Has anyone here used this?
There's so little information to be found on it, but for me, it looks like a decent compromise of weight, size, and function - it's truly all-season (i.e. looks like it would be ok in both summer heat and a torrential or snowy winter) and with the AirBeams poles packs up to practically nothing (more important to me than weight). 2 person just under 4 lbs.
My main question is if the size is actually usable for a couple plus a bit of gear. So hard to tell without actually being able to get in a tent. However, according to Nemo's dimensions it looks comparable the Hubba Hubba which is OK for me. Anyone used it?

Link is here:

http://www.nemoequipment.com/nemo08-nano-tent

Found more info in their catalog:

http://www.nemoequipment.com/2009catalog.pdf

And no, not trying to generate buzz on it or something, there's just so little info to be found on it and I want to decide between it and a Tarptent or Lunar Duo or Big Sky.

Just some comments.
The Nano is about 20 oz heavier than the Lunar Duo and the Double Rainbow.
It has one entry point that is nice and very large , however there is no rain protection for ingress/egress and to some a single entry is a PITA for a couple.
Note also that the vestibule (looks) just big enough for one pair of boots, it would be pretty difficult to leave two packs and two pairs of boots in there and still be able to go for a pee. (disregard this if you are into yoga)
However it is freestanding, looks much stronger than the tarptents for wind and some snow loads, (note the 9mm poles).
That vestibule is very similar to the one I suggested to BD for the Ligthouse (when prototype in white (!) Epic arrived here) , it went down like a sausage sizzle at a vegetarian convention.
Franco

I have crawled around in a Nano, and the interior space would be OK for two, but the small vestibule and lack of rain protection over it put me off. I was surpised at how sturdy those beams are though! It defnitely felt storm worthy.

I have heard that the Nano is short for anyone over 6ft.

Thanks for the comments all.
Thankfully I'm 5'11" so length usually isn't an issue.

Yeah, wish the vestibule was a bit bigger, but I was thinking of modifying it by adding some silnylon on it.
Also trying to figure out if there might be a way of pumping up AirBeams using only a bicycle pump (to negate the need to carry more than one pump). Nemo hasn't responded to my inquiries, which is off-putting.

I should note that the curved dimensions make it really hard to get a sense of space without seeing it. I wish it were available locally so I could check it out.
I was recently inside an 85"x45" tent which I considered too small for two to comfortably spend long periods in.
However The Marmot Aeolos at 90"x56" was more than enough.

The Nano is wider than that at the edges but less (50") in the middle. I have no idea how this translates to actual usable comfort and space.

I missed the Air Beams bit... I had in mind the DAC poles..
Not sure if I could be bothered with the pump
Franco

I agree. If I had to carry a separate pump, I think the whole point would be lost.
But if the Air Beams could be pumped up with a bike pump, the fact that the tent basically packs into the size of a football and no need for hard poles is really an advantage (for bike trips, obviously).
Then I could do my tires, the tent, and BA IAC all with one pump.

Bike trips ?
Well that adds a bit of fun to it. You already have a pump (obviously you need to check that it fits or there is an adaptor, possibly easy to make your own using the one on their pump) and you have a repair kit for the tubes....
I would assume that a tarp would not be wasted as a cover for the bike as well as an extended owning for the tent.
Maybe the rain curtain of the Rainbow can inspire you with this. Use the bike to hold up the the other end.
To work out the usable space of a tent, I use the very low tech approach of marking the floor area on my lawn, put a stick (tomato stake) in the ground so that the tip is the same height and location of the apex, insert a pole end into the lawn , get it over the tomato stick and down to the other side. and repeat with the other pole . Tie the sticks together and remove the tomato stake. Then I grab my mats and sit inside. If I am not sure, I drape an old bed sheet over it. (with more complex designs) At this point it usually collapses and it's a bit of a laugh. Not after the third time though.
Not 100% exact but close. I have lots of poles to play with.
Franco

To add to my one sentence previously (I am a man of few words), I am looking for the e-mail I have from Nemo indicating that they measure the dimensions of the tent from the outside, not the inside - they were confident that this was industry practice.

Interesting of course. If the Contrail was measured this way the shelter would appear sufficient for 3 people.

If you do have any questions regarding the Nemo, call them. They will rarely respond to e-mails.

I have a Nemo Gogo specifically for bike trips, as well. I haven't gotten to use it much yet, but I got it for the same reasons that you specify - most UL tents out there rely on using hiking poles to get the weight way down. You can use fold-up poles for them, but they're usually pretty hard to pack in UL bike bags and you lose some of the weight savings. I also like not having to rely on trees since bikes tend to end up at more established camping areas along the way where the people in charge frown on you sleeping anywhere but the tent pad, with no trees anywhere nearby.

The airbeam is certainly sturdy. Given the extra mashing I tend to give gear in my bike bags when packing, I've always been afraid of snapping poles and the airbeam solves that problem perfectly. The stock pump for the Gogo is actually really light, I don't know if the Nano will use the same one but you could always order the lightest pump and use that instead. I wouldn't try to fit a bike pump onto there- first of all you'd have to make an adapter, also the airbeam is full at something like 8 PSI, which most bike pressure gauges won't register at all.

In short, it's a bit porky for hiking and taking along on extended trail runs, but with biking the bulk and packing does matter more than small differences in weight. It does pack bigger and heavier than a tarp and bivy, but is so much easier to deal with in camping situations near roads and people.

Hmm, ok, it seems they won't offer an AirBeams version of the Nano in time for when I need it, and it's looking like it might be a bit cramped for two plus gear anyway, so I'm looking at other options.

Just super quick questions:

Big Agnes Copper Spur - is the 2-person big enough for storing gear (using vestibules as well) or should two people plus gear go for the 3-person version instead?
Big Sky Evolution - same question.

Any other similar options out there?

I need:

- Something that packs small
- Something with room for two plus a fair bit of gear, but this can be using vestibules

I'd like:

- All-season compatability
- Some zippable mesh surfaces for stargazing
- Light as possible
- Not super expensive
- Free-standing

Doesn't seem to be anything out there which satisfies *all* of these requirements, that I can find.

Thanks guys.

Maybe the tarptent Double Rainbow would work. You can get an extra inner liner that makes it virtually double-skinned, price is OK, space is excellent, and vestibules can be opened out for stargazing, heaps of gear storage, and it's pretty light. I'm not sure what you mean by 'free-standing'. The nemo is not free-standing, and any tent with a vestibule will need stakes or something to hold them.

Unfortunately it seems that most folks don't have much success with Tarptents in my climate (BC Canada) due to a) condensation and b) ultralight silnylon's inability to totally withstand torrential downpours (misting).

AFAIK the Nemo Nano *is* free-standing.

- All-season compatability
- Some zippable mesh surfaces for stargazing
- Light as possible
- Not super expensive
- Free-standing

The closest you will get to these requirements is the Evolution 2P. Some users have had delivery issues though (back in 2005-2007, likely resolved now but be aware of it).

The free-standing requirement is the killer. The Evolution 2P is pretty much the lightest free-standing tent with a good amount of space. If you can live without a free-standing tent and want to avoid carrying more than one pole then you may be interested in the new 2 person Henry Shires tarptent that will be released in the next couple of weeks.

Other than these two options... you will need to compromise. The double rainbow is lighter but not quite as roomy (and not free-standing unless you're carrying trekking poles on your bike!).

If you're looking for a free-standing tent with plenty of space for two people with good size vestibules that is lightweight and double-walled and reasonably weather-proof... get the Evolution 2P. Nothing else on the market meets those specs. The new tarptent will be better (I think) but you're going to need some extra poles for free-standingness, which will make it heavier than the Evolution.

>Unfortunately it seems that most folks don't have much success with Tarptents in my climate (BC Canada) due to a) condensation and b) ultralight silnylon's inability to totally withstand torrential downpours (misting).

>AFAIK the Nemo Nano *is* free-standing.

The optional nylon inner of the Double Rainbow fixes the condensation problem in that you don't have to have direct contact with the wet surface. I would not count on the alledged 'breathability' of the Nemo to prevent condensation, especially in cold and wet conditions. I saw this first hand just before Xmas when I crawled around inside a cyclist's single skin Nemo tent (the two person airbeam model) after just one night of cool, heavy rain. The inside walls of the tent were totally saturated...not sure if it was condensation or leakage, but it was pretty bad.

I have heard about misting, but yet to experience it in either the DR or Cloudburst (both silnylon), though others have observed water coming from somewhere. In any event, again the optional liner of the DR would help if you found you were in these conditions. It makes the tent like having a double skin over the top of the tent so any water coming off the inner walls (from condensation or misting) will just roll off to the mesh edges. But yes, you would need to either stake the tent corners (so four more stakes minumum than the Evolution 2P), or carry extra poles to make use of the 'free-standing' feature. FYI, in any moderate or stronger winds, all of the mentioned tents will need extra pegs and guylines to stabilise them, so again, I wouldn't get too fixed on the concept of 'free-standing' when it comes to your options. If you can get away from the marketing hype of free-standing, you could also maybe pick up a second-hand Stephenson's Warmlite 2RS. You will definitely have condensation, but no misting and pretty good wind stability (unprotected vestibule entry is no fun in heavy rain though!). or maybe really luck out and get a second-hand Nallo 2. It's a bit heavier, but meets all your criteria for no condensation and no misting.

Edited by retropump on 02/24/2009 18:43:37 MST.

"Unfortunately it seems that most folks don't have much success with Tarptents in my climate (BC Canada) due to a) condensation and b) ultralight silnylon's inability to totally withstand torrential downpours (misting)."

I used the Contrail on the West Coast Trail last year and it rained non-stop. No misting; minimal condensation. The shelter is huge for one so no issue with touching the walls.

Misting is not a phenomenon that is easily repeated. Kind of like the noise you hear from the engine compartment of your car but can't replicate with the service technician. I personally think misting does not happen and what people may be experiencing (very, very few) is actually condensation banging off the walls.

Misting from penetration is very rear, but it can and does happen. You need very large drops for it.
The peculiar thing is that I have had much heavier and prolonged rain than when misting via penetration occurred without any problem at all.
The first time I noticed that was a big blob of water dislodged from a tree frond rhythmically, I could almost predict to the second when it would happen.
For about a year after that I still posted that to me misting was only from condensation, somehow I forgot about that episode or not made the connection till it happened again.
Note that even when multiple spots were affected on other occasions, it was not enough to wet or dampen my down bag .
(I don't use a Wiggy , sorry)

Bradley :
Well since the air poles have let you down...
Yes, wait for a couple of weeks if you can.
Franco

Any comments on the Big Sky Evolution 2P versus the Big Agnes Copper Spur UL2? The Big Agnes is slightly heavier but slightly bigger and I like the design better, AND it's available locally.
My only concern is if either of these would actually suit 2 people plus gear inside or in vestibules.

The Warmlites or the Nallo would be nice except that I see them both being a sauna in the hot summer sun... tent's coming on a July & August 2-person bike trip all through western Europe where it'll be dang hot.