Gear Review – REI Quarter Dome UL

Manufacturer Specs

Tent:

• Dimensions: 85 x 52 in
• Weight: 3lbs 11oz
• Material: Floor – Coated Nylon Taffeta; Canopy – Nylon Ripstop; Fly – Coated Nylon Ripstop
• Packed Size: 7 x 20 in

Pros:

• Light
• Easy Setup
• Bullet Proof against the elements
• Good Ventilation
• Dry’s Quickly
• Packs Small

Cons:

• Not very roomy

I have been looking for a good lightweight tent for backpacking. I came across the QD-UL2 which on REI’s site had a 4.6 star rating with 56 reviews. The main drawback from the reviewers was that it was cramped for a two person tent. But for under 4 lbs and a killer price tag I decided to take the plunge and purchase it.

Initial Review

When I picked the tent up from REI I thought, maybe just the foot print had come due to the small size of the box. The sales associate assured me that it was the whole tent. When I got home I set the tent up in my backyard and it was really simple to figure out. Now I was ready for my first field test!

Field Review – Extreme Weather:

On Labor day weekend 2009 I had the chance to take the QD on a trip to Ridge Lake. The destination camp was at 5,400ft and the weather forecast was for 90% chance rain. It had rained the night before and all morning before and during the our hike in. So the ground was good and swampy by the time we made camp. I chose a little rise in the area at the base of a small hill for my pitch. The tent went up nice and easy. I put the REI QD UL foot print down on the wet grass and hoped for the best. It turns out the best was what I got. Over the course of the next two days and nights in rained hard with strong winds, hail, sleet and snow. The snow stuck to the ground so I know it was below 32 at one point during the second night. The small clearing became a swamp with standing water everywhere. I’m very pleased to say we stayed very dry during our entire stay. Condensation was not an issue and the fly was bullet proof against the rain, hail, sleet, and snow. On Monday when we broke camp and where getting the gear out of the tent I was sitting on the floor which was cold but not wet, so there was no leakage through the floor. The combo of the REI footprint and Tent bottom were rock solid protection against the wet ground and elements thrown against it over the weekend.

Form – Fit – Function:

As I said the tent is easy to setup and tear down, even in the rain. It dried very quickly once I was home and pitched it in the yard. It is a small tent. I’m 5’-10” and 195lbs. My partner on the trip is about the same height and about 15 – 20lbs lighter. We were cozy in the tent. I used an Big Agnes Air Pad and he had a self inflatable pad. There was an inch or two between the pads so our arms touched sometimes. We could sit-up comfortably one at a time, definitely not a tent to buy if you’re looking for space for doing more than sleeping or reading inside. We did spent time in the tent reading and talking so it’s not uncomfortable. It has two entry’s and vestibules. It also has 4 pockets inside that get smaller items off the floor. It was pretty easy to get a really taught pitch. The vestibules are not very large. In a pinch you could put your pack in there but it would lean on the tent and probably right on the door thus blocking it . I will have to experiment with that next time. The most I had under it was a 3 pair of shoes all protected from the rain. The fly is easy to open from inside the tent and with care no water will get in the tent. Took me a couple of goes to figure out the run off but once that was figured it worked great. One thing I think attributes to it’s weather resistance is the fly comes almost down to the ground all the way around the tent. The top vent works well at venting the tent.

Bottom Line:

This is an awesome 3 season tent. I could not be more pleased with this purchase. Two nights and days of being hammered by wind, rain, hail and sleet, cold temps and such I thought it would leak or tear or something but it did not. REI makes high quality products for a very reasonable price. I would highly recommend this tent or one like it from REI to anyone.

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