REI Hoodoo 3 Tent

Comments about REI Hoodoo 3 Tent:

I did a lot of research, and I was really looking for a tent that would fit me (6'4"), my girlfriend, and my dog. I initially bought the Quarter Dome UL, but it wasn't long enough for me to lay down in with out hitting my head and feet. I do a fair amount of backpacking, and wanted a tent that wouldn't weigh me down too much when I wasn't camping solo.

I just got back from 10 days in Southern Utah, and put this tent through a lot of different climate conditions. While the weather was around 50-60F during the day, it frequently dropped below freezing at night with regular precipitation.

I will say that this tent was not too much of a burden to set up for one person, but it is not the easiest either. I was traveling with two buddies, and we all had new gear to test, so I was going solo in a three man tent. With two people, I would imagine this tent would be a breeze to set up. The poles go every which way until completely set up, but once set up, the tent is entirely free standing and structurally sound. I prefer the clip-to-frame system vs. the pole-through-sleeve system, and was pleasantly surprised by how easily the tent came together once the poles were constructed.

The door unzips 359 degrees and attaches at the top, where there is a pocket for the door to stow. The fly works well, and has three vents that prop open with a velcro system that was very easy to use and worked quite well.

All that said, here is what I learned about this tent through testing and some trial by error:

1. Keep the vents open. When all the vents are closed, the fly collects condensation along the fairly flat inside top of the rainfly, which doesn't get into the tent until you are disassembling it. Not a huge issue, but fairly easy to remedy.

2. In windy and sandy conditions, make sure to stake the rainfly close to the body of the tent. The no-see-um mesh's spacing is not small enough to block sand, so one night I ended up with a lot of sand in the tent and all over me.

Otherwise, the tent is stellar. Lots of room to stretch out, lots of head room. It handled light snow very well, was waterproof, and very windproof when staked accordingly. Also, there are 4 gear lofts and several side pockets. I had no trouble staying organized. This tent obviously had a lot of thought put into it, and is a fine product.

Comments about REI Hoodoo 3 Tent:

This is an excellent camping tent with plenty of room for two people who like their space. The front and rear doors are very spacious, and the roof stow pocket for the front door is a very thoughtful addition.

My girlfriend and I are 6'0" and 6'2", respectively, and we were quite comfortable sleeping, changing, and playing cards in this tent. Being able to both sit upright with plenty of headroom is a rare pleasure in a tent that is flexible enough to be taken on short backpacking trips. The eight stash pockets (four on the roof, four on lower walls) keep all the random stuff that generally ends up on the floor well out of the way and easily accessible.

There are also four small roof loops in the corners for running bungee cords and clotheslines. My candle lantern hung at a perfect height when run between the two front tabs.

There are a couple annoyances with this tent, however. As another reviewer mentioned, the rainfly collects condensation on the underside like a fiend. The bathtub style tent floor walls are extremely tall, and make for difficult entry and exit when the rainfly is attached due to an awkward angle between the rainfly door and tent door that creates a much smaller opening then one would expect. The front door zippers also catch up in the lower corners frequently, requiring an additional hand to stretch out the front face of the tent to give the zipper a smoother path.

The lower walls of the vestibules are also rather high off the ground, contributing to a rather chilly evening when it gets windy. You will definitely want to test the wind and pitch the tent side-on if you don't like getting cold.

At 7+ pounds and 28 inches long packed, this is definitely not going to be your primary multi-day backpacking trip tent. For any other kind of camping, however, this tent is a roomy and economical choice.

Comments about REI Hoodoo 3 Tent:

This tent was a pleasant surprise! I'm a 6'2" camper and my girlfriend is 6'0". We had troubles finding a tent that could fit our needs... one that was long enough for us, could store our gear, was good enough for MN weather, and was small for backpacking. This tent ended up fitting all of our needs! We went out yesterday with it and it was easy to set up, fit both of us comfortably, and the vestibules could fit both our large 70L packs and our boots. We did not have any rain, but it held up nicely in the wind. What a great first tent for the money. If you are tall like we are, then pass on the Quarterdome and Half-Dome's... REI has a winner with the Hoodoo 3 for TWO people. Three would be way too cramped.

Comments about REI Hoodoo 3 Tent:

I just received my Hoodoo 3 w/ footprint, and immediately set it up in the living room. My wife and girls all liked it and so do I. It came out to of the box perfectly finished. No string residue, etc.

The only thing is that I was afraid to push the poles on the side back to the rear hubs at first. You sort of have to push the peaks down and out gently to help. I had to look at the REI web site photo a few times to be sure it should be that way and would not break.

I realize the tubes are light-weight and at risk of damage until fully assembled, then it is very strong.

This old jungle infantryman never had it so good! This is a long way from the GI insect bar and poncho hooch I used to sleep in in Panama.

Can't wait to get to Shenandoah National Park.

Comments about REI Hoodoo 3 Tent:

I've been wanting to pick up this tent for backpacking and car camping for a while. Finally REI put it on sale at [$] so I had to pounce. The tent poles are self supporting and you can use the rain fly, poles and footprint for a quick shelter, or sun shade.Unlike most tents I've used, REI was smart enough to design the tent sack to be large enough that you don't have to roll the tent up super-duper tight to get it to fit. The sack has two cinch straps and a carry handle.Inside there are four pockets in each corner and four more pockets in the top corners. Loops are included for a gear hammock.As an FYI, I weighed out the various components to determine a good way to split the parts out with your tent mate. A fair split is for one person to take the tent and poles, the other gets the fly, stakes, and footprint.

Comments about REI Hoodoo 3 Tent:

I was looking for a lightweight tent with a little room to it...this is it. I like to move around a lot and keep some gear in the tent and there is plenty of room in this one. I have only used this twice, once in the mountains and once at the beach. It worked very well both places. I was able to set it up by myself with no problem. It is very well ventilated so if it's cool and breezy you might want to set it up so the ends are not in the breeze - it will come in.

Comments about REI Hoodoo 3 Tent:

I could not be happier, truly, with this tent. I used this tent over the weekend where the temperature dipped to 43 degrees farenheit in the evening. It also rained a bit in the morning and sometime during the night, but to my delight, I stayed dry. The weather protection proved to be 100%!

Condensation will inevitably collect somewhere due to the moisture on our gear and ESPECIALLY from our warm bodies and breath. Condensation, as well as ventilation was a concern on such cold evenings. But this tent stayed completely dry inside the canopy. The moisture ended up collecting on the rainfly, as a good tent should do.

The set-up was tricky the very first time, but after a few practice runs, the tent, including stakes and rainfly, could be set up within 5 minutes.

With regard to space, two people fit comfortably, but a third may make the the floor space quite intimate. The mesh pocket organizers also help with the cluttering of the space.

My only slight gripe is the zippers. They can be a little tough to move around. REI used good quality tough zippers, but those great zippers come at a price of having to use two hand to jimmy them. This is of such minor complaint that I actually stepped away from my computer and debated whether or not I should even include this on the review. So please take this one gripe for its face value.

Though this tent was bought used at an attic sale, it has proven to be a tough and resilient tent through many uses. And while I bought it at a huge discount, I can tell you without hesitation that I would buy this new at full price.

Comments about REI Hoodoo 3 Tent:

April 27th, Greenbrier State Park...car camping in Ash Loop the night before the GreenBrier Mountain Bike Race. The wind blew, the rains fell, the lightening blazed and the thunder roared....our little babbling brooke turned into a class 4 whitewater run. Yet, the Hoo Doo 3 remained anchored and dry, despite mother nature's furious attempt to inflict damage. The next morning, we awoke after a great night sleep to see all of our sleep deprived, damp neighbors, hanging out their bags and gear to dry. It wasn't pretty. We smugly sipped our coffee and congratulated ourselves for our fine choice of tent.

Comments about REI Hoodoo 3 Tent:

I had to get a larger tent to house myself and my two boys. This tent is more than enough room for all three of us. I can sit up and my head does not touch the ceiling and I am 6 ft. The tent is very sturdy and a breeze to set up. For a three person larger tent it really isn't that heavy and packs very easily. For the warm Texas climate the ventilation on this tent is great.

Comments about REI Hoodoo 3 Tent:

I recently used this tent out in Washington in Olympic National Park. It was a 4 day/3 night trip and we couldn't have been happier with our tent. I knew it was on the heavy side when I made the purchase. Still, an extra 2-3 lbs. is insignificant to me for the extra space of a 3-man tent. Also, I'm 6' 4" tall, and this was one of the few tents that had a sufficient length for me when I tried them out at REI. Didn't get to test the tent in any extreme rain/wind, but I'm confident it would do just fine. If you don't mind an extra pound or two, get this tent - it's easy to set up, looks nice, and is a quality REI product.