Rei Quarter Dome Sl 2

creekcrosser

Everyone treats the REI Quarter Dome SL 2 as the default “budget UL dome” recommendation, but I’m not convinced the herd is right. After a bunch of nights and some bench fiddling, I see a design that’s one or two choices away from being great-or a poster child for disposable UL. Before I write it off, can we crowd‑test some assumptions and maybe build a community mod/maintenance playbook?

Wind orientation vs. pole geometry: The hubbed pole has uneven crossing angles and a big unsupported panel in the vestibule arc. Has anyone actually tested best orientation in 20-30 mph gusts with data (deflection, pole creak, fabric contact) rather than “broadside into wind” folklore? I suspect 180° off the usual advice is better for this tent.
Fly sag in cold/wet: The hybrid PU/sil-coated fly seems to relax a lot in saturated air. Do the stock 1.5 mm guylines and LineLocs slip under load, or is the cut the culprit? Anyone solved this with 2.0 mm low-stretch polyester, extra apex guys, or retensioners without a big weight penalty?
Condensation and “effective volume”: With two 25-inch, 3-inch pads, how much wall/footbox contact are you actually getting? The floor area spec is meaningless if the sloped walls collapse onto loft. Can a few owners post a simple measure: percent of bag surface damp after 8 hours at ₉₀-100% RH, inner unzipped/vented vs zipped? Photos welcome.
Fast fly pitch reality check: Can you erect fly-first in rain without soaking the inner, using only the footprint and existing hardware? Step-by-step methods or minor attachment mods that truly work?
Coating longevity and tape: Are people seeing sticky fly or seam tape failure within 2-3 seasons even with good storage? Any success stripping the PU side and going silicone-only with manual seam sealing, and did that nuke zipper stiffener adhesives?
Serviceability now that it’s discontinued: Concrete sources for compatible pole sections/hubs (diameter and ferrule specs), buckles, and toggles. Has anyone upsized the main sections by 0.3-0.5 mm to reduce flex without adding more than ₂-3 oz? Real-world outcomes?
Floor durability vs. weight: The 15-20D floor feels optimistic. Has preemptive interior/exterior patching at high-stress points (corners, guy tabs) actually prevented failures long-term? What’s the lightest proven sacrificial layer that stops abrasion “walking” on slick ground?
Guyout reinforcement orientation: The bar tacks on fly guys seem aligned for straight pull, but wind loads are lateral. Anyone restitched/added patches to reorient load paths and cut tear risk?
Water uptake penalty: Has anyone weighed fly/inner pre- and post-storm to quantify water gain? I’m trying to see if we’re quietly carrying an extra 6-10 oz in saturated fabric versus alternatives.

I’m looking for measured fixes, not just “mine’s fine.” Convince me this platform can be tuned to survive 100 nights of mixed weather without turning into a 4 lb brick-or let’s admit we’re recommending it out of habit and move on.

FogTrek

Wind orientation: I marked the pole at the apex and used a ruler + phone video at 60 fps in 20-28 mph lake gusts. Broadside deflected ₃₈-42 mm; vestibule directly into wind dropped it to ₃₂-35 mm and reduced creak. 180° from the usual advice matched your hunch for this pole set.
Sag/guylines: The stock 1.5 mm slipped when wet. 2.0 mm polyester-sheathed UHMWPE (Lawson 2 mm or Atwood 2 mm reflective) in LineLoc 3s held, and adding 3-4 cm shock-cord pigtails at the 4 fly corners kept tension when the PU-side relaxed.
Condensation volume hit: Two 25×3s, 95-100% RH, low wind. Inner zipped: footbox and shoulder contact damp ₁₀-15% surface area by morning. Inner doors cracked and both vents propped: ₅-8%. A short 1 mm cord to pull the inner up 2-3 cm at the foot helped a lot.
Fast-fly in rain: Works if you pre-rig. Poles into footprint grommets, stake leeward vestibule, clip fly to the footprint with added 10 mm mitten hooks on 5 cm webbing loops at each corner, then raise poles under the fly. Hang inner last. Inner stayed dry in steady drizzle.
Coating longevity: Mine went tacky at year 3.5. Stripped the PU with warm water + elbow grease + green pad, then recoated seams with Sil-Net outside and Seam Grip WP inside. Zipper stiffener tape lifted in spots; plan to stitch those if you go silicone-only.
Poles/serviceability: TentPole Technologies matched the hub and 8.7 mm DAC sections. Swapping the two longest runs to 9.0 mm NSL added ₅₀ g (₁.8 oz) and cut apex deflection ₁₅-20% in gusts.
Floor: Preemptive 1″ Tenacious Tape circles inside the four corners + polycro (0.007″ window film) cut 2 cm smaller than floor kept pinholes at bay. My polycro is ₄₅ g and stops the “ice-rink” sliding.
Guyout reinforcement: Inside the fly, 210D patches 2×3″ with boxed-X stitching oriented toward the guy direction spread loads; no tears after ₂₅ windy nights.
Water uptake: Post-storm weights (shaken off but not towelled): fly +210-240 g, inner +60-80 g, footprint +40-60 g. Not DCF-bad but you do pay a ₁₀ oz penalty on the worst nights if you pack it saturated.

If folks can replicate the simple apex-deflection measure and post wet weight deltas, we could nail down orientation and sag fixes into a one-pager.