Wanderlust Nomad Tent

[Matt Swider]

I am not finding out a lot of information about this tent on the web, other than it was from 10-15 years ago.  Several people seem to like them.  I am considering getting one for use in the southwest, primarily as a shelter for the rain.  Bugs typically are not that much of a problem when I am out and about.

Opinions, recommendations, scathing criticisms?

thanks, Matt

[Ken Thompson]

Do a search here and there are quite a few posts. Gearswap threads have pics and specs. Lightheart  Gear makes an updated version.

[Matt Swider]

Actually I did a search of
WANDERLUST NOMAD TENT site:backpackinglight.com
came up with about 25 hits, mostly FS threads and passing mentions of the tent, as well as the lightheart gear making a new version as you mentioned.  Not much if anything from actual users, or real reviews.

[Ken Thompson]

Pretty small sales numbers from way back. I saw one on the Lost Coast in 2007. The only one I ever saw. Never had one at a GGG. Not surprised you aren’t finding much. I wonder how many were sold?

[Franco Darioli]

I could be wrong but as far as I know Kurt Russell was the only one at Wanderlust so yes there are only so many shelters one person can put together.

[Michael Sirofchuck]

PM sent

[Brian Horst]

I have one of the early versions with the velcro door. It’s practically unusable anymore though. The nylon is stretched out so it won’t pitch taut any longer, the corners where the pole handles go are mostly worn through, and the pole tip protector at the peak is no longer attached. It served me well for a while, but now it’s just a fun piece of history to own.

IMHO there have been a lot of significant improvements made to current shelters designs that make them more wind-worthy, durable, liveable, and less condensation prone. My TT Notch has seen significantly more nights than the Nomad Wanderlust ever did. The Notch doesn’t really show any signs of wear, whereas my Nomad is essentially useless. The corner where the pole handles go in the Nomad sees a lot of abuse since the floor fabric is being pressed between the handles and the ground. I mostly backpack in the mid-Atlantic. I imagine your soil in southwest could be a lot more abrasive that ours, which would make that problem even worse than what I experienced.

If you can get it for real cheap, don’t think you’ll be using it all that often, or like the nostalgic aspect of using one of the first silnylon shelters out there, it might be worth it. But as a long term user of one, I personally would spend my money on other options.

[Matt Swider]

Thank you Brian for the detailed response.  This is the sort of answer I thought someone on this forum could provide.  Based on this, I think I will hold off on buying this shelter.  While the nostalgia factor would be cool, I think it would wear off pretty quickly.

thanks, Matt

[ij395]

I bought one here a few months ago and tried it last week, it’s in great shape without any issue.

Wanderlust Nomad Lite

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