NEMO Hornet OSMO 3 Overview

Backside Line

The NEMO Hornet OSMO 3 is a standout ultralight backpacking tent that’s constructed for consolation and stuffed with intelligent options. CleverHiker Founder Dave Collins used this tent on backpacking journeys within the Wallowa Mountains and the Cascades, and the Hornet 3 is a go-to for Gear Analyst Ian Krammer when backpacking within the Colorado Rockies in summer time. The Hornet 3 is a fortress within the backcountry with an enormous inside, two doorways, and enormous vestibules that simply accommodate two broad sleeping pads and all of your gear. The proprietary OSMO material repels water with ease, however maintains a taut pitch in soaking moist circumstances to maintain you dry and comfortable contained in the tent. And, it’s comparatively mild weight is a dream for hikers who prioritize weight financial savings with out giving up livability. NEMO’s consideration to element is obvious within the tent’s high-quality building and plentiful inside pockets.

Nevertheless, the tent does have limitations. The semi-freestanding design implies that it requires cautious staking for optimum stability, particularly when the wind picks up. It’s additionally too comfortable for 3 folks to sleep comfortably, making it greatest for 2 with further gear or a canine as an alternative of a trio. And, the value is on the upper aspect, which could deter budget-conscious backpackers.

Consolation

Ultralight doesn’t need to imply sacrificing consolation. With the NEMO Hornet OSMO 3, a pair of hikers can have the conveniences of a conventional 2-person tent – two doorways and vestibules, a roomy inside, and helpful pockets – with out the extra weight. It’s acquired a ton of room inside – we often match two folks, a canine, and all of our gear with out feeling cramped – because of steep sidewalls and loads of headroom. The beneficiant flooring dimensions and peak peak simply match two broad sleeping pads, so that you’ll have loads of room to toss and switch and unfold out.

Dialed-in options like NEMO’s Nightlight Pockets disperse your headlamp mild in a tender, even glow because of a big overhead pocket to create an excellent cozy ambiance contained in the tent. Plus, the tent has an enormous gear loft pocket that makes it simple to cover muddle, and well-placed aspect pockets provide you with devoted spots for smaller gadgets, from chargers to pocket knives. As an added bonus, this spacious shelter prices across the identical amount of cash as most of the main 2-person backpacking tents.

The Hornet OSMO 3 does have some drawbacks, although. Tall customers over 6’3” may discover the slanted aspect partitions, peak peak – just below three and a half ft – and tapered flooring restrictive and fewer comfy. 

Weight & Packability

At solely 3 kilos, 5 ounces, the Hornet 3 is tremendous light-weight for a 3-person tent. This can be a nice selection for backpackers who need to stability  weight and area. The semi-freestanding fashion reduces the variety of pole sections, which contributes to its lighter weight, and its double-wall Nylon Ripstop building makes it extraordinarily packable. The affordable packed measurement may be compressed even additional utilizing NEMO’s progressive Divvy stuff sack. These items sack lets you effectively divide the tent’s elements contained in the bag with a separate part for poles and stakes, fly and tent. This can be a small however superior design function that’s useful for splitting the load of the tent between two to 3 of us or staying organized whereas solo. The simple-to-stow design enhances general packability and value within the backcountry.

Nevertheless, whereas the Hornet 3 is mild, it’s not the lightest possibility obtainable in comparison with different semi-freestanding fashions we’ve examined. In case your prime precedence is ultralight and shaving ounces, you might need to preserve going. Equally, the packed measurement is compact, however nonetheless bulkier than non-freestanding minimalist tents. And whereas we love the Divvy sack for packability, it does add a little bit of weight and bulk in comparison with conventional stuff sacks.

Climate Resistance

The Hornet 3 stands out because of its OSMO material, which dramatically improves water resistance over customary nylon and polyester rain flies – one thing we observed whereas testing. This high quality nylon mix nonetheless stretches when moist or chilly, though a lot lower than comparable tents, so the rainfly stays extra taut and doesn’t sag as dramatically. And we love the distinctive fastener system that makes use of wire locks and hooks to safe the fly to the tent and preserve the rainfly held again on good days.

The Hornet 3’s rainfly is uncommon: it extends to the bottom on solely 3 sides. On the fourth aspect, the rainfly solely covers half the tent, and the inside tent has nylon that covers the realm the rainfly doesn’t. On paper, this design ought to improve air flow whereas nonetheless providing water resistance. In actuality, we’ve discovered that this primarily makes one aspect of the Hornet a single-walled tent, which might result in condensation construct up, and doesn’t assist a lot with airflow. That mentioned, it nonetheless works very nicely to maintain the water out, and the Hornet 3 will preserve you dry and sheltered in a downpour.

Regardless of its strengths, the Hornet 3 does face some weather-related challenges. This tent can get uncomfortable on scorching days and accumulate condensation on chilly nights attributable to a scarcity of air flow. Because it solely has two small struts positioned on the prime of every door, airflow struggles when the rainfly is on. We’ve discovered the one method to catch a breeze is to open the tent doorways, which isn’t perfect in moist circumstances or while you want privateness. And, the cord-lock toggles for the rainfly doorways are sensible, however their low placement is a bit irritating, because you’re compelled to duck right down to see previous the flap. These are pretty small points general, however they affect consolation and safety when storms roll in.

Ease of Setup

With its progressive and intuitive design, pitching the Hornet 3 is simple. The mix of color-coded poles and a easy hubbed construction permits one particular person to pitch this tent in three minutes or much less. NEMO’s Gatekeeper system – a spherical ball on the finish of every pole that snaps right into a plastic holder – retains the poles in place so you possibly can arrange solo with out worrying about them slipping out. The one Y-shaped pole, additionally color-coded, aligns with the tent in an intuitive approach for quick, easy pitching in moist climate and in low mild. Light-weight, high-quality stakes paired with hooks, in addition to pre-attached man traces and built-in man line tensioners will assist you to obtain a secure, quick pitch with out considering too arduous about it, so you possibly can loosen up, eat, and get to sleep.

Regardless of its strengths, the Hornet 3’s semi-freestanding design is usually a little bit of a headache on uneven or rocky floor. This is a matter with semi-freestanding tents usually: the foot space does bets on packed and flat filth to realize essentially the most stability. And, you’ll doubtless have to re-tension, and even re-stake your tent in moist and windy circumstances, for the reason that material tends to stretch when uncovered to moisture, making it a bit much less handy in excessive climate. That mentioned, we’ve solely run into these points a number of occasions, and the tent is quick, easy, and intuitive to pitch in most circumstances.

Sturdiness

The Hornet 3 proves that sturdiness can go hand in hand with light-weight design. It’s a tricky but nimble and spacious shelter for the backcountry. NEMO makes use of a 15D nylon physique and a fly made out of OSMO Ripstop material, a technical nylon material that provides the tent wonderful resilience. In line with NEMO, OSMO material gives 4x higher water repellency and 3x much less stretch when moist in comparison with customary nylon materials. Our rigorous backcountry testing backs this up: the Hornet 3 maintained a reasonably taut pitch with just one adjustment throughout a 24-hour downpour, whereas different comparable tents have been noticeably sagging and wanted many extra tweaks to maintain the pitch tight. The Hornet 3 can deal with a number of seasons of normal use, making it a fantastic selection for backcountry adventures.

Whereas the Hornet 3’s supplies are sturdy, the 15D nylon used within the physique remains to be fairly skinny, which suggests it requires cautious dealing with to keep away from punctures or tears. And, the sturdiness of the tent closely will depend on constant upkeep, as neglecting to scrub, dry, or correctly retailer the tent can result in  faster degradation of the supplies.

Ought to You Purchase the NEMO Hornet OSMO 3?

The NEMO Hornet 3 is ideal for light-weight backpackers who prioritize a spacious, light-weight, easy-to-pack tent with out sacrificing important options like livability, climate resistance, and sturdiness. With its low weight, this tent is right for people who need to preserve their load mild whereas nonetheless accommodating a canine or further gear. The pocket design is great and the doorways are broad for a really livable area. The OSMO material and 15D nylon physique provide strong safety in opposition to the weather, making the Hornet 3 a dependable selection for those who’re heading into wild climate. Backpackers who typically discover themselves in moist, windy, or rugged environments will respect the tent’s skill to keep up a taut pitch and resist sagging in harsh circumstances.

Nevertheless, the Hornet 3 will not be the very best match for taller or wider campers who need much more room, or backpackers who don’t thoughts a barely heavier tent with extra options. And, its semi-freestanding design may be difficult in rocky or tender terrain, and the skinny supplies, whereas sturdy, require cautious dealing with. Lastly, informal campers or these on a good price range may discover the value tag of the Hornet a bit out of attain.

What Different Backpacking Tents Ought to You Think about?

MSR Freelite 2 Overview: The MSR Freelite 2 shares the Hornet 3’s long-lasting high quality and semi-freestanding design, making it fast to arrange and a long-term funding. That mentioned, it weighs much less and gives much less inside area, making it a greater possibility for backpackers prioritizing lighter gear.

Huge Agnes Tiger Wall Overview: The Huge Agnes Tiger Wall is semi-freestanding as nicely, with an analogous measurement, simple setup, and loads of inside pockets just like the Hornet 3. The Tiger Wall stands out with a lighter weight, lower cost, and higher efficiency in heat summer time circumstances.

SlingFin Portal 2 Overview: The SlingFin Portal 2 matches the Hornet 3 in weight, value, and inside area, providing a comparable expertise for backpackers. Nevertheless, it gives a lot better climate resistance, making it a superior possibility for these backpacking in powerful shoulder season circumstances.