Outdoor Vitals Dominion 2 Person Tent

When I was a young man carrying a 7 pound tent into the backcountry was not such a bad thing, but when you're older that is a terrible idea.  The Outdoor Vitals Dominion 2 person tent was my first attempt to lighten my load.  At a measured 4 pounds 3 ounces is not "ultralight" but was a welcome relief to my back.  

The Outdoor Vitals Dominion is a very roomy tent for one person, but a little tight for two hikers.  I prefer to pack a larger tent so I can have plenty of room for any gear I want inside and to keep my extra clothes.  Headroom is good and there is ample shoulder room at the wide end.  The floor pan is tapered so it's narrower at the foot end.  It saves a little weight and the taper has never been an issue other than with set up.  There are 4 very useful mesh storage pockets.

The tent didn't come with instructions so it took a few tries before I had all of the tricks to a quick pitch figured out.  The taper mentioned previously means you have to position the rainfly correctly or you'll find the rainfly will have tight spots and drooping areas.  Since this is a freestanding tent you have plenty of opportunity to adjust as needed. 

The 30D ripstop floor and 15D ripstop rainfly have held up very well, I have a footprint for the tent but rarely carry it anymore because of the floors durability.  The vestibules are more roomy than those on most of my other tents and reasonably easy to get in and out of.   The zippers remain trouble free after 4 years of use.  The seams come factory sealed, every tent should have factory sealed seams.  The waterproofing has held up very well, it has kept me dry in both driving rain and heavy snow.

Overall I like this tent a lot, however I carry it less because I've picked up a Nemo Hornet 2 to save a couple pounds and a Dyneema tarp shelter from Hammock Gear to really save weight.  But if I expect heavy rain and wind or deep snow this is what I'm packing!