NEMO Equipment - Hornet 1P

1,. My experience in Japan (Tokyo <> Kyoto) has been that business hotels are a more convenient option. Very densely populated country means relatively few nice places to pitch a tent. 2 weeks and we camped only once. 2. As others have pointed out, several UL tents now exist. Perhaps take a look at the Nemo Hornet. Reasonably priced, (semi) free standing, under 1Kg, under 5L packed size, short pole set. 3. Tarp + bivy isn't likely to bring joy to the camper. Unpleasant in adverse weather, requires significant time to set up if you need the tarp, no significant weight/volume saving. Try before leaving home with such a system

I have used that tent family (the Hornet and Hornet Elite) for years in backcountry camping in all kinds of weather including blowing rainstorms. I have never gotten wet. It is a three season tent and it is optimized for "ultralight," it's relatively fragile fabric-wise, especially the Elite, which does not mean it's a bad option for backcountry—I have put hundreds and hundred of miles on mine! It's my go to—but it does mean it's not a good choice if you know you are going to be regularly facing punishing weather eg very high winds and constant rain. TLDR the "bathtub lip" of the tent body is higher on that side to compensate. It's a weight savings. The downside of this design is that you can't use it with only the fly and no tent body in wet weather; I've never done that with any tent (use only poles, fly, and probably a ground cloth) but it's a thing. It's worth noting this tent has gone through multiple product generations now, most recently to the OSMO fabric, without ditching this design. I personally I think the new OSMO versions are the best version that's been made (I have used three generations, I think all of them).

Btw the other consequence of this being optimized for weight is that it's small… especially if you're used to car camping! Sometimes I'll take the 2P just for myself, if given my itinerary I'm willing to trade the weight for the comfort. The 1P version also only has a door on one side, which makes site selection less flexible.

I have a hornet 1P I’d be happy to sell for a fair price. It can pack in separate pieces which can be helpful to fit on your bike. Poles might be a challenge tho as they’re slightly longer than some bikepacking specific tents. Feel free to DM me if ur interested. I’d also suggest a Durston tent w the Z flick poles.

I tested the Nemo Hornet 2p and 1p tents and kept the 1p tent. The 1p rainfly does not go up that high. The 1p is longer and has room for my backpack inside the tent at the foot. With 1p, if all the guy lines are connected and pulled taut, even condensation under the rainfly will not drip onto the tent when it runs down to the edge of the rainfly. I’ve used the tent in 2 hours of heavy rain and moderately strong wind and it held up fine (site selection is critical). I have the older silnylon material and it did sag but barely touched the inner tent since I pulled all guy lines taut. The newer model silpoly material won’t sag but is heavier by a few ounces. Your concerns about getting wet is valid.

Buy once, cry once.. Look for light, durable 3 season with room in the vestibule for the pack. I love my Nemo Hornet 1p, but do I wish it were more like a 1.5p? Yes

I"m 5'3" and used the Nemo Hornet 1P. I never felt I needed a 2P. The small footprint of my 1P meant that i could pitch it in the smallest spaces and that was a lifesaver at the end of the day looking for places to pitch.

I’m also almost at the point of being anti-DCF. It’s great with how durable and lightweight it is. Even though it doesn’t retain water, water still gets on it from rain or inside due to condensation. So you still need to put it out so the water can bead off and dry. I switched to a Nemo hornet after mile 700 on my AT thru hike last year and most tents being sil-poly dry pretty damn fast!

Regarding Hyperbead vs OSMO, there’s some big differences but basically Hyperbead claims to be permanently waterproof so if you camp a ton, like 30+ nights a year this might be very useful. OSMO has a very high quality waterproofing and should last many years (probably 10+ for the average camper, but likely less if you camp a ton) but it’s big advantage is that it doesn’t sag or absorb water. Hyperbead is made from nylon so I suspect they’ll be some stretch and water retention. If you’ve ever packed away a soggy tent, this is a pretty easy choice. Both brands should be storm worthy enough assuming you use the 4 season tent in really nasty weather. You do have to be more cautious with the Hornet, it has the lightest materials and there is only a single pole on one end so it’s the least wind resistant. The Tiger Wall has essentially the same design so that applies as well. Personally I feel the extra weight of full free standing tents is worth it for the peace of mind in windy conditions. Plus the option of not needing stakes on blue bell days is nice. With a dog always use caution, these are lightweight tents and should be treated with the same care you’d take with an Airmat. Keep a barrier between the claws and the tent and you’ll be fine. You height won’t be an issue. As you’ve heard the NEMO warranty is the best in the industry. I’m not sure what you mean in your last question about the Hornet body panel. Do you mean the fly scoop? The Dragonfly has this as well. Total non issue for me and a big plus in warm weather. If you hate that design, the new generation coming out next year doesn’t have scoops. Personally if you can get a sale now I wouldn’t wait, the updates are similar to what they did on the Dagger, slightly more head space and no more fly scoops.

FWIW, the X-Mid zippers are the same YKK #3 zips you’d also find on the Hornet, Tiger Wall and most UL tents. The PCT is hard on zippers with the dust and sand, but that normally just wears out the sliders, which are easy to swap on the trail (Zpacks has a nice video on this) and then the zipper is normally back to being as good as new. The X-Mid zippers can last the same as these other tents. When there is more issues, it is partly because they are more popular tents, and partly because some people don’t stake out the doors so they end up putting a lot of tension on the zipper. We are working to increase education on how people can service the sliders on a long hike, and also will start including a spare set so it’s easier

Looking at the poles will tell you quite a bit about sturdiness. The Freelite 1 uses DAC NFL 8.7mm poles with a forked design. So one end of the tent has essentially 2 archs of 8.7mm while the other end has a single arch of 8.7mm. That would be comparable in sturdiness to other tents that also use a forked arch of 8.7mm, such as Big Agnes Fly Creek and Tiger Wall, and Nemo Hornet. Tents that use essentially dual arches of 8.7mm at both ends are going to be sturdier, like X-Dome 1+ but also BA Copper Spur, MSR Hubba, and many others. Easton Carbon 3.9 is very similar to DAC 8.7 mm in sturdiness. Then both brands of tent pole makers make numerous stiffer options but with higher weights that would likely put the tent over your 1 kg goal.

I have the Nemo hornet and absolutely love it. I started with a much older model and have used it every season for 8 years. I just upgraded to the newest model but haven’t gotten it out on trail yet. With a tight pitch it’s great in the rain- I live in the pnw and it’s withstood some terrible rainstorms.