REI Co-op - Half Dome 2 Plus

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.

I'd recommend a 3p tent. Not a BIG weight penalty from a 2p, still almost identical setup, but gives a pretty good bump to interior floorspace. I use a REI Halfdome 2+ (but wish I had gotten the 3p) and it's solid for both car camping and backpacking. Big Agnes has some good options as does MSR. Depending on time frame, I'd recommend seeing what models fit your need/use case and keep an eye on sales/discounts/used market. Note on buying used, can be great for price, but 100% make sure to fully setup and inspect.

Second this. Its not super light, but we usually split it and one takes the body and the other takes the fly. If you have an REI near you, they probably have one set up in the store.

I have a half dome 2.5 or something. Gives you a bit of room to move and you can fit your bag. I love it

My partner and I share an REI half dome 2. It’s always been plenty spacious even with us each on an inflatable sleeping pad. We’ve also shared it with two 50lb dogs and been good.

It goes on sale sometimes. I got my Halfdome SL 2+ for $170 in 2023. The 2+ is definitely roomy enough for 2 people

+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.

Yes! My 2 person REI backpacking tent is awesome. Just enough room, easy to set up and breakdown, affordable, and has lasted a decade already with no problems. I strongly recommend to new tent to users to make the investment of buying the “footprint” if theres one that corresponds with your exact tent, or throwing a tarp underneath your tent. And be sure to lay it out in the sun to dry before packing up if possible, or do so once you get home. Just don’t pack up a wet tent for weeks or months.

Yep that’s the backpacking tent I have as well. Love REI gear. The footprint is a no brainer if you want to stay dry for sure! 

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