Family cabin~$400Nemo
Nemo Aurora Highrise
No citable rating — see why we hide some.
Seventy-five inches of peak height in the 4-person and 77 in the 6, with two 19.5-square-foot vestibules and a 150D floor — the Highrise is a proper standing-height cabin at $400. It is aluminium-poled rather than steel, which is why it weighs 13 pounds 12 ounces instead of the 25 to 40 pounds an instant steel cabin does, and it packs into a duffel a quarter the length of one. Against the Big Agnes Big House it gives up five inches of height in the 4-person and adds 39 square feet of vestibule the Big House does not have at all.
Floor area per person
15.6 sq ft
Standard — 14 to 17 sq ft each — the normal two-pads-and-no-spare-room fit
Weight per person
3 lb 7 oz
from the trail weight of 13 lb 12 oz
Peak height
75 in
Approx. price
~$400
Pads: 25.0 in of floor width each — 4 × 25 in pads fit.
Length: a 90 in floor leaves room for a sleeper up to about 7ft once you allow six inches for a foot box and a pillow.
Best for
Family car camping where you want to stand up, keep boots under cover, and still carry the bag one-handed.
The size run
One design, 2 capacities. The numbers at the top of this page describe the 4-Person; every size has its own figures below.
| Size | Sleeps | Floor area | Sq ft each | Vestibule | Trail weight | Packed weight | Floor L × W | Approx. price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4-Person | 4 | 62.5 sq ft | 15.6 | 39 sq ft | 13 lb 12 oz | 15 lb 14 oz | 90 × 100 in | ~$400 |
| 6-Person | 6 | 83.3 sq ft | 13.9 | 47.2 sq ft | 15 lb 14 oz | 18 lb 10 oz | 100 × 120 in | ~$500 |
Specifications
- Type
- Family cabin
- Rated capacity
- 4-person
- Floor area per person(estimated)
- 15.6 sq ft (standard)
- Floor area
- 62.5 sq ft
- Vestibule area
- 39 sq ft
- Peak height
- 75 in
- Minimum trail weight
- 13 lb 12 oz
- Packed weight
- 15 lb 14 oz
- Weight per person(estimated)
- 3 lb 7 oz (trail weight)
- Packed size
- 25 x 8.5 x 8.5 in
- Interior floor width
- 100 in
- Pad fit(estimated)
- 4 × 25 in pads fit
- Fits sleepers up to(estimated)
- 7ft tall
- Doors
- 2
- Vestibules
- 2
- Freestanding
- freestanding
- Poles
- aluminum
- Wall type
- double wall
- Season rating
- 3-season
- Fly fabric
- PU polyester, 1200 mm
- Floor fabric
- 150D PU polyester, 1500 mm
- Floor denier
- 150D
- Floor hydrostatic head
- 1,500 mm
- Approx. price
- ~$400
Features
- 75 in (4P) and 77 in (6P) peak height with near-vertical walls
- Two vestibules, 19.5 sq ft each on the 4-person
- 150D PU polyester floor at 1500 mm
- Aluminium poles rather than steel, at half a steel cabin's weight
- Duffel storage bag with room to repack in the field
In its favour
- Stand-up height at less than half the weight of a steel instant cabin
- 39 sq ft of vestibule on the 4-person is more than most 6-person tents offer
- 150D floor is three times the thickness of a typical backpacking tent's
- $400 undercuts every other aluminium-poled standing-height tent here
Against it
- 1200 mm fly is modest for a tent this size — a lot of fabric to keep dry
- Near-vertical walls are the first thing to flex in a gusty pitch
- 220 oz means it is a two-trip carry from a walk-in site
Written from the published specification sheet, not from owner reports.
What owners report
Drawn from archived owner discussions, not from a test of our own.
What owners like
- One owner bought it after a night in a friend's, on the strength of how it fitted their needs
- It is cross-shopped against the big-name family tents and holds its own on space and height
- Independent test sites rank it near the top of the camping-tent category, which owners cite when deciding
- One owner is buying a second for hot-weather use, which is a strong signal from a big tent
- It turns up discounted — one buyer saw it at $375 in an REI sale
Common complaints
- Pole breakages come up before purchase — one prospective buyer had read several reviews of poles breaking
- The rainfly flutters above the windows in nothing more than a light breeze, which owners find noisy
- Rigidity in wind is the most-asked question about it, and nobody in the discussion answers it reassuringly
- Setup is described as tricky the first time, and awkward solo because of the height
- The awning configuration needs poles Nemo does not obviously supply, and owners have to ask what fits
The Highrise is a common shortlist entry for people who want standing height without a steel cabin's weight, and the reports from owners who have used one are positive on space and on how it feels inside. It ranks well on independent testing, and one owner bought it on the strength of a night spent in a friend's.
Two things come up before anybody buys one, both about wind. The rainfly flutters over the windows in a light breeze, which owners report as a noise problem rather than a failure. And rigidity in real wind is the single most-repeated question about it — asked by more than one prospective owner, never answered with confidence. If your camping is exposed, that unanswered question is the thing to weigh.
Pole breakage is the other worry. One prospective buyer had read several reviews of poles breaking and raised it before purchase, which makes Nemo's spares availability worth checking before a long trip. Setting it up alone is also described as annoying — mostly because it is tall.
Questions people ask about it
How does it do in strong wind?
This is the question prospective owners ask and the one with the least confident answer. The tall, near-vertical walls are not a wind shape, and the fly flutters noisily over the windows in even a light breeze. For exposed sites a geodesic dome is the safer choice.
Are the poles a weak point?
One prospective buyer had read several reviews of broken poles and raised it before purchase. Nobody describes it as inevitable. It is worth checking Nemo's spares availability before a long trip.
Can one person pitch it?
Yes, but owners say it is annoying solo specifically because of its height, and that the first setup takes some working out regardless of how many people are on it. After that it goes quickly.
Highrise 4 or 6?
The 4-person is 62.5 square feet and the 6 is 83.3 — which is 15.6 and 13.9 square feet per rated person respectively. Owners buying for a family of four almost always take the 6 and use the extra floor for gear.