Nemo Hornet or Blaze 2p

As far as the larger mfg's go it looks like the hornet has edged out the fly creek 2 for a better entry set up and vestibules. Price and weight is competitive as well. Not much difference in interior space.

The blaze has much more to offer in livability at the same weight but at that sticker price I would be off to buy a much lighter CF 2p tent with inner.

Wife and I share a fly creek 2 now and are saving for a CF (hiking pole supported) set up. Not having seen the Nemo"s, cant speak of quality. Although we have a couple of car camping sleep pads that are great from them.

FWIW Big Agnes has been fantastic as far as customer service for us. If all was the same with Nemo I would have to opt for the better entry and vestibules of the hornet and as said jump to a CF tent instead of the Blaze.

jimmyb

Thanks for the advice Jimmy!

I definitely think the Hornet is a better option then the Fly Creek bc of the doors. I mainly wondering if anyone has tried out the Blaze and how it does in weather.

The amount of space to weight for that one is pretty impressive but makes me worry that it will just blow over :-)

Here's a brief review:

http://treelinebackpacker.com/2015/08/01/nemo-blaze-2p-review/

I think the main question is how the gossamer fabric will perform

Ya I saw that review. It pretty much seems to be the only review out there. I'm excited to see more reviews!

Initial review- I would not have thought of those saggy corners from use of the one crossing pole but boy that photo of the inner pitched was a bit on the ugly side. And as mentioned made worse by using the inner pockets. It might not make a bit of difference in practical use but that would make me pause.

jimmyb

Does anyone but me think it is odd that Nemo literally re-does that design annually?

I'm always just super curious about those Nemo tents. They are either going to be GREAT or a bust.

No one seems to really pay much attention to them.

A friend of mine just completed the 100 mile Wilderness with the 1P Nemo Blaze. I am meeting with her tomorrow and will ask her how she liked it and will report back.

Awesome Donna! I'm super curious to know how the single pole structure does in weather. Thanks!!!

Are you adamant on Nemo? Have you considered a trekking pole shelter, which will be considerably stronger in the wind?

I'm not buying one yet I'm just really curious how they do. I think trekking pole tents would clearly be WAY more sturdy and durable but I'm just really curious how all these new "lightweight" shelters are performing.

I just returned yesterday from 4 days of trail angeling on the PCT. I was set up 55 miles north of the Bridge of the Gods. I saw my first Hornet over the weekend….however it was the 1P. The hiker was named Crunch Master. He did the AT in 2013 and is now shy of finishing the PCT. He told me he's had the Hornet 1P since Campo. He said the tent has held up well and nothing has gone wrong. He's only had 4 days of rain on the entire hike and no water entry. It's a good looking tent. I would definitely get the Hornet over the Fly Creek tents. I own a Fly Creek 2 but I definitely like the side entry of the Hornet better. I saw….. MLD Duomid with inner, Copper Spur 2, Contrail, ProTrail, Squall, Fly Creek 2, Copper Spur 1, and a few others I can't remember. I saw no tarps.

Interesting that you didn't see any tarps I wouldn't except that. I think the hornet is a better option then the fly creek for obvious reasons (side doors). It would be great to see a side by side comparison. I also interested in seeing how many more hornets we start seeing on the trail.

So I was driving by REI and drop in to check out these tents. They only had the Hornet and unfortunately they didn't have a Fly Creek which I would imagine is the most direct comparison. I have to say I was a little disappointed. Let me preface with I'm not unrealistic. I know that 2p tents are really 1p + Dog tents, however if you are looking to save weight and willing to cram you can definitely make some of them work. So I set the hornet up next to a REI DASH. Right off the bat you can see how much smaller the Hornet is compared to the Dash. I'm pretty petite, 5'6" and I could only sit up on a sleeping pad if I was directly in the middle. There is NO way 2 humans could sit up inside this tent. I'm not sure how this compares to a fly creek. It seems pretty similar based on images I have found one a single guy sitting up in a fly creek. It really feels like all you could do in it is sleep. You would be hardpressed to get dress in the Hornet. However the DASH has plenty of room! Because the way the DASH sets up the walls are pretty vertical and it creates MUCH more room in it. Additionally, it's worth mentioning… I didn't have a measuring tape but the top (where your head would be) on the Dash was noticeably longer then the Hornet, by probably 4 or 5 inches, when on the listing specs there should only be 1 inch of difference. Additionally both the listed heights of these 2 tents are 40 inches. You can tell immediately that the DASH is inches taller then the Hornet. To the naked eye you could tell there was a substantial difference in the width and heights of these 2 tents. Hope this helps someone else. Going to do the same thing with the Blaze as soon as I can get my hands on one. Maybe try and get my hands on a fly creek to set it up next to.

Thanks for sharing. I remember reading once that Nemo measures from the outside walls which may not be convention.

Megan, I asked my friend about the 1P tent Blaze that she took on the 100 mile Wilderness. She said it was TINY but really never used it due to the fact that she stayed in the shelters. She did set it up and it went up easily. Sorry about the no info for you. My feeling is that I don't think she would use it much because of the size. She had a Six Moons Lunar solo with great space before this thing. My friend is probably 5'1" in height.

If I were with another, I would want as vertical walls as possible in my lightweight 2P tent. You probably won't like the 2P Hornet or fly creek. My married friends left the fly creek for a copper spur 3 person…lol.

Ya I agree. I think that's what the blaze does. Steeper walls, more room. I asked the guy that reviewed the tent and he provided another pick to show the tent with someone inside it, which is kinda helpful. http://treelinebackpacker.com/2015/08/01/nemo-blaze-2p-review/