scenario I’m fitting 2 GSDs and myself in ANY ultralight tent on the market. That said, the Bivy can go. I just don’t see myself ever using it again. Even still — it’s not that I don’t have the money in the budget, it’s more that I’d rather have $200+ of beer / fun money for the trail than purchase another tent when I have 2 perfectly usable tents that happen to weigh ~2 lbs more than the average “ultralight” option. I just can’t rationalize the purchase before the need. Maybe I’m wrong and end up getting a brand new tent less than a month in.

Yeah after reading the comments and especially yours I think I agree that the Bivy is out, ain’t no way. I’m very curious about the shelter situation, but I haven’t stayed in one before so I’m unsure how I’ll feel about it until I feel out the ~vibes~. The Halfdome seems like the best option at the moment for me and if I hate the weight while on trail then I’ll give the Lanshan a try … possibly a BA if the funds are still holding if / when I quit the Halfdome.

Advice well received! I think I’m definitely going to start off with the Halfdome and if I absolutely hate the weight, then I’ll bite the bullet and give a BA trekking pole tent a try. Definitely don’t want to have to buy more gear while I still have 2 perfectly good tents being unused. Thank you for the kind words!

Thank you for the good advice — I’m 26 and in relatively decent shape, the weight isn’t a major concern at the end of the day. I guess I’ve been falling down the ultralight rabbit hole a little hard and second guessing some of the things that are actually important to me. Comfort matters! I’m 5’10” and like to spread out so I think the extra space will absolutely be worth it in the long run.

Ok the Noro bit absolutely sold me on the Halfdome — but I was already pretty sold by all of the other reasons you mentioned. Excellent point!