I have owned a REI quarter dome T2 for about three years. In that time it has seen light use and remains in good shape. Whenever I have taken it backpacking, I have found that once I set it up it doesn't sit level - it rocks back and forth on two of the poles that are diagonally across from each other. I had always chalked that up to setting it up on ground that was not perfectly level, but yesterday I set it up in my living room to clean it up, and found that even on a level surface, the tent doesn't sit flat.

If you are familiar with the Quarter Dome, it has one long white pole that reaches two corners diagonally across, and two shorter red poles that are permanently attached to this white pole. They each span to a single corner. What I am finding is that either the white pole is too long, or the tension on the poles in general is not quite right. The two corners of the white pole are firmly planted on the ground, but of the two red poles, only one of them can touch the ground at a time. The result is that the tent rocks back and forth. There is probably a couple inches of clearance under whichever end isn't contacting the ground.

Is this normal with the Quarter Dome or tents in general? It doesn't seem like it should be. I contacted REI and they said to bring the tent in so they can take a look at it, but I don't want to waste their time if this isn't unusual.

Thanks for any input,
Josh