Dragonfly OSMO 1P

Nemo Osmo Dragonfly 1p - it’s like 2 lbs, packs up small, and has a big vestibule for your stuff if it’s raining. That is the key. I weathered a 5 day monsoon in the sierras in this tent and it held up.

I had the 1 person Tungsten and it’s a really solid tent. Rode out heavy thunderstorms with hail dry as a bone. Only drawback is the weight. I’m old (49) and have dough so I upgraded to Nemo Dragonfly 1p and it’s like half the weight. Gave my Tungsten to a friend’s son who is like 20 and has the energy to carry a heavier tent

I have the Nemo dragonfly 1p. Spring for the 2p instead. It's only slightly heavier and provides more room.

I got a Nemo dragonfly 1p on close out for $269 recently.  Great option at that price.  Easy to set up, roomy, and very lightweight. Not sure what your budget is.

I got the osmo nemo dragonfly on sale for £350. It might be worth seeing if you can get this one on offer as it’s a great tent and fits the requirements

Second on the Alps, and I also own a Nemo dragonfly osmo. Some people will say they aren't necessary, but I disagree 100 percent, especially in your use case. Get. a. ground cloth/footprint. Even if it's a $4 dollar general blue tarp. If somebody in the troop has access to tyvek housewrap, even better. You can run that through a wash and dry cycle and make it a lot less crinkly if you want. Unless you plan on camping on carpeting, there will inevitably be a stick, rock, piece of broken glass or debris that will scratch or puncture your floor. As far as purchasing, also keep an eye on the REI Garage Sale. I've seen some really good deals on things that were returned after a couple uses or missing an item that could be easily replaced.

Go with two backpacking tents, and then you don’t have to share with the kids! The Nemo dragonfly is on sale at REI, I’d go with the 2p for the kids and 3p for you and the wife. The 2P also makes a great 1 person for when you’re solo. If you want to save a bit, Featherstone, Paria Zion and the Naturehike Mongar are all similar 2p white label tents for around $150 or so.

The X-Dome is commonly recommended because it’s the lightest freestanding tent on the market when equipped with the carbon poles while still being spacious. Their 2P actually fits two, so you’d have to compare that with many other 3P tents which makes the weight really stand out. Personally I’m not a fan of Carbon poles as they seem more fragile than aluminum and am ok with a little extra weight. Fortunately Durston sells the tent with aluminum poles now. The 2p is still about 6-7oz lighter then the Nemo Dragonfly 3P with aluminum poles but a bit more expensive then the current sale price of the Dragonfly. Personally I’d go with the Dragonfly since it’s on sale. Also the OSMO fabric is supposed to have very long lasting waterproofing. It’s too new to be sure (came out in 2022 I think) but I’d guess these tents will go 10+ years typically before re-waterproofing. The fabric is also a big reason why I’d choose that over MSR, BA etc. I hate tents that sag and most manufacturers use nylon which sags. Nylon also absorbs water which makes packing it up really messy if the fly is still wet. OSMO and Poly fly’s (Durston uses poly, as does Mountainsmith) can be shaken dry before you put it away.

I was caught in a 12 hour downpour on my last trip. The OSMO was flawless, it’s really impressive how quickly water beads off. It feels like no other material I’ve come across on a tent, it’s almost slippery. The only complaint I’ve read is that some people don’t like the fly cutout on the head end. I’d imagine in heavy humidity you might get some condensation because it technically should act like a single wall tent on that panel. Personally I haven’t had that issue or maybe I haven’t noticed it, but even if I did, only my pillow that touches that area. Maybe if you are tall and had a sleeping bag with a hood that touches that panel it might be an issue at times. If that’s a deal breaker look for the Dagger 2p which has a full fly, or wait for the the 2026 Dragonfly which doesn’t have a cutout. If you don’t think you’ll be backpacking for a while it might be worth waiting and just get the Mountainsmith tent for the fam.