Having used so many tents over the years (for work), 37" is probably the lowest ceiling of all the tents I've ever tried out. Part of what's great about having access to all these tents is being able to compare between them all.
Most any trekking pole tent will have a higher peak ceiling. Since I hike with 120cm poles that's going to be what I'm have for a ceiling, but many trekking pole shelters are spec'd to be at 130cm (time to get some flat rocks!). 120cm comes out to 47", and 10 inches more compared to the Osmo is not small. Having two peaks for tents that use two trekking poles (or even a ridge of approx the same height between), and that most of these tents are made for one person and not two, you can see where I'm feeling the Elite 2P feels constrictive.
I just measured myself sitting straight against my door: 35" tall. Next time you set up your Osmo Elite, measure floor to ceiling, it could be a few inches lower than spec'd. The non-Elite Hornet 2P is spec'd at 39", but I've only measured it at 36" tall. I can only guess they're referring to the peak of the apex of the tent pole, and not the ceiling of the inner mesh.
And you're right, when I'm moving fast all day and once I've finally stopped, I'm sleeping. But I'm also bringing a shelter that weighs much less than the Elite's 2lbs. I'm OK with the compromise of claustrophobia for that feeling of, "did I even pack this thing up back at camp"?
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
Fwiw I got a brand new 1P Nemo Hornet osmo for free and every time I use it I feel like im holding something that is super delicate. I worry very much about durability.
I've had rain come in the fly cutouts on a Nemo Hornet Osmo 2p. I've also had strong wind blow dust inside of the tent and get all of my gear super dirty. They have the fly cut like that to shave weight, making the Nemo hornets less stormworthy than a full to the ground fly like an XMid. Fareweather camping with the Nemo is great, but I wouldn't trust it in all bad weather situations, mostly high winds. Never gotten wet in it without high winds
I have extended guylines to make pitching easier on unlevel ground and for Big Rock Little Rock. Visualizing the space is a lot more difficult (especially when tired or in bad weather) than just putting the Nemo in any little spot without much thought. I rarely had to wipe the Nemo down before packing and regularly spend 10-20 min daily getting the xmid clean enough to pack it (and I use the durston groundsheet)
Also the Xmid gets way more debris on it due to hitting the ground exponentially more than the Nemo during setup and breakdown
The Nemo fly fabric is not as good as the Xmid, the Nemo fly soaks in and takes a very long time to dry. Also the Nemo pitches inner first so definitely can be an issue if you have lots of rainy days
I sold my Nemo after getting the Durston, but rebought the Nemo recently because of the issues I have with pitching the Xmid in small alpine spots. The footprint is literally massive on the Durston
Since you have the REI gift card, I’d go the route you’ve decided. I will say, as a Nemo Hornet Osmo 2P user, the tent is cramped, I’m a bigger guy. And I’ve already had the tent fly and zipper repaired once already. The Osmo material for me isn’t really durable. I just picked up a Durston X-Dome 2 and it’s a night and day space difference.
justinsimoni
