NEMO Equipment - Hornet Elite 2

Zpacks Altaplex and Plexamid. Prior, Nemo Hornet Elite 2p. Several REI tents: half dome quarter dome etc. A Kelty 2p tent from the 2000s. I understand the general concern - but again - as long as you do the little things right you're gonna be fine. For example. You wouldn't set up a tent on a completely exposed ridgeline above 10k ft on a windy day in the Rockies. You could have 100+ mph winds; and if you weren't in it then indeed you'd have no more tent at all. You wouldn't not stake it down. You shouldn't leave it entirely empty. Etc. Etc. Tents, and their strength, it's really about proper tension and taughtness in the guylines and dimensions of the tent. A few years ago in Eagle Cap a severe storm came through while establishing my tent setup. It was monsooning at the same time. Therefore I half assed my setup. 10 minutes later massive gusts ripped a stake out the ground folding the tent in half while I was in it. Buttt that was on me. Poor setup. I got out during the chaos. Re-established the integrity of the hold points - and proceeded to get little to no sleep through the treacherous storm. But was perfectly dry and unaffected. Choose a good tent. Choose a smart campsite. Set it up with good proper tension. All will be fine. If through hikers can make it with a single tent - you'll be fine with whatever you choose.

I will say even though the ultralight tents are super thin, I have a Nemo Hornet Elite 2P that i bought used and I've put well over 2500 miles on it with no issues. I still think it's hard to beat the price of the Ozark Trail if you aren't going to use it a ton.

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).

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).

I would recommend the Hornet. I own 2 Nemo tents. I have a Hornet Elite. I was really worried how it would hold up, but I shouldn't have been. I have had it in heavy rain and wind with no issues. If someone is looking at Nemo I will always recommend the Hornet. The 3p is on sale at backcountry.com. reg it is $549, sale is $439.

That 37in ceiling height on the Nemo is kind of a bummer. This new BA tent is just a roomier tent (and heavier for the area), but it's 40in peak height is also kind of a deal breaker for me to want to bring for long trips. I'm not even all that tall.

I don’t think the X-Dome is ultralight at all. It’s light only if you have to have a freestanding tent and you are expecting strong winds. I wonder if this would be the situation in winter when you might have strong winds and heavy snow loading but there’s little snow on the groubd to anchor tent. Nemo Hornet Elite would be light when it comes to freestanding tents. However, there are lighter and better trekking pole tents.

So basically the Nemo Hornet Elite is still way better and cheaper, got it

Can’t speak for the 1p, but I am 5’11” and have used the 2p elite for over 7000 miles of solo thru hikes. Can sit up in it just fine and the thing has been bomber if oriented well during storms (including a blizzard). If you are moving fast you are usually just horizontal anyways at the end of the day. For slower hikes or with my partner I will use a trekking pole tent as they are the more weight economic option for more space.

UL tents don't add much weight going from 1P to 2P. 2P versions of UL tents are usually only 4-5 oz heavier than the 1Ps. The additional space is usually worth it. Your tent isn't the best piece of gear to sacrifice comfort on. Being able to bring all of your gear inside of a tent during a rain or snow storm is a huge plus. Digging your gear out of frozen snow sucks. Mud sucks. Bugs, ticks, spiders, scorpions, centipedes, and sneks suck. I don't leave my boots outside. If you go with a semi-free standing like the Nemo Hornet Elite, use separate stakes for the foot area of the inner and the rainfly. Staking them separately allows for more control in bad weather.

Nemo Hornet Osmo Elite 2. Traditional tent/fly design. Great tent. Handles condensation very well. A little heavy at about 2lbs. Zpacks Free Zip 2P for a single wall design. I love this tent for its ease of use, but it does have condensation issues on occasion. 31 ounces. Both are pretty spendy though.

Go with the Hornet 2 though, if possible. It's technically a 2p tent but in reality its more like a 1.5p size, so it works really well as a one person with room to flop around or for a wider pad, and it's just as light as many 1-person tents. Probably why there are a lot of the 1p Hornets available used.