Nemo Hornet Elite Osmo
Summary
Price At Time Of Writing | £619.99
Our Overall Rating | 94 out of 100
Pros - Extremely lightweight, easy setup
Cons - Small, expensive, delicate
Overall - Excellent for when lightweight is key
Technical Specifications
Packed Size - 48x10cm
Weight - 0.936kg
Sleeping Size - 2.5sqm
Our Analysis & Ratings
An improvement from its predecessor, the Nemo Hornet Elite OSMO is a great option for solo hikers or couples wanting to cut down on weight. The expensive price can absolutely be justified if you use it on long trips, which we’d recommend due to its weight, but we do have some concerns about its long-term durability. However, we were so impressed by its performance for two people.
Comfort - The Hornet Elite OSMO seems like it will be too small for two when you set it up, but when pegged out correctly it has a surprisingly large floor area and Nemo has managed to even reduce some of the slope of its walls with a clever small crossbar. The two side doors are also great for two people to be able to enter and exit separately.
Construction - While double wall, its lightweight fabric is gossamer-light so it’s not the most durable or wind-resistant tent, but we found it reasonably water-resistant (just note though that to save on weight the fly comes up quite high on the tent wall on one end so water falls directly on the outside of the inner tent - we didn’t get wet, but when we touched that part of the tent we could definitely feel the moisture). Having said that, the entire design of this tent, down to the materials engineering, has clearly been meticulously considered to reduce weight, and in that, Nemo has really succeeded.
Features - With actual vestibules, it’s probably the most storage space we’ve seen in a tent of this weight. There are also storage pockets inside at both doors for each person to house their small items. The OSMO fabric dries quickly and doesn’t absorb water, allowing for minimal condensation and good ventilation. The tent comes with a roll-stop stuff sack - we still found folding and rolling rather than stuffing was best to fit the tent in.
Size/Weight - At just under 1kg, the Nemo Hornet Elite OSMO is one of the lightest pole tents around. It’s a fantastic option for more space on solo trips, but it’s also a lightweight option for a pair of hikers sharing the load. With its quality and durability relative to weight, we rated it very highly in this area.
Versatility - This 3-season tent is a semi-freestanding tent, meaning the corners on the foot side of the tent and the vestibules must be staked out. This limits its versatility, as it means you need to find good ground for staking. Due to its lightweight material, it’s not great for cold and windy conditions, and we did spend one extremely cold night in the tent (when the overnight temperature was 0 degrees) which was very unpleasant, so we’d definitely recommend only for use in warmer weather.
Overall - A fantastic ultralight hiking tent that’s ideal for covering long distances.
