SectionHiker.com Backpacking Gear Reviews and FAQs 
The REI Passage 2 is a comfortable two-person camping tent that’s ideal for car camping, base camping, and short backpacking trips. It has two doors and two giant vestibules with plenty of external gear storage. But what sets this tent apart from others is its internal livability. The tent interior can fit two 25 inch wide sleeping pads without breaking a sweat. Plus the Passage has six large interior storage pockets, including four in the ceiling and two in the sides, something that a lot of tent manufacturers make you pay extra for. Priced at $159, this tent is a great value and a real pleasure to use.
Specs at a Glance
- People: 2
- Doors/Vestibules: 3
- Type: Double-wall, semi-freestanding (vestibules must be staked)
- Minimum number of stakes required: 4
- Inner tent dimensions: 88″ x 52″
- Peak height: 40″
- Minimum trail weight: 4 lbs 2 oz
- Stakes: included
- Tent Footprint: Included
- For complete specs
The REI Passage 2 is a two-person tent that is very easy to set up. The inner tent is suspended from two crossed aluminum tent poles by plastic hooks that lock into four corner grommets. You don’t have to stake out the four corners, but it does make setup much easier if you do and prevent the tent from blowing away in a breeze. Still, it’s nice to have the option of a freestanding inner tent if you need to pitch the tent or a very hard surface, like a rock ledge, or a very soft one, like beach sand.
The rain fly drapes over the inner tent to keep out moisture and increase privacy. The fly clips into the corner grommets, so no additional stakes are needed in the corners. This also makes it much easier for one person to set up, while your partner is taking care of additional camp chores.
The Passage 2 has two large vestibules covering the side doors, that require two stakes each to secure. The vestibules are quite deep and provide excellent rain coverage. You can also unzip just the upper half of the vestibule doors, like a door transom, to help vent the inner tent while keeping breezes from chilling you. You can also store gear on both sides of the inner tent door since the vestibule has what amounts to two side wings. It’s a great combination of features that really improve utility and livability.
The interior of the Passage 2 is similarly well-appointed with four mesh pockets in the ceiling and two on the sidewalls for storing personal items, hanging a lamp/lantern, or just drying out your damp socks. There are also additional gear loops so you can hang a clothesline. A lot of tent companies try to nickel and dime you for add-on gear lofts with this kind of functionality, but it’s all part of the package with the Passage 2.
The interior dimensions of the Passage 2 are 88″ x 52″ which is truly rectangular without one tapered side. It can easily fit two 25″ wide sleeping pads plenty of length for tall occupants. The headroom is excellent and the tent has vertical sidewalls. provided plenty of internal room to move about in or sit up.
Comparable Budget Backpacking Tents
| Make / Model / People | Weight | Design | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| REI Trail Hut 2 | 4 lbs 14 oz | Freestanding | $229 |
| Featherstone Backbone 2P | 2 lbs 11.5 oz | Trekking Pole | $200 |
| Sierra Designs Full Moon 2 | 3 lbs 15.5 oz | Freestanding | $230 |
| Big Agnes C-Bar-2 | 3 lbs 9 oz | Freestanding | $250 |
| Kelty Late Start 2 | 4 lbs | Freestanding | $159 |
| Marmot Tungsten 2P | 4 lbs 15.7 oz | Freestanding | $249 |
| Lanshan 2 | 2 lbs 7 oz | Trekking Pole | $200 |
| REI Trailmade 2 | 4 lbs 4 oz | Freestanding | $199 |
| Six Moon Designs Skyscape Scout | 2 lbs 8 oz | Trekking Pole | $160 |
| Dan Durston X-Mid 1 | 1 lb 12 oz | Trekking Pole | $240 |
Recommendation
The REI Passage 2 Tent is a BEST BUY in my book and has quickly become my goto car camping tent when I want to a tent to crash in between day hikes on the road. I really like how easy it is to set up and all of the inside pockets, which make it easy to keep my glasses and electronics from getting crushed overnight. Weighing 4 lbs 2 oz, the Passage is definitely not an ultralight backpacking tent, but it is a great entry level beginner tent, basecamp, or couples tent for shorter trips if you want an affordable tent that is easy to use, durably built, and comfortable.
Disclosure: The author purchased this tent.
I just picked up the 1-person version of this tent for $80 (REI Outlet markdown plus 20% coupon.) Like you, I wanted a tent I could use for “night-before” camping at a trailhead, or for my infrequent ventures into cold weather. (My current preference is the REI Flash Air 2.) This tent looks like a clone of the original version of the MSR Hubba. If memory serves, REI briefly owned MSR (whose tents trace their lineage back into the long-gone Moss Tent company.)
It appears the Passage tents have been discontinued, or perhaps just renamed – the “just introduced” Trailmade 1-person tent appears to be a near-copy of this tent (same weight, same materials, same dimensions, but a jazzy new color.) REI seems to have done a similar thing with its fleece, “discontinuing” a couple of old lines and coming out with near-identical “Trailmade” models. It may be that they are now differentiating their lightweight gear with the “Flash” name, and a slightly higaher price (but still about 20-30% less expensive than big-name ultralight gear) from their more traditional weight (and less-expensive) gear which carries the “Trailmade” name.
Anyhow, it’s a nice tent and a real steal for $100 (the Outlet price before the additional member coupon.) As of this writing (4/25/23) REI still has some available. Failing that, the Trailmade version is only $159 and might be a comparable quality (I haven’t actually seen one, but the specs are virtually identical.)