Hornet Elite

I freaking loved my Nemo hornet 1.5 person tent. Spacious, durable and lasted me three thru hikes (AT 17, LT 18, PCT 19). Still use it for solo overnights in the whites and Maine

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.

Considering a Nemo hornet elite 1p is 687 grams all in, while a xmid 1 is 720 grams *without poles*, it’s hard to legitimately consider the xmid as UL.

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.

I was a backpacker before I was a moto camper but my Nemo Hornet Elite has been great for both.

Best tent I have ever invested in! The abuse these tents can take is pretty amazing!

I have the Nemo Hornet. This tent is a beast! It survived 2653 miles down the Pacific Crest Trail (west coast USA Mexico to Canada) and 15000 miles on the back of my motorcycle and is still going strong! It's been through hot summer desert days to high alpine snow storms, torrential downpours, and high winds. Comes with a hefty price tag but worth every penny.