Why Semi-Freestanding Tents? (Nemo Hornet vs. Big Agnes Tiger Wall)

[@BackcountryPilgrim]

Which Tent Are You: Freestanding, Semi-Freestanding, or Trekking Pole?

[@chili1593]

Yes.

[@bottorffambrosino]

I have one kislux bag I got in 2019, it's the LV white catogram speedy. It's counter quality and it has a nice honey patina now, so the leather is real. I think whatever makes you happy go for it. I've seen LV with plastic leather and blood red glaze...

[@BackcountryPilgrim]

Very good!

[@HoguerLuzan]

kislux I love you so much and watching your videos makes my day brighter

[@DarrenYee]

Great comparison Doug, Lanshan 1 Pro for trekking pole tent and Naturehike Cloud Wing 2 for Semi-Freestanding tent.

[@BackcountryPilgrim]

The Lanshan 2 was my first trekking pole tent - I really liked it! I just got a NatureHike cot, it's rad!

[@David-qr2dk]

Great video! I’m a fan of nemo as well for plenty of their products. Taking my Dagger OSMO 2P next weekend with friends. Alone, I’m on the Durston side. Waiting to receive the new X Dome.

[@BackcountryPilgrim]

Basically same!

[@curtelverd4008]

One thing the Nemo Hornet has are those little guy lines on the mesh of the tent inner. They can be attached to the fly to make the interior of the tent bigger when fully setup.

[@BackcountryPilgrim]

Those would have helped! :)

[@Mr.A_nyc]

One of the biggest differences is the color! Nemo is for stealth camping. TigerWall is for if you like "color". As a stealth camper, this is a no brainer for me.

[@BackcountryPilgrim]

Yeah the yellow is just....too yellow. ;)

[@dangr123]

The newer Tiger Wall color is much more subdued.

[@michaelsos9585]

I also dislike the white tents. Super hard to keep clean. I have a north face tadpole sl2 single wall. It is an infuriating tent because it does so many good things…but the negatives are really bad. I am in market for a new tent because and Nemo hornet may be the winner

[@MarkGoesHiking]

Fantastic comparison Doug. The Nemo not absorbing water as much as the BA is huge. I have rhe tiger wall 2 and like it a lot with the exception of it absorbing so much water when it rains.

[@BackcountryPilgrim]

Right on! I think a hybrid between the two would be awesome sauce!

[@DM-fv7hw]

I chose the Tiger Wall UL1 for the Four Pass Loop we just completed. I really want a Nemo tent, but I always come across Big Agnes tents on sale or have access to them through pro-deals. I changed out the guylines so that I can use rocks for the set up (if needed). The gear organization in the Tiger Wall is amazing. The Osmo fabric is now available to all tent makers, so maybe an Osmo Tiger Wall in the future?

[@BackcountryPilgrim]

Nice! Yeah a hybrid between these two would be amazing!

[@Kids-ky7bm]

I've loved the hornet when going solo. It's a great tent. The dagger is my favorite true 2p tent as well. No way would I use the hornet for 2 people.

[@BackcountryPilgrim]

Good call!

[@rodoutdoors]

Both look great. Probably can't go wrong with either. When I went to the Sierra, I relied on my 1P NatureHike Vik 1. The footprint is tiny. I was able to wedge it in a small area around granite. I still use the og lanshan 1 but I'm not sure if I would take that to the Sierra with all the granite. I've been tarp & bivy camping these days, but with the mosquito pressure in the Sierra, I'd probably still bring a fully enclosed tent.

[@BackcountryPilgrim]

Agreed 100%!

[@rfdinesen4027]

Great comparison really helpful. Would you consider comparing the dragonfly vs. copper spur.

[@BackcountryPilgrim]

Good idea!

[@MaryannHazel]

Awesome comparison of the two tents. I used to have the Nemo Hornet Elite and love it...except for the weight. I really like the Durston X-mid Pro 2+ - it definitely has enough room for 2 people with 25" wide tents, but the footprint is ginormous, and having to stake it out on a solid granite surface would be a major pain in the pitch (LOL!). I'm looking forward to seeing your next hike!!!

[@BackcountryPilgrim]

Good choice! I'm an Xmid fan myself as I said in the video but yeah the Sierra can be pretty unforgiving with tent stakes!

[@camping_guru_uk]

I just find these inner tent first pitch tents just won't cut it here in the uk. The chance of pitching the tent in windy wet conditions so we really need an all in one pitching tent. As for a single skin tents, again, they are just a pain here due to the condensation we get in most tents, even double skin but atleast with them the inner keeps you away from the inside of the flysheet. Saying all that if we had a nice dry warm climate id love the Durston.

[@BackcountryPilgrim]

There's always a trade off. I am suspicious of fly first pitches until I try them because they often look so difficult you'd get wiped out before yoy got done haha!

[@Rando-user-zm1fx]

Wow hot take.

[@Rando-user-zm1fx]

You couldn't go wrong either way 👍

[@BackcountryPilgrim]

Agreed!

[@dangerpudge1922]

Man, I know this is going to be outside your normal look but... Weirdly, Naturehike makes some great free standing tents, and they do have an ultralight line. No, they aren't as ultralight as some, but they're strangely close. I needed a freestanding tent, just a 1p shelter that was a dark green. I was amazed to find that's incredibly hard to find in the US for some reason. I eventually (almost accidentally) stumbled upon the Naturehike 1p bikepacking tent (sometimes called the Spider and currently on their site as the Trek Bikepacking Tent at 3.6lb). It's advertised weight is decidedly higher than what you'd really take because they include the weight of a footprint and heavy spikes. This is a small tent, no doubt, and the vestibules are adequate but not huge, though plenty workable for keeping a pack in. The head and foot are surprisingly vertical which allows for a nice thick pad if you desire. The grand total for this with all the nonsense included measured right at their claimed 3.6lb. My 'trail weight' with 6 MSR Groundhogs, sans unnecessary bags, and ditching the heavy stakes is 1.241kg or 2.73lb. IMO that's pretty decent for most any tent, and especially for one that only sets you back $79. You absolutely could lighten it up further with a few extremely low cost mods; whether the juice is worth the squeeze is up to you. Is it the best tent ever? OF COURSE NOT. Is it a solid little reliable tent? You bet. Is it full of features? You get two pockets, now shaddup, LOL. The poles are aluminum and don't use collars, and you don't have to feed them through tunnels; the inner clips on. It's a basic shelter. It's well designed for what it is. It will NOT give you a ton of room, but as a result it also won't take much to warm up. There is an 'UL' version of this tent too, and I think it sells for around $140-$160, and I'm sure it's also including the same extra bag and heavy stake weights. One interesting thing about this tent is that the poles break down into short sections which fit sideways in all of my 30 liter packs and vertically in my Camelbak Rim Runner 22 (and even that is pretty close to fitting sideways). The poles, of course, can be kept elsewhere which makes fitting the body and inner very easy. The VIC tent gives you more headroom with the same claimed weight and may be closer to what you're looking at with the tents in the video (albeit truly free standing). This might well be a good option for you. If you can stomach a tunnel configuration, the Cloud Wing UL tent claims a 2.9lb total weight and is the most expensive at $219. I know it's outside what you're looking at, but I find that while shaving grams is ALWAYS a good idea, there's absolutely a point where you just wind up with diminishing returns. Also, I thought these might be good tents for you to take a look at and compare/contrast with tents that literally cost 5x as much (or more).

[@BackcountryPilgrim]

This is one of the best gear testimonials I've ever read! Thank you so much. I have NatureHike's new UL cot and it's pretty rad. I'll give the tents a look!

[@dangerpudge1922]

@@BackcountryPilgrim I'd love to see what you think of that. As a rule I've stayed away from cots as they don't seem feasible, but... maybe they are. I have considered them for my overlanding adventures in the back of my pickup, so I'm in! Looking forward to what you have to share.

[@alpineearth]

I took the hornet in some pretty bad wind, the pole snapped and one of the tie downs. Lots of folks have had concerns with and experience with the cordage on the guylines breaking, including me :) if you keep in the trees and have no chance of wind, then maybe the hornet but I dont have guarantees of always having those conditions in the rockies. IMO the durston (trecking pole) is better in the wind. The big agnes copper spur has also never let me down.

[@BackcountryPilgrim]

Sorry to hear that and thank you for letting me know. I did kind of wonder about the strength of the minimal setup!

[@deannathompson4009]

The 1 person version of both of these tents seem able to handle a 25" wide pad. I'm curious what made you look at 2p vs the 1p for your upcoming hike?

[@BackcountryPilgrim]

I want my gear inside with me and I don't recall the weight savings being significant. :)

[@77grintchkick]

The fly not covering the the entire tent and leaving the sidewall to be 100% waterproof was a deal breaker for me. I agree the yellow is obnoxious!

[@BackcountryPilgrim]

Yeah I think a hybrid would be perfect!

[@ericd6099]

Looks like you have an older tiger wall in this video. The solution dyed tent Is a little different.

[@BackcountryPilgrim]

Yeah it's at least 3 years old.

[@wanderlust9081]

What I don't understand: You want a tent, which need no stakes and you're looking for a semi-freestanding tent? What about the Nemo Dragonfly 1P? And when you are happy with the freelite, why not the freelite 1P

[@BackcountryPilgrim]

I was prioritizing weight but I wanted a 2p (I have an UL 1p). A semi-freestanding can often get by without stakes in a bind and usually comes in well below the freestanding tents in their price range. While I like the Freelite, it weighs half a pound more than the Hornet. :)

[@Richard-wz9uh]

I had a Tiger Wall. It leaked on the first outing. I contacted BA about it and they only refunded me 70% of tent's value. Not happy a happy camper. In my opinion, the Tiger Wall MUST get an update on the rainfly material. It is simply too saggy when wet and stretches beyond usability. Poor design on the rainfly kills this tent. Otherwise, it's a brilliant semi-freestanding tent.

[@BackcountryPilgrim]

That sucks! Yeah I just can't do nylon anymore if I can avoid it. A hybrid between these two would be amazing!

[@user-no2ei6dp2q]

My philosophy is loose a couple of lbs and carry what you want

[@BackcountryPilgrim]

If only physics allowed that to work. Bodyweight and pack weight carry very differently. :)