Thread: Nemo Tents

Hi all, I’m in the market for a new tent. I already have an Exped Sirius II which I’ve had a for a few years now and the thing is bullet proof but at 3kg, I’m looking for something a little lighter in the 3 season range. I also have a Stiltarp 2 which is great for fast and light trips when the weather is looking pretty good.

So what I am I looking for in a new tent?
2 person, semi lightweight (under 1.2kg), double layer, bug proof, not too expensive, quick to pitch, something that I can use spring, summer and autumn in a semi sheltered position.

Even though I am after a two person tent, it will be used more for me and the dog or solo missions and occasionally take the wife away which is almost never. I’m not after superlight weight, like the Cuban fibre options, just can’t afford them.
I like the double layer tents, to me if you have a single layer tent, you need to have that much ventilation going through it you may as well just be using a tarp to keep the condensation out.

So I’ve been looking at all types of tents, looked hard at some of the Big Agnes, MSR, Macpac, Kuiu options, reading reviews on here and other forums and then I came across the Outdoor Gear Lab website and started reading their tent reviews.

The tents that kept on ticking all the boxes for me was the Nemo Tent range, especially the Hornet 2 person tent. I’ve never heard of these tents before so I watched a few reviews on them and they seem like just what I want.

Yes it is a bit small for 2 people but that’s not really a problem using it solo, the vestibules are small but again not a problem using it solo, it’s stable in the wind and offers good rain protection, it weighs in at 1kg, packs down fairly small and you can buy them in NZ for $650, a lot cheaper than some of the other options I have looked at. It consistently gets rated as a best buy or editors picks in the Outdoor Gear lab reviews. The only real drawbacks I can see is that you have to pitch the inner first then the fly over the top and this style of tent can let a bit of water in when entering in wet conditions.

What sort of surprised me is I haven’t seen anybody mention Nemo tents on here or any other NZ forums that I have found. There is an Elite version of the Hornet (slightly lighter than the Fly Creek HV2) available that is a lot more expensive but also rates well in the Outdoor Gear Lab reviews. Some of their other tents look pretty good as well like the Nemo Dagger 2 person tent.

Has anybody used one or looked at them but decided on a different tent instead? I would appreciate any info that anyone has on them.
I'm in no hurry to buy and would be interested in any other suggestions around the $600 -700 range.

Cheers guys