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 fort within the backcountry with an enormous inside, two doorways, and huge vestibules that simply accommodate two huge sleeping pads and all of your gear. The proprietary OSMO cloth repels water with ease, however maintains a taut pitch in soaking moist situations 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 signifies that it requires cautious staking for optimum stability, particularly when the wind picks up. It’s additionally too cosy for 3 folks to sleep comfortably, making it greatest for 2 with further gear or a canine as a substitute of a trio. And, the value is on the upper facet, which could deter budget-conscious backpackers.

Consolation

Ultralight doesn’t should 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 bought a ton of room inside – we often match two folks, a canine, and all of our gear with out feeling cramped – due to steep sidewalls and loads of headroom. The beneficiant ground dimensions and peak top simply match two huge 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 delicate, even glow due to a big overhead pocket to create an excellent cozy environment contained in the tent. Plus, the tent has an enormous gear loft pocket that makes it simple to cover muddle, and well-placed facet pockets provide you with devoted spots for smaller objects, from chargers to pocket knives. As an added bonus, this spacious shelter prices across the identical amount of cash as lots of the main 2-person backpacking tents.

The Hornet OSMO 3 does have some drawbacks, although. Tall customers over 6’3” would possibly discover the slanted facet partitions, peak top – just below three and a half ft – and tapered ground restrictive and fewer snug. 

Weight & Packability

At solely 3 kilos, 5 ounces, the Hornet 3 is tremendous light-weight for a 3-person tent. It is a nice selection for backpackers who need to steadiness  weight and house. The semi-freestanding model 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 dimension could be compressed even additional utilizing NEMO’s modern Divvy stuff sack. These things sack lets you effectively divide the tent’s parts contained in the bag with a separate part for poles and stakes, fly and tent. It is a small however superior design function that’s useful for splitting the burden of the tent between two to 3 people or staying organized whereas solo. The straightforward-to-stow design enhances general packability and usefulness within the backcountry.

Nevertheless, whereas the Hornet 3 is mild, it’s not the lightest choice obtainable in comparison with different semi-freestanding fashions we’ve examined. In case your high precedence is ultralight and shaving ounces, you might need to hold going. Equally, the packed dimension 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 due to its OSMO cloth, 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 related tents, so the rainfly stays extra taut and doesn’t sag as dramatically. And we love the distinctive fastener system that makes use of twine locks and hooks to safe the fly to the tent and hold 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 facet, 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 basically makes one facet of the Hornet a single-walled tent, which might result in condensation construct up, and doesn’t assist a lot with airflow. That stated, it nonetheless works very nicely to maintain the water out, and the Hornet 3 will hold 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 sizzling days and accumulate condensation on chilly nights on account of a scarcity of air flow. Because it solely has two small struts positioned on the high of every door, airflow struggles when the rainfly is on. We’ve discovered the one solution to catch a breeze is to open the tent doorways, which isn’t ultimate in moist situations or whenever 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 pressured to duck all the way down to see previous the flap. These are pretty small points general, however they impression consolation and safety when storms roll in.

Ease of Setup

With its modern 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 may arrange solo with out worrying about them slipping out. The one Y-shaped pole, additionally color-coded, aligns with the tent in an intuitive method 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 enable you obtain a secure, quick pitch with out considering too arduous about it, so you may loosen up, eat, and get to sleep.

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

Sturdiness

The Hornet 3 proves that sturdiness can go hand in hand with light-weight design. It’s a troublesome but nimble and spacious shelter for the backcountry. NEMO makes use of a 15D nylon physique and a fly constituted of OSMO Ripstop cloth, a technical nylon cloth that offers the tent glorious resilience. In line with NEMO, OSMO cloth affords 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 standard use, making it a terrific selection for backcountry adventures.

Whereas the Hornet 3’s supplies are sturdy, the 15D nylon used within the physique continues 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 hold their load mild whereas nonetheless accommodating a canine or further gear. The pocket design is great and the doorways are huge for a really livable house. The OSMO cloth 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 admire the tent’s capacity to keep up a taut pitch and resist sagging in harsh situations.

Nevertheless, the Hornet 3 might not be one of the 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 could be difficult in rocky or delicate terrain, and the skinny supplies, whereas sturdy, require cautious dealing with. Lastly, informal campers or these on a decent price range would possibly 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 stated, it weighs much less and affords much less inside house, making it a greater choice for backpackers prioritizing lighter gear.

Massive Agnes Tiger Wall Overview: The Massive Agnes Tiger Wall is semi-freestanding as nicely, with the same dimension, 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 situations.

SlingFin Portal 2 Overview: The SlingFin Portal 2 matches the Hornet 3 in weight, worth, and inside house, providing a comparable expertise for backpackers. Nevertheless, it affords significantly better climate resistance, making it a superior choice for these backpacking in powerful shoulder season situations.