New Nemo MayFly tents feature two corner struts

I like it. Vertical tent wall ends designs need to continue to progress.

It looks like the same general shape as the MSR Freelite and Big Agnes Tiger Wall where you have a Y shaped poleset with two strut corners at the foot end. That replaces a forked end to the pole set at the foot end with a single arch pole and corner struts. The upside is weight savings in the pole set. The downside is you add back some weight in struts and more stakes, and have to stake down the corners.

I think that tradeoff makes sense when you are trying to make the lightest possible tent with traditional tent poles like the Freelite and Tiger Wall (both close to 2 lbs) but here I’m not sure the tradeoff is as attractive because that ‘light as possible’ philosophy isn’t consistently applied through the tent. If someone wants a 3 lbs tent with beefy features like a 68D floor, they probably wouldn’t mind another 20g to make it more freestanding.

I can see how it helps with livable space, but aren’t there are a lot of spacious 2P options (or even 3P) at 3.5 lbs?

@Dan their marketing focuses quite a bit on this being more durable that offerings in it’s class.

It’s my understanding the nicely light Nemo Hornet 3P also incorporates corner struts… not sure about the rest of the series, whether they have them or not. I’ve always liked the Hornet’s, but I’ve only had the various 1P versions…

Just checked Nemo’s site – all the non-Elite Hornets have the foot-end struts.

You’re right.  I hadn’t noticed that before.  The struts seem a bit more pronounced on the Mayfly, and the cross-bar on the 2P MayFly is significantly larger than the minimalist plastic crossbar on the Hornet 2P.

Between the Hornet Elite, Hornet, Dragonfly, Mayfly, and Dagger – Nemo now has a wide array of lightweight side entry tents to choose from.  If someone asked me how to choose one vs another I don’t know how I would answer.

In terms of recommending one over the other, one thing to keep in mind is that the regular Hornet 2P is not really a legit 2-person tent. The floorspace is very limited for two people. However, it’s great as a roomy 1P tent, or if you have dogs, which is how I have used it for years. And while the dogs have sometimes been a bit rough on it, the tent has held up fine. This is what happened when Max wanted to get into the tent while I was getting some water, but it was zipped closed. Yes, he just lay down on top of it and collapsed it. I found him like this when I returned to the tent, and as you can see he just gave me the fish eye. The tent survived. I’m not sure my trekking pole tents would have tolerated this.  :-)

Interestingly, the lighter Hornet Elite 2P supposedly has a significantly wider floor.

Hahaha! Hard to blame a guy for wanting to get cozy.

Hahaha! Hard to blame a guy for wanting to get cozy.

Yeah, I had to laugh. My wife was surprised I didn’t lose it and yell at him, but I just told her that 10 years from now we will look at this photo and wish we could have him back again to be a bad dog.

Great photo :)

@Dan their marketing focuses quite a bit on this being more durable that offerings in it’s class.

Dan Becker just put out a really interesting interview with NEMO’s CEO, who made it clear that this is a conscious decision in their design philosophy.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShEaODm-BwI

@Dan Is there something specific about the Hornet 2P that makes it only a 1.5P tent? It seems to be in line with most freestanding tents-20″(ish) width per person.

The Hornet 2P dimensions are 43/31W at the head/foot x 87L.

Compare that to say, the Big Agnes Copper Spur UL2 at 52/42W x 88L, the BA Tiger Wall at 52/42W x 86L, or the Nemo MayFly at 52/43Wx85L.   I would say the BA Copper Spur and TW 2’s are the most popular name brand free standing tents on the market in the LW category. Maybe one of the MSR tents is in there too.

Some would argue that if you can’t fit two 25″ rectangular pads in a tent, it’s not a “true” 2P tent, and thus ALL of the above would fail that test. *shrug*  That’s not my characterization, but some of the popular Youtube content creators have said that, although I can’t specifically tell you which one(s) I’ve seen make that claim.

Also, judging by the photos of the Hornet 2P and it’s teeny tiny 3rd cross-bar, there is a significantly less shoulder room when sitting up in the Hornet compared to any of the other aforementioned tents.

My TarpTent Stratospire 2 is 52Wx86L.  Sharing a Hornet 2P with another person would feel very cramped indeed compared to my SS2.  Our very first backpacking tent was the 2007 REI QuarterDome UL2.  It had floor dimensions of 52×85 but it had a simple 2-crossed poles design, so the shoulder room while sitting up wasn’t that great.  A bit off-topic, but I think introducing a 3rd crossing pole to tent designs in the last 15 years or so for self-standing tents have really made them feel more roomy.  Only REI’s cheapest 2P tent (the TrailMade 2) still uses the simpler 2-crossed poles design from 17 years ago.

@Dan Is there something specific about the Hornet 2P that makes it only a 1.5P tent? It seems to be in line with most freestanding tents-20″(ish) width per person.

Maybe you’re right, I suppose it does make the bare minimum for two pads.  But not only is the floor very narrow, the side walls are very angled, and the mesh sags in immediately above floor level, so the mesh would be pushing against you as you are lying on top of your pad. My older version has no cross-bar at all, maybe it’s better now.

I’ve only owned a few 2P tents, but they were usually a little bigger. Like 45″-46″ wide (Durston X-Mid Pro 2 or Zpacks Duplex) or 50″-52″ at the wide end (BA Copper Spur or REI Quarter Dome). And usually there is something to increase the volume above floor level.

As I mentioned though, I’m really happy with the Nemo Hornet and I think it serves a great purpose for me. Lightweight and affordable mass market tent for me and 2 dogs and gear. Or 2 people in a pinch.

@Jeff where are you seeing those dimensions? I see the 1P at 87 x 39/30 in. 2P at 85 x 41/42 in  and 3P at 88 x 68/62 in.

Brad,

I may have put down the specs for the 1P Hornet, which is an embarrassing mistake!

From https://www.nemoequipment.com/collections/backpacking-tents/products/hornet-osmo-ultralight-backpacking-tent

I think when I clicked on “Specs” I failed to realize I may have to once again select the 2P vs the 1P to see the proper dimensions.  Doh!

@Dan ah, yes that narrow mesh is really irritating. Even if you clear it while laying down, sitting up without hitting it is impossible. I guess the Tarptent Double Rainbow would be a good alternative. Similar weight, good interior space.

From everything I’ve heard, the TT DR is a great tent, but IIRC it’s not double-wall, if that’s important to you.

@Dan they do have a double walled Rainbow. I am considering getting this and selling my BA Copper Spur. https://www.tarptent.com/product/2023-double-rainbow-dw/#tab-id-2