REI Co-op - Half Dome 3 Tent with Footprint

REI Half Dome 2+ fits in your budget when on sale and is big enough to fit 2 wide long pads. Recommend stretching for the 3 person version if you can; more room for activities. Most tents in your budget won’t be 4 season at least in terms of snow load. Maybe fair winter weather if your sleep system is up to the temps.

for reference, the Nature Hike Star River 2 is 53in x 84.5in 134.5cm x 214.5cm The REI Half Dome 2+ is 56in x 92in 142.2cm x 233.6 cm and the REI Half Dome 3 is 70in x 90in 177.8cm x 228.6cm EDIT Cloud 3 is 68.9in x 84.6in 175cm x 215cm I'm not a big fan of the Y style tent poles, as I feel like they don't hold up as well to winds compared to more traditional double pole designs, though they are lighter for obvious reasons. I do recommend measuring your sleeping pads and make sure there is enough room if you go with a 2 person tent. It does look like the Star River is pretty decently sized though in this regard if you're both using wide pads. I do personally like having extra room in the event of a weather event. I would highly recommend getting a larger 3 person tent for 2 people to have extra room for gear, or just moving around comfortably if you're stuck 'indoors' due to weather. Having extra floorspace as well as headroom can be amazing in those situations.

REI tents punch above their price point in my experience. Just stayed the weekend in a NF in my Half Dome 3.

Oh yeah 2nd the 3 person if you can swing it and will have the room setting it up. I used a half dome 2+ for several seasons and upgraded to the 3p version a few years ago. We only sleep two in there but that extra room sure is nice. I don’t know about the current half dome 3p but at least ours, the fly can also roll up to the top of the tent so you can get really good ventilation but still be able to redeploy the fly if needed.

I use my Durstan X-Mid 2 as a solo. Way too many critters and crawlers in TX to leave my gear out in the vestibule and not expect to find a scorpion in my backpack. For actual 2p I have a 3p REI half dome. Split the weight between two bags and all set!

RIP Eureka. I mostly car camp and have camped my whole life. I bought my first Eureka tent in 1989. The waterproofing on the fly is failing but it is still a fantastic tent. I took an inexpensive 3 person REI tent on an 8 week cross country car camping trip, and it performed better than anticipated in a variety of conditions. I currently camp with my partner and 2 Golden Retrievers in an 8 person Eureka ans it is the bomb. Plenty of room to stand in and the two dogs have plenty of room. Over time your needs might change, so buy a quality tent that meets your current needs but you don’t need to break the bank.

Our 3 person REI tent is great for us and our dog to snuggle up. I guess it just depends if you like your space or not

REI half dome! My husband and I backpacked the whole PCT with it. Was absolutely perfect. My husband is 6 ft. I think it would be a good fit with your height.

+1 for the half dome. This will be year 10 with it for me too. I’ve taken it on all sorts of trips and the only issue is the elasticity in the poles but it’s an old tent. I haven’t replaced mine though like you did, I need to get around to that.

REI’s halfdome and quarterdome are great affordable, durable starter tents. 

I have hiked with: REI Half Dome. Too heavy but free standing and plenty of room for two. Probably 90 miles with it. A couple discontinued tents. About forty-fifty miles with them. A Big Agnes Copper Spur. The 2p gets feeling cramped for two after a while. About 1,200’miles on the AT with it. A triplex. Great tent, especially with the pole caps. Finished the AT and did a good part of the PCT with it. XMid Pro 2. It is smaller than the XMid 2 and gets to feeling crowded after a while—which is why they brought out the 2+. Great for one person though. Did more of the PCT and part of the Oregon Coast Trail with it. Off-set Trio. My wife and I will be back on the trail in a couple weeks with it. 43 square feet. It is a palace. Almost 2,000 miles with it, mostly on the CDT.