Australian Hiker

Packed Weight 1kg
Internal dimensions 215cm long
Internal wide at head 130cm
Internal wide at feet 108cm
Internal Height 98cm at its highest
Internal Floor Area 2.6 square metres
Vestibule Area 0.7 square metres/vesitibule

Cost $729.90

Nemo Hornet 2 Person Ultralight Tent

Shelter

Rating

Rating:	8.5 / 10
Value for Money	2.0 / 2.5
Comfort	2.1 / 2.5
Weight	2.2 / 2.5
Durability	2.2 / 2.5

Nemo Hornet 2 Person Ultralight Tent Review

Just how many tents do you need? This is really a question without answer and for me when I purchased the Nemo Hornet 2 Person Ultralight Tent this became my third two person tent.

What it came down to was that I was going to be doing a 5-6 week hike on the Bibbulmun Track in Western Australia and decided that I wanted the lightest double skin, side entry tent option that I could find and while I could have gone for a 1 person tent I am a fan of having my gear inside the tent with me rather than under the vestibule particularly when it’s pouring with rain.

In deciding which option to go for as usual I spent many months researching the options and alternatives. In looking at, and having used, and owned, a number of well known two person tents why would I need another? While the Nemo tent is considered a 2 person tent it’s best considered a 1.5 person tent. You really would be struggling to comfortably fit two large adults in this tent and even then it would be a very cosy fit. It’s a couples tent and even then you would have be comfortable with ‘spooning’ for it to work. Head room on this tent was pretty good and as a male over 185cm in height I managed to sit up quite comfortably when I needed to. If you want space in a two person tent then this is not the one to choose. I think that I would also struggle to comfortably fit a small child in the tent with me. This really is a one person tent with room for your gear.

So apart from the tight space Nemo reduces the weight on this tent by using a thinner material. While not the thinnest material on the market it’s close. The floor material is 15 denier nylon while the tent inner and fly, that’s not mesh, is 10 denier. Previous models of this tent have been thinner but Nemo obviously decided that many campers have been bit rough so have bulked up the current version ever so slightly.

The tent poles are also slightly lighter in weight and are also ‘y shaped’ meaning that this tent is not ‘free standing’ but is instead are semi free standing. You could use this as a free standing bug net in a shelter but out in the open with the fly on you will need to peg this down.

The tent pegs that come with this tent are also pretty light weight but if you are in some serious winds you will need to hold them down with rocks or replace them with some more robust options such as the MSR Groundhogs or MSR Groundhog Mini’s. These tent pegs are also the pointy version used by a lot of manufacturers so you don’t want to kick the when you get up in the night.

The smaller dimensions and lighter weight materials that go to make up this tent mean that the packed weight including tent pegs of this two person tent sits just on 1kg. In fact my tent weighed in just under this. So wouldn’t the 1 person option be lighter again you ask? The answer to this is definitely yes but but the 1 person option weights in at around 900grams and is a very snug fit particularly if you are on the larger size. So for the sake of the extra 100 grams you pick up for the two person option and the extra space is well worth it.

I have now used this tent for a number of nights and have come to love some of the less obvious features. For example the side opening doors on this tent are ‘d’ shaped and my door style of choice. They just work so well and keep the mesh out of the way when you are nearing and exiting. Side opening doors just work so well, particularly if you are sharing the tent. This tent is also physically small when packed so doesn’t take up a lot of space in your pack.

While we are discussing doors the zipper pulls on the tent work extremely well and I have never snagged the doors when entering or exiting. The vestibules are well sized so if you do want to keep your pack and footwear outside the tent you have plenty of space to do this.

So what about the negatives? Being constructed of lighter weigh material you need to ask a bit of care with this tent. I spent a bit of time on my multi-week hike ‘farming’ to make sure that any sharp rocks or sticks were away from the base of the tent. I would do this anyway just to ensure a conformable nights sleep but I also didn’t want to put a hole in the tent. If you are a bit rough with your gear then you will need to slow things down a bit just to ensure that you don’t damage the material. Having used this tent for over 4 years It has held up well and has not damage was so ever so its more durable than I first thought.

The other issue that I had was on the first night that I used this tent the soil was fairly soft and with the heavy rain that I had I hadn’t pitched my tent fly tightly enough so was getting condensation coming into the tent. This was only a problem on my first use in heavy rain and I soon learnt to ensure a tight rainfly after that; problem solved.

This tent is a bright green colour which you are either going to love or hate (Nemo now has a newer version call the Osmo which is grey in colour). It didn’t bother me one way or the other but it may be a consideration.

So would I purchase this tent as my two person option? Definitely not, its just not big enough. However as a solo hiker, this double walled tent this is definitely a great option and purchase that I am glad to have made even after 5 years of use.

We Like

Easy to erect so you can set up fast and get out the wet weather thereby keeping you drier
Ultra lightweight reduces the weight in your pack – just on 1kg
This tent packs down pretty small in size
Two side opening ‘D’ shaped doors make entering and exiting very easy
Twin tent vestibules, which easily accommodates your pack at your side of the tent allowing you to easily access your gear
Two gear mesh pockets (one at each side of the tent ) to store the small pieces of equipment making them easier to find when you need them
Tent zips operate very freely and for me some of the best I have used on a hiking tent
Adjustable door toggle make it very easy to pin back the doors when open

We Don't Like

While sold as a two person tent it’s really a 1.5 person tent at best
Lightweight material reduces the weight but handle this delicate material with care to prevent damage. (Having said that after 5 years of use this tent has no physical damage to it and I can be rough with my gear)

Best Uses

Three seasons hiking
Lightweight solo backpacking
Best as a spacious, lightweight, 2 door, 1 person tent

Buy One

You can purchase the Nemo Hornet 2 Person Ultralight Tent online or from Wildfire Sports

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