Easy Setup, Good Packability: NEMO Mayfly OSMO Assessment

The extra I gear I take a look at the extra I discover myself beginning sentences with, “I’m not ultralight however …”

NEMO’s new Mayfly OSMO would introduce itself the identical manner. Solely, it may well finish that assertion with, “You’ll love me anyway.”

As somebody with a candy spot for modifying low-cost gear, I wouldn’t name $400 MSRP “funds.” Nonetheless, in contrast with most choices by NEMO, Huge Agnes, Sea to Summit, and Marmot, the Mayfly is cost-conscious.

It is available in a bit heavier than most of its competitors however leverages some progressive options, a bevy of storage, and NEMO’s proprietary OSMO material. It supplied some critical consolation and worth for each ounce.

Briefly: The Mayfly OSMO is a tent that’s equally comfy for automotive tenting and backpacking. It matches neatly in between NEMO’s Hornet and Dragonfly tents, providing the most effective of each worlds. It’s heavier than both, and may solely match two broad sleep techniques with tapered pads. Even so, between spectacular stormworthiness, a good worth, glorious storage, some progressive options, and loads of consolation, the Mayfly boasts glorious worth for the burden.

When you’re purchasing for light-weight tents, GearJunkie’s guides to the Greatest Backpacking Tents, Greatest Ultralight Tents, and the Greatest Tenting Tents have a variety of choices for comparability.

NEMO Mayfly OSMO Tent Assessment

NEMO’s OSMO Material

A lot of what makes the Mayfly work so properly is its proprietary material. NEMO is fast to notice that OSMO is Bluesign-approved, PFAS-free, 100% recycled, presents 4 instances longer-lasting water repellency, and stretches thrice lower than nylon when moist. The Mayfly’s OSMO Rainfly is a mixture of 15D nylon and 30D polyester.

NEMO’s priorities with OSMO had been low-stretch, excessive strength-to-weight ratio, higher water repellency, and abrasion resistance. It isn’t as mild and low-stretch as Dyneema. However OSMO is way quieter, wear-resistant, and simpler to seam-seal.

It’s not by probability that GearJunkie’s information to the Greatest Backpacking Tents has two OSMO tents amongst its high picks (as of this writing).

Streamlined Setup

Tent setup doesn’t get a lot simpler than with the Mayfly. The poles are pre-bent and every thing is color-coded.

Whenever you lay the physique out, the way in which the pole system goes is obvious. The ideas clip simply into the corners, and the fly is hooked up to the poles with Velcro straps to cut back wind flap.

Anchor Methods

Head-Finish ‘Axial Nook’ Anchors

Frankly, NEMO’s new Axial Nook Anchor system is likely to be my favourite tent anchor system. It’s a notable improve over its Hornet and Dragonfly tents.

A swiveling socket in a small metallic housing presents a versatile however safe anchor for the tent’s head-end poles. The anchors make tensioning the head-end corners a breeze. Additionally they supply a keyhole system for the rainfly corners. Merely slot the rainfly’s nook peg, twist to lock, and rigidity.

In windy situations, the choice of anchoring the fly to the spreader poles first, earlier than attaching the interior Velcro straps made life a lot simpler.

The foot-end nook anchors are a single size of twine, tethered to the tent corners at a set angle. This steady loop makes staking out the foot-end corners easy. However, on comfortable, unlevel floor chock filled with buried rocks, I wanted for a approach to rigidity the strains individually.

Divvy It Up

With every thing packed collectively, the Mayfly is available in at 19.5 inches lengthy, 6.5 inches broad, and three inches thick and 42 ounces (not together with the three further stakes you’d wish to convey for stormy climate). Nonetheless, because the title implies, the Divvy system makes it straightforward to divide up the tent.

When the poles and stakes had been packed individually, I might squash the tent and rainfly all the way down to a measurement smaller than a 1.5L Smartwater bottle. The Divvy dice would permit it to suit ergonomically into most 50-70L packs.

Weight

In 2024, any tent over 3 kilos can get simply lumped into the “Good for tenting. Could possibly be lighter for lengthy trails” class. For the Mayfly, it relies on what you’re evaluating it to.

Held in opposition to the likes of the Dragonfly, Marmot Superalloy, Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL 2, and Sea to Summit Alto, the Mayfly is available in wherever from a number of ounces to over a pound heavier. Nonetheless, the Mayfly presents extra options at a lower cost bracket, with a extra strong and sustainable building than most of the options.

Examine the Mayfly’s weight to different tents on GearJunkie’s information to the Greatest Backpacking Tents.

Within the Subject: Weathering the Storm

I spent a number of nights in a flood-prone area throughout a wave of thunderstorms with 25-35 mph winds. The Mayfly can’t be arrange fly-first however with the hatches absolutely battened, it’s a beast.

Save for its 9.5mm diameter poles and fork hub (notably beefier than the Hornet and Dragonfly), the Mayfly falls proper in between its siblings in climate configuration — with six main stakeouts and simply as many optionally available pullouts.

NEMO solely contains 9 stakes. However absolutely guyed out and secured at 12 factors, my Mayfly stayed rock stable and comparatively quiet for the situations. Solely on comfortable, moist floor, resting my weight on my knees, did I get damp spots.

Even so, the rainfly does commerce full protection for air flow. Its sides present a beneficiant vestibule space. Nonetheless, I discovered that baggage or gear left on naked floor are nonetheless susceptible to getting moist in driving rains.

After a number of straight days of rain, I discovered myself wishing that NEMO provided the touchdown zone vestibule tubs it contains with its Dagger and Dragonfly Bikepack as an optionally available accent.

On dry days, both finish of the rainfly doorways may be tied again. Although for the top finish, I discovered myself wishing for a second, greater tieback to maintain the door from slowly unraveling within the wind.

I anticipate even the Mayfly being a sweaty shelter for 2 in windless summer season downpours like we get in Louisiana. In nearly every thing in need of swamp storms, although, the Mayfly is a high contender in air flow. It could trip out most storms simply tremendous.

Mayfly OSMO Storage Galorage

A large, central, triangular overhead mesh pocket presents not less than 15-20 L of storage. This loft alone is genuinely two-person-appropriate, with sufficient area for pairs of jackets, socks, insulation, and many others. On the head finish of the tent, there’s a lengthy, shallower pocket, very best for telephones, filters, batteries, knives, and different quick-stow objects.

On both facet of this are two of NEMO’s diffuser pockets, which flip stowed headlamps into comfortable lanterns.

In whole, the Mayfly presents seven inner loops for hanging gear, and two exterior ones hanging from the spreader bars over every door.

On the wettest nights, the exterior pockets made for a handy, dry, tick- and critter-free place to hold my footwear.

Two-Individual Potentialities

It’s no secret that “two-person” within the tenting and backpacking gear business is brief for “appropriate for 2 folks in an intimate relationship.” By that customary, the Mayfly lands solidly in the course of the pack for private area.

The Mayfly can match two broad pads in the event that they’re tapered. Some broad/common combos will work. Testing some odd couple pairing, I used to be in a position to get two of my favourite shoulder season pads, an oblong 21-inch Near Zero Feather Insulated and a 24-inch REI Co-op AirRail Plus, to suit snugly.

Not like so many different two-person tents, the Mayfly genuinely presents sufficient area for 2 folks to sit down upright. With over 14 sq. ft of vestibule space and a 28-square-foot flooring, the Mayfly feels genuinely spacious.

Used solo, the NEMO Mayfly OSMO is a palace. Because the type of one that normally sleeps in a spreader bar hammock beneath a 12-foot tarp, a palace is simply my velocity.

Room for Enchancment

Sans sleeping baggage, the tent pinches a bit on the midsection. It was a minor concern. Nevertheless it was sufficient to make me miss the Hornet’s resolution: a tether between the tent physique and rainfly to drag out the mesh.

The Mayfly’s zippers had been additionally fickle. Half the time, the tent door was one-handed, and half the time, it was two. The rainfly zip was snag-prone all the time, although by no means badly sufficient to tear the material.

With 17-inch pole segments, the Mayfly isn’t as bikepacking-friendly as a number of of NEMO’s different tents. Likewise, in 2024, there are lower-budget options that embrace make-or-break options. Tarptent’s Double Rainbow can simply accommodate two broad, rectangular pads for all of $300. 3F UL’s Floating Cloud 2 presents a alternative between swappable three- or four-season tent our bodies for $209-222.

However, between consolation, high quality, sturdiness, storage, sustainability, ease of setup, and OSMO efficiency, the Mayfly does loads to clear its personal orbit.

NEMO Mayfly OSMO Tent: Comfy Conclusions

NEMO’s Mayfly falls right into a candy spot, with clever compromises. For one individual, it’s a palace. For 2 folks, it hangs with the competitors in consolation, whereas coming in cheaper than the standard suspects, and providing significantly higher storage.

Ample configurations, strong poles, and a bent towards airflow facilitation make it a well-rounded choose that shrugs off the odd gale. Inclement climate nonetheless requires sensible setup, particularly with regard to tent orientation and kit association within the vestibule.

The Mayfly additionally feels prefer it leans closely on the worth of OSMO material to outstrip competitors from some cheaper options. However OSMO delivers. Its sturdiness and low-stretch waterproofing are spectacular.

General, the Mayfly completely serves the area of interest of mid-end backpacking tents. It‘s cheaper and extra feature-rich than most pricier backpacking tents. It boasts higher building and extra sustainable supplies than extra funds choices.

NEMO would possibly contemplate this tent entry-level. I’d name it a rattling good worth, and one in all my favourite new tents.