REI has revamped the Passage 2. It features a new door/vestibule design, increased mesh, and a new pole design. See the new version on the left, below, compared to the one we tested on the right.
These updates appear promising, but since we haven't pitched the new version of the Passage yet, the remainder of this review is applicable to the original version we tested.
A great tent for car and backyard camping, the Passage is ideal for shorter backpacking trips where you won't mind the extra weight.
The Passage is a roomy, comfortable tent for two. Its dimensions are 90x54, quite large in comparison to some of our lighter backpacking models although we think the NEMO Galaxi 2 is even more comfortable. The Passage has plenty of headroom and two roomy vestibules to store any extra gear when it's wet outside. The fly has “pop vents” for extra ventilation.
The two small pockets use a strange, triangle shape that allows items to fall right out of them. We love the REI Half Dome 2 Plus's huge pockets. We also find the vestibule zippers rather large and feel very conspicuous getting out of the tent in the middle of the night to use the facilities when you have neighbors around.
As soon as we got our hands on the Passage's poles, we knew not take this tent somewhere it would be exposed to high winds. It comes with no-name poles that are a skinny diameter and do not inspire confidence. The hubbed, high-quality poles that come with the MSR Hubba Hubba and the Half Dome 2+are more sturdy. When we used the Passage we were in sheltered, wooded area but there have been several reports in user reviews online of poles bending and breaking in high winds.
The Passage did a good job keeping the rain out. We suspect that in a torrential downpour some splash-back may get in via the sides unless you buy guylines (not included).
This is one of the heavier tents we tested, weighing in at 5 lbs, 6.1 ounces. It's too heavy for long backpacking trips. It has artistic mesh/nylon paneling in the body which looks nice but could contribute to how heavy it is.
The Passage is the easiest tent to set up in this review. It has just two crossed poles and then you stake out the two side doors. All of the other tents in this review have at least one more step, if not many for a perfect pitch. The Passage is extremely straightforward.
The Passage has heavy, abrasion-resistant coated polyester materials that are probably quite durable. However, with most cheap tent materials this polyurethane (PU) material is subject to degrading and breaking down over time. The Hilleberg Anjan 2 has extremely lightweight but durable materials including high quality silicone nylon coated fabrics and sturdy poles. Check out our Buying Advice Article for more details on this process. The Passage's poles are not very strong.
We would recommend this tent for fair weather campers. Car, backyard and paddle trips where it will be set up in a sheltered location are best.
At $159, the Passage is one of the cheapest tents in this review. Unless you are mainly using this for car camping, we would rather pay more for a product like the REI Half Dome 2+ and get a product that will last us much longer and is more reliable when the weather gets bad.
If you are looking for a super cheap, roomy tent to set up in your backyard for your kids to play in, this could be a good choice. We would not take the Passage out on any trip that we were expecting windy weather but this could be a good choice for summer camping trips in the woods. We were disappointed, (but not surprised) in the quality of this tent's poles and stakes based on the price point of the Passage.
