Half Dome 4 Tent

[Phil Tarman]

I went out just before dark tonight and pitched my new Half Dome 4 tent. It went up just as easily as the Half Dome 2+ that I took back to REI yesterday had. As far as I can tell the only differences in the two tents are the size and the length of the poles, plus the fact that there are two clips from the tent to the ridge pole (or peak pole) rather than one. The 4 is 4" shorter, but it's 30" wider, and most importantly for me, it's 6" higher.

I'm amazed at how much difference that 6" makes for me in getting in and out of the tent and in standing inside. Plus, now I have floor room for both my cot and my Kermit chair and enough headroom to be able to sit in the chair inside the tent.

All this cost me $42, a pound and a half of weight, 1" in packed diameter and 2" in packed length.

I told the REI guy that I felt like my reasons for wanting to trade were pretty borderline, but he reassured me that their guarantee is about satisfaction. He said that since my tent was in like new condition, they would get a good price for it and make some customer very happy at their garage sale.

I'm a happy camper!

 

[Pdmasterson77]

so how do you carry a cot and a chair along with tent, sleeping bag, etc on your bike or are you talking about "car camping"?

 

[Chuck 500]

Sounds like you made the right choice. REI is my go to place for camping stuff. Since you are not packing this on your back, opting for comfort is wise. No sense being less than comfortable for no good reason when motor camping.

 

[Phil Tarman]

so how do you carry a cot and a chair along with tent, sleeping bag, etc on your bike or are you talking about "car camping"?

PD, it's pretty easy. My chair is a Kermit Chair with leg extensions. Take a look at www.kermitchair.com. It packs into a bag 22"X4"X6". The leg extensions are about 3 1/2" by 9 1/2" when they're in their bag and they make the chair's seat 17" above the ground.

My sleeping bag is a Big Agnes Buffalo Park with a Q-Core insulated pad. Both of them pack pretty small. I carry a Ray-O-Vac lantern, a couple of inflatable pillows, and a silk bag liner which makes my sleeping bag adequate down to a somewhere in the mid-20s.

My cot is a Luxury Lite (see http://www.luxurylite.com/meshcotindex.html). It packs about the same size as my sleeping bag in it's compression sack.

All this stuff goes in to my Dry-Spec D-66 modular waterproof bags (take a look at http://www.twistedthrottle.com/twisted-throttle-dryspectm-d66-waterproof-motorcycle-dry-bag-modular-packing-system). It then fits neatly on my rear seat. I carry clothes in my left big-lid pannier and in a duffel that goes in my CooCase topbag along with my netbook.

It's a load but it all works together. Here's a picture of the way the bike looks when loaded:



And here's all the stuff that goes in the bags:

 

[seagrass]

Phil that is very good packing and you are a true credit to the touring/traveling bikers of the world.

My bike always looks like everything is just thrown on and I am hoping that it stays there (even though I do spend time trying to make sure it is safe and secure)

 

[junglejim]

Based on your experience with REI, I am planning to order my new tent from REI. With service like that, why not? Thanks for sharing.

 

[Mellow]

Good to hear Phil.. I tried a Kelty 4 person tent a few years ago and it was nice to have that extra inside height but I didn't care for the pole length myself as it cut down my packing options a little. It's all about getting what works for YOU and adjusting as needed. Amazing how much more room there is inside the tent, it's almost like an actual room. LOL

 

[junglejim]

Our local store has a table and shelf in the back corner with returns for re-sale.

You have a local store? I'm glad I live out in the woods where the potential to empty my wallet is limited. I'd go nuts in an actural store, especially the bargain department. It's bad enough that I live 40 miles from Aerostich/Rider Warehouse and I stop there too often for my amount of self control and money.

 

[Phil Tarman]

I live 40 miles from Aerostich/Rider Warehouse and I stop there too often for my amount of self control and money.

LOL, Jim! I'd be bankrupt if I was within 40 miles of Rider Wearhouse!

 

[rcase13]

That is certainly not my experience with REI here in Charlotte. If you decide it doesn't work for you then return it no questions asked.

http://www.rei.com/help/guarantee.html

No one has a better return policy. The only exception to this is items purchased at their garage sales. All sales are final with anything purchased at their garage sales.

 

[Phil Tarman]

Rick, when I called them I said that there was nothing wrong with the tent (Half Dome 2+) but that I'd realized that it was just too small for me. The woman I talked to said that they didn't guarantee that there would be nothing wrong with the tent, they guaranteed their customer's satisfaction. When I took it back, they guy who handled the exchange told me that they'd get a fair price for it at their garage sale and that by taking it back, they were going to make two people happy -- me and the customer who found it at the garage sale.

If you don't have any luck at your store, you can do a return and buy a new Half Dome 4 online. But, I'll bet if you just take it back and tell them that it's too small for you and you need a bigger tent to be able to use it on the expedition you'll be taking next summer, they'll swap it.

 

[Phil Tarman]

You will be amazed at how much difference another 6" in height and 30" in width make to the comfort of the tent. And the packed size is something like an inch more diameter and 2-4" length.

I don't know why looking at Eldon's mansion at Spearfish didn't start the wheels turning sooner.

 

[Phil Tarman]

Actually, I've got the tent in the top bag, the smaller of the two TT Dry-Spec bags. Then in the lower bag, I put: Kermit chair and leg extensions, my Luxury-Lite cot, sleeping bag and pad, my two pillows and my silk bag liner, plus my Ray-O-Vac LED lantern. Before I got the Half-Dome 4, I had the leg extensions for the Kermit chair in the top bag.

 

[Rich]

actually, i've got the tent in the top bag, the smaller of the two tt dry-spec bags. Then in the lower bag, i put: Kermit chair and leg extensions, my luxury-lite cot, sleeping bag and pad, my two pillows and my silk bag liner, plus my ray-o-vac led lantern. Before i got the half-dome 4, i had the leg extensions for the kermit chair in the top bag.

Where does the espresso machine go?

 

[Phil Tarman]

Where does the espresso machine go?

Rick will carry the expresso machine and the bean grinder.

 

[charlie b]

I use a French press. Works really well. I pack my sweetener in the press.

 

[EX Winger]

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

[EX Winger]

Rick,

I had the opportunity to try several cups of folgers Instant in individual serving packs from a sealed bottle this past week. Tey made a pretty good cup of coffee from the boiling water, good flavor etc. only comment is you want to have a sharp knife of some sort to get the individual packages open. One of my sons added a package of hot chocklate mix to his and said tha made it better. not my idea and I don't want anything in my coffee but a little sugar. This is not to say that a little touch of Kulua might ad s sditional im provement to it f it is the morning of a non- riding day. You may have to toell Phil that he will have to carry his own mix to go into the cup before it gets the boiling water.

Eldon

 

[Bear]

This thread was very helpful. I think that I will go the same route that Phil took. Will have to get the tent online as well as the sleeping bag. I am sure that Phil will let me know how many and which bags I need to get from TT. I am really looking forward to doing Spearfish this summer.

 

[CommuterNT]

I can't say enough good things about REI's customer service. Living in Seattle, REI is king (originated here). I've been a member for over 20 years back when they were a much smaller company. I highly recommend if you are not a member that you become one. I think there is a modest fee but the benefits are nice. First they will keep an online record of all of your purchases so you will never need to keep another reciept from them. Second you get 10% back at the end of the year on all regular priced items you purchase in the for of a dividend check. This has gotten me in trouble a couple of years because it has a total of all regular price items you have purchased and also sale items for a total of your yearly spending. My wife has seen a few of these and given me the "what the heck did you buy!"

Solid company with excellent customer service and competitive prices. If you hunt around on their site and look at the Outlet site you can find great deals on clearance items and as a member get additional % off a couple of times a year.