Nemo Hornet Osmo 2P Backpacking Tent Review
Weighing just two and a half pounds, the Nemo Hornet Osmo 2 ($480) is an exceptionally light tent. Even so, it retains plenty of user-friendly features such as a two-door layout, interior pockets and two vestibules for exterior storage, and a pole-supported structure that’s easy to set up. Its design is a great match for ultralight backpackers and thru-hikers; however, the Hornet’s low weight comes with compromises, the most significant being its compromised durability and a snug interior for two.
Interior Space
Weight & Packed Size
Weather Protection
Durability
Ease of Use
Sustainability
Design Type
Semi-freestanding
Packaged weight
2 lb. 8 oz.
Floor Area
27.7 sq. ft.
Floor dimensions
85 x 51/43 in.
Peak height
39 in.
Floor Fabric
Osmo
Capacities
1, 2, 3P
Pros
Cons
Nemo Hornet Osmo 2P
For this season's top models, see our guide to the Best Backpacking Tents.
Although the Nemo Hornet Osmo has enough floor space to accommodate two regular, 20-inch-wide sleeping pads, it’s undeniably tight for two sleepers. The 27.7-square-foot floor is on the small side even for the ultralight tent category; for comparison, the Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL2 measures 28 square feet, and the Copper Spur UL2 is 29 square feet. Like many ultralight backpacking tents, the Hornet’s width tapers from 51 inches at the head to 43 inches at the feet, meaning your sleeping partner will likely be aware of any tossing and turning you do in the night (or vice versa), and it’s hard to avoid touching the tent walls with two occupants. Finally, if you and your tentmate prefer extra-wide sleeping pads (which generally measure 25 in. wide), this is not the tent for you. Frankly, the Hornet is most comfortable for a single occupant (which is a fine use, given its exceptionally low weight).
In an effort to offset the Nemo Hornet 2P’s narrow footprint, the tent has a small bar at the top (dubbed the Flybar), which connects to the main hubbed pole to widen the peak height. I found it only mildly effective—the bar is much narrower than a standard ridge pole that you’d find on a competitor such as the Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL2, and the sidewalls slope aggressively inwards as a result. The Hornet also features clips that pull the tent body out toward the fly at each door, which helps to increase interior space even more. Even given Nemo’s efforts, the Hornet’s 39-inch peak height is still middling, and it’s difficult for two folks to sit up simultaneously.
The Hornet weighs 2 pounds 8 ounces when factoring in all its components, which is exceptionally lightweight for a pole-supported tent (most two-person backpacking tents, even those we categorize as “light,” weigh 3 pounds or more). The Hornet also compares favorably to other ultralight designs: The Tiger Wall UL2, for example, is the same weight, while the REI Flash 2 is almost a pound heavier. The Big Agnes Fly Creek UL2 is 4 ounces lighter but has only one door and vestibule. If you’re really serious about shaving weight, consider the Nemo Hornet Elite ($700): with a trimmed floorplan, feature set, and materials, the 2-person version has a packed weight of just 1 pound 13 ounces.
Packed into its rectangular stuff sack, the Hornet measures a compact 12.5 by 7.5 inches, slightly smaller than the Tiger Wall’s 18 by 5 inches and significantly smaller than bulkier designs like Nemo’s Dagger Osmo 2, which measures 20 by 6.5 inches. The Hornet’s unique roll-top stuff sack, reminiscent of a dry bag, is a bonus: You can compress it into a square package if you opt to store your poles separately. Overall, the Hornet’s low weight and packed size make it a great fit for thru-hikers and fastpackers trying to maintain a low base weight.
I experienced plenty of wet weather in my initial four-day stint with the Nemo Hornet Osmo, and the tent proved mostly up to the task. On the first morning of my trip, I woke to heavy rains while camping next to Colchuck Lake in Washington State, but the tent kept me and my gear dry. The double-walled Hornet’s rainfly features Nemo’s proprietary Osmo fabric, a polyester-nylon blend that’s less resistant to sagging than standard nylon. The tent kept its taut pitch and effectively sealed out moisture during the long downpour. The rainfly has a cutout at the head end of the tent to save weight, but the exposed tent body is fully waterproof, and I didn’t experience any leakage.
Where the Hornet falls short is wind resistance. Like most semi-freestanding designs, it gets its structure from guying out two corners (in other words, it cannot stand on its own without being staked out). This design reduces sturdiness, and while I camped out in the Enchantments in Washington during two days of relentless wind, the Hornet flattened completely during the strongest gusts before popping back up each time. (There were no great options for pitching the tent behind natural features for protection.) Such blustery weather was perhaps an unfair test, but I am hesitant to recommend this tent for backpackers who frequently camp in exposed, windy locations. If I were to venture back to the Enchantments in the early summer, I’d opt instead for a freestanding tent—the Big Agnes Copper Spur UL2 might suffice, but an even more robust tent like the Nemo Kunai 2 would be even better suited.
One of the Hornet’s recipes for shaving weight is its use of thin fabrics. The tent body is made from 15-denier (D) ripstop nylon; although standard for this category, this fragile fabric still requires care. Nemo does not list a denier for its Osmo fabric used in the bathtub floor and rainfly (given that it includes two types of yarns), but I’d also estimate it at around 15D. Finally, the Hornet’s canopy contains a heavy dose of thin, no-see-um mesh. Given its fragile fabrics, I’m sure to be cognizant of the ground cover and nearby tree branches when pitching the Hornet, and never drag it around once set up.
I spent several windy nights in the Hornet, and it did not go unscathed. I noticed a small tear in the corner of the tent after winds buffeted us in the Enchantments, likely due to the tent scraping back and forth across the granite slab we were camped on. That same wind also caused a few of the Hornet’s painfully thin guylines to tear from constant abrasion, which was an unwelcome event in the middle of the night. Neither of these mishaps is beyond repair, but a more durable backpacking tent would have held up much better in the conditions we experienced. Ultimately, as with all ultralight gear, there’s a balancing act between ounces saved and durability.
After a long, hard day on the trail, the last thing you want is a tent that has a finicky pitch or is cumbersome to assemble. Luckily, the Nemo Hornet 2P is a breeze to set up and take down. Pitching the tent for the first time, I found the process intuitive: there is just one pole, which features color-coded ends that correspond to colored webbing on the tent body. All of the components are smooth operating and feel high-quality. It took me roughly two minutes to fully assemble the tent.
That said, the Hornet’s semi-freestanding design does give up some versatility. Because you must take out the floor and fly guylines to reach ideal tautness and full interior capacity, it’s important to camp in an area with really solid anchors. A stake driven into firm dirt is a home run, but not always possible in above-treeline terrain. High in the Enchantments, I struggled to find boulders small enough to wrap the tent’s guylines around yet large enough to hold against the wind. The Hornet’s semi-freestanding setup won’t be an issue if you commonly camp in established campsites or on dirt, but for those heading to more rugged locations, it’s a worthwhile consideration. The more time you have to spend pitching your tent, the less time you have for cooking dinner or enjoying camp.
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Resale and/or Recycling Services
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The double-wall Hornet’s mesh-heavy canopy and thin fly work together to provide above-average ventilation. Nemo also incorporated vents at the top of each door, and the truncated rainfly at the head allows air to flow more freely in and out. Even on stormy days in the Enchantments when I had the fly fully zipped up, I found that moisture beaded on the rain fly, keeping condensation off the interior walls. Tent ventilation is always a different story with two people, but the Hornet fares better than most thanks to its airy construction.
Interior Storage
Unsurprisingly, the Nemo Hornet Osmo 2P has limited interior storage options due to its ultralight build. There are two pockets at the top of the canopy. One is a wide, somewhat floppy mesh pocket that isn’t ideal for stashing heavier items, such as a phone (mine fell out of the pocket so many times that I stopped storing it there). The other, which Nemo calls a “Nightlight Pocket,” is made of a translucent orange fabric—it diffuses the light from a headlamp to illuminate the space (kind of like the old Nalgene trick), and I thought it was pretty ingenious. I do wish the Hornet had incorporated pockets along the bathtub floor, but it seems Nemo has started to stray away from this. It certainly cleans things up inside to have the storage off the deck, but I don’t like having to always sit up to retrieve my things.
Vestibules
With its two 7.1-square-foot vestibules, the Hornet has plenty of space for each occupant to stow their shoes, poles, and pack. As a single occupant, I enjoyed the ability to store my gear in one vestibule and smoothly exit the tent through the other. These vestibules are on the small side compared to most other tents. For reference, the Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL2’s vestibules are 8 square feet, while the Nemo Dagger Osmo 2 has two large, 12.1-square-foot vestibules.
Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL2 ($500): Apples to Apples
Like the Hornet, the Big Agnes Tiger Wall 2P is an ultralight, semi-freestanding tent that weighs 2.5 pounds. Both the Hornet and the Tiger Wall share a similar two-door layout, a head height of 39 inches, and feature roughly the same amount of floor space (the Tiger Wall has 28 sq. ft. compared to the Hornet’s 27.7), although the Tiger Wall also has an additional 1.8 square feet of vestibule space. The main difference between the two tents is the amount of usable headroom: The Tiger Wall’s tent body has significantly more attachment points to its pole structure, resulting in a broader ceiling and more vertical walls. Neither tent is optimal for windy weather, but with its extra vestibule space and roomier interior, we think the Tiger Wall is worth the extra $20. For more, read our review of the Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL2.
Nemo Mayfly Osmo 2 ($450): The More Practical Choice
The Mayfly Osmo 2 is a new semi-freestanding addition to Nemo's lineup, highlighted by its durable materials. It features a 68-denier PU-coated polyester floor compared to the Hornet’s thin Osmo fabric, along with a similarly weather-protective and sag-resistant Osmo fly. The Mayfly also offers more headroom than the Hornet via a 3-inch taller peak height, an arching main pole, and a dedicated ridge pole. It weighs a full pound more than the Hornet and is $30 cheaper, but it could be worth it to those who value the additional durability and headroom. However, given the Hornet’s similar weather protection and floorplan at a much lower weight, it makes more sense for most backpackers. For more, read our review of the Nemo Mayfly Osmo 2.
This tent is packable enough to place it firmly in the ultralight category, yet it retains plenty of quality-of-life features that we appreciate (including two doors and vestibules). The Hornet Osmo is a mixed bag for weather protection, though, and is one of the smallest 2-person tents we tested.
Interior Space
Weight & Packed Size
Weather Protection
Durability
Ease of Use
Sustainability
The popular semi-freestanding Tiger Wall is superlight and a decent value. We found the 2-person design is feathery enough for solo hiking, which might be its best use case: It’s a tight fit for two sleepers. We’d also rate the tent even higher if it were more durable.
Interior Space
Weight & Packed Size
Weather Protection
Durability
Ease of Use
Sustainability
While the Mayfly ranks a tad below Nemo and other brands’ premium ultralight offerings, this tent still has much to offer. It’s durable, competitively priced, exceptionally waterproof, and light enough for most backpacking trips. However, it performs poorly in wind and doesn’t offer a good space-to-weight ratio.
Interior Space
Weight & Packed Size
Weather Protection
Durability
Ease of Use
Sustainability
Is the Hornet 2 for You?
The Nemo Hornet Osmo 2P offers solid performance for those looking for an ultralight backpacking tent. With two doors and vestibules, it offers convenient living for two; the Osmo fabric is reliably waterproof and more sag-resistant than nylon; and its minimal weight and packed size will please all but the pickiest and most weight-conscious of backpackers. The Hornet is competitive with core models such as the Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL2 and Copper Spur UL2 in terms of weight-for-space, although its compromised headroom is a major shortcoming (the Hornet 3 features much improved headroom thanks to a large ridge pole). In addition to its tight confines, the Hornet’s mesh-heavy body and semi-freestanding design have significant drawbacks in windy weather and on rocky terrain. Backpackers who frequent rugged environments will want to look elsewhere, but the Hornet offers a great combination of weight and livability for ultralight backpackers who stick to sub-alpine environments.
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