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.
8 and 9 year olds will shortly be adult size, so if you’re investing in a longer lasting tent, I’d go with a 6 person. And they’re going to want their own cots too. REI has quality tents, I’m on my 2nd Half Dome 2 now. The first one lasted 10 years and was used regularly. REI has the Campwell 6 (1 door) for $330 or the Wonderland 6 (2 doors) for $420
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.
I’ve had a REI Half Dome 2 for what feels like eight years and it’s served me well for car camping and a few short backpacking trips. I’ve heard great things about the Durston x mid 2 and would probably buy one if i needed to replace my half dome.
[Tent](https://mobile.rei.com/AkCd/m3lom2yn) and [footprint](https://mobile.rei.com/AkCd/qev8bl7g).
It looks like the footprint attaches at the corners with whatever those corner connector loops are called. It’s the same concept as the footprint on my Half Dome 2. They aren’t zipped together but if it’s the same as the Half Dome, the footprint is cut in a way that there’s no noticeable gap when the tent is set up.
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