New REI Quarter Dome Tents

They just hit shelves last weekish, so probably not too likely a lot of peeps have had a chance to try them out ….Their "ultralight" Dash 2 still hasn't come out yet …. but is expected in Feb ….

Looks like the Dash 2 is now available online. Seems crazy light

I like the Dash except for all the mosquito netting.

If I add a myog cozy of solid fabric it would still be under 2 3/4 lbs.

Very appealing to me.

Ahhhh…. I checked when I posted before to see if the Dash 2 was out and I didn't see it … must have come out in last few hours….

REI's doing some good stuff. The Quarterdome 2 and Dash 2 are both nice tents that compete well with substantially more expensive tents. The horizontal foot end strut on the Dash 2 is a good idea. It addresses a weakness is the BA Fly Creek UL 2.

Ohhh … and dual side access too.

On the Dash 2 the floor is made out of 15D material. I'm not sure how that would hold up.

I'll still take the TT Scarp 2 at slightly less weight and (it appears) more interior space.

CORRECTION: "…at slightly more weight…"

Eric,

"I'll still take the TT Scarp 2 at slightly less weight"?

The specs I'm looking at show the (minimal weight) Scarp at 60 ounces and the Dash at 39 ounces…..a 21 ounce difference.

I may not be looking at apples to apples numbers (I've failed at this before) but if I am then the difference in weight is significant to me.

That sounds very thin. For comparison does anyone know what the tarptent notch and the BA Fly Creek 2/3 are made from and how they compare?

I've had both and while I trust myself to be easy on equipment I don't trust others. My brother put a small hole in the floor of my FC3 the first night he slept in it. I wouldn't call those floors durable even though I do think he could have been more careful.

Hasn't Big Agnes been using 15D or 20D on the Fly Creek floors with good success?

I suppose if the floors don't hold up, it will encourage more people to buy the groundsheet…

Clarification: I'm comparing SCARP 2 to QUARTER DOME 2 (Not the skimpy Dash) Both the REI and TT tents are DOUBLE walled amd thus the etter comparison.

Quarter Dome min. wt. is 3# 1 oz.
TT Scarp 2 min. wt. is 3# 9 oz.

BUT

Quarter Dome area is 3 sq. ft less than the Scarp 2 area of 31 sq. ft.

That's why you can put 3 (consenting) adults head-to-toe in the Scarp 2 but not the Quarter Dome. But I got my Scarp 2 with winter camping in mind for 2 persons and their more bulky clothing and bedding.

Tent comparisons are usually difficult due to design and purpose differences, as we see here. I have my criterion and you have yours and likely they are quite different.

I'll be interested so see some objectively gathered specs before my interest is really piqued. I've found REI's brand-name products to over-promise a bit when it comes to their listed specs. :)

I don't think any of the rei branded tents will be worth the money. They're nice and all, but you get the worst warranty of all the major tent brands.

If you get a BA Copper Spur, you know BA will take care of you down the line. With the REI tent, you're SOL after one year.

On that note, that has been a consideration for me as of late as well with REI in general … I've had and seen (waiting in line) legitimate returns challenged and it's been a bummer … the main reason I used to pay the REI premium was for that benefit of knowing REI would back me up down the road if need be … not to have them try to convince me to fix a three day old REI flash with a manufacturing defect with some third party drawstring cord out of box behind the counter as opposed to a straight replacement …. ya know? Any store will do a straight replacement three days out, but REI is trying to put a "bandaid" on defective product … which is lame.

Have seen others have the same experience … which is why most of my big non cottage industry purchases are online or through Amazon, if possible now, where they used to be almost exclusively through REI ….) Why pay $500 for a sleeping bag I can get for $350 or $400 online? …

Also seeing them not grandfather past products as well …. guy had two year old REI tent that was defective (I've had one as well that was delaminating) and they wouldn't take it back ….. lame. REI gripe over. :)

> ..does anyone know know what the tarptent notch a.. are made from

We use 30D fabrics for floors and flys.

-H

I don't really see why anyone who actually knew all of their options would choose an REI Dash 2 over a TarpTent Double Rainbow.

The Double Rainbow is significantly cheaper, lighter, has more square footage and a higher interior height, has more protected vestibule space, and is constructed with more durable materials (30D vs. 15D nylon). The Double Rainbow is also sewn with care in Seattle, Washington, which is icing on the cake. It's a product you can feel decently about buying, and Henry Shires is a really nice guy who will answer any and all questions you might have about your tent.

Sure the Dash 2 is technically a double wall tent, but I think the difference in potential condensation issues between it and something like a single wall Double Rainbow are a little overblown.

Also, REI says the Dash 2 is "semi-freestanding" which is sort of like saying somebody is "semi-pregnant." A tent can either stand without the support of guy lines or it can't. I don't see a lot of gray area here.

I'm not trying to hate on the Dash 2. It seems like a step in the right direction for REI, I just think that if the Double Rainbow and the Dash 2 were side by side on REI's showroom floor, very few people would choose the Dash 2 over the Double Rainbow. Just my humble opinion though.

I fully agree with you on the awesomeness of the Double Rainbow. It's me and my fiance's home away from home. Quite spacious for two shorter/smaller people like us.

+1 for Henry & supporting "Local"

I emailed him about a month ago, asking how I might easily add an extra zipper slider or two to my Rainshadow II (it had a single zipper slider which was hard to access when lying down, since it closed at the top of the door. With me & the kids in it, the need for lower/mid access became paramount.)

He not only told me exactly what to do, he had already dropped a few sliders in the mail before I finished reading his email.

Like other high quality, "locally made" companies, I'm not just buying something, but personally supporting someone.For me, I value that attribute a lot more than I did in years past.

Matt

I'm a little dubious about the Dash's rain fly. It is not full coverage, which may fly in the Rockies, but in the PNW, I'd be concerned that things might leak. I have a Quarterdome T2 Plus, and it's been great, no rain issues whatsoever.

Has anyone had issues with a less than full coverage rain fly on other tents? Maybe the double coverage isn't necessary, but what if it's windy? I'd feel better about a single layer tent with full coverage, than a full mesh tent with skimpy rain fly.

I have the same reservations about the fly on the Dash. it seems to make the vestibules rather useless. They end so high off the ground that I can't imagine they would keep anything underneath them dry unless your rain is falling straight down with no wind. It seems as though for the additional 10 ounces you get a much better tent in the Quarter dome. Move durable floor fabrics, and a better fly, all for $50 less.

Diane,

Good observation.

I had a Sierra Design tent with a skimpy fly. It relied on the bath tub floor walls to shed some of the rain. I didn't feel as secure as I do with a full coverage fly.

Another factor with skimpy flys is that the waterproof bath tub floor walls can be cooler than walls that have a full coverage fly. This sometimes leads to more condensation on the inside of the bath tub walls.

I'd be careful with the Quarterdome vs. TarpTent comparisons.

It's always easy to compare a single wall tent (Double Rainbow) to a double wall tent (Quarterdome) and list great points about the single wall (ie. lighter, bigger, packs smaller etc) and then to dismiss the main difference (single vs. double wall) as no big deal. This is a really an apples and oranges comparison. In some wet environments condensation is a very relevant issue, and a single wall would need to provide a lot more space than a double wall just to give the occupants a fair chance of staying away from the walls. Even then it would be far less livable. I've used single walls in situations where they were a terrible choice.

These type of decisions are very context dependent. Someone could read this and choose a single wall for Hawaii and encounter a torrent of condensation, or alternatively someone could read condensation horror stories and then choose a double wall for the Mojave. Both are mistakes – although one could add the internal liner to the Double Rainbow which is a great option.

My point is that these tents have different niches so generalizations aren't usually that helpful compared to education people on the differences and enabling them to make good decisions.

With regards to the Dash 2 being "semi-freestanding". There are several benefits to a freestanding tent, not counting the foolish ability to not stake it down. Any shelter should be staked and this is not a benefit of a freestanding tent. What a freestanding tent does allow is:
(1) Fewer stakes
(2) The ability to lift it up and shake out dirt in the morning
(3) The ability to pitch it and then refine it's position in your campsite
(4) Won't collapse if a stake pulls out.

With this in mind, a semi-freestanding tent (ie. freestanding but maybe some corners aren't taut) provides all of the advantages of a freestanding tent.

I agree about the first part of the post till the "semi freestanding bit"

1) fewer stakes.
looks to me that the Dash needs a minimum of 5 stakes to work but, realistically, I would expect to have a stake in the two front corners also, making that 7 stakes.
The TT DR takes 6
2) the ability to lift it up and shake dirt out in the morning.
You can do exactly the same with the DR (leaving the pole in)
3) the ability to pitch it and then refine its position…
That would be faster with the Dash (or similar) if you change your mind before putting the rainfly on. Once that is on, not so much.

I'll give you 4 although if one of the vestibule stakes pops out from a wind gust I suggest you go out and fix it before the next one .
(added..now that I think about it, if you pull out anyone of the 6 DR stakes it will not collapse either..)
But I give you a couple of points that often (but not always…) apply to freestanding vs non.
1)It is almost difficult not to set up a freestanding tent correctly.
2) freestanding tents often take up less space
however having said that I can set up the DR in the rain without getting the inner/floor wet…