Backpacking~$600Nemo
Nemo Dagger OSMO
No citable rating — see why we hide some.
The Dagger's pitch is rectangular floor plus huge vestibules: 30.6 square feet that stays 50 inches wide from head to foot instead of tapering, and 24.2 square feet of vestibule, which is more covered gear space than some tents have floor. OSMO is Nemo's recycled poly-nylon blend, and the claim that matters is that it stretches about a third as much as nylon when wet — so the fly you tensioned at dusk is still tight at 3am rather than resting on the inner. Fifty-three ounces is a real backpacking weight rather than an ultralight one, and the current pole structure added four inches of door height over the previous generation.
Floor area per person
15.3 sq ft
Standard — 14 to 17 sq ft each — the normal two-pads-and-no-spare-room fit
Weight per person
26.5 oz
from the trail weight of 3 lb 5 oz
Peak height
43 in
Approx. price
~$600
Pads: 25.0 in of floor width each — 2 × 25 in pads fit.
Length: a 88 in floor leaves room for a sleeper up to about 6ft 10in once you allow six inches for a foot box and a pillow.
Best for
Two people who use wide pads and want the tent to still be tight at 3am in the rain.
The size run
One design, 2 capacities. The numbers at the top of this page describe the 2-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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2-Person | 2 | 30.6 sq ft | 15.3 | 24.2 sq ft | 3 lb 5 oz | 3 lb 15 oz | 88 × 50 in | ~$600 |
| 3-Person | 3 | 42.8 sq ft | 14.3 | 24.2 sq ft | 3 lb 13 oz | 4 lb 7 oz | 88 × 70 in | ~$650 |
Specifications
- Type
- Backpacking
- Rated capacity
- 2-person
- Floor area per person(estimated)
- 15.3 sq ft (standard)
- Floor area
- 30.6 sq ft
- Vestibule area
- 24.2 sq ft
- Peak height
- 43 in
- Minimum trail weight
- 3 lb 5 oz
- Packed weight
- 3 lb 15 oz
- Weight per person(estimated)
- 26.5 oz (trail weight)
- Packed size
- 20 x 6.5 x 3.5 in
- Interior floor width
- 50 in
- Pad fit(estimated)
- 2 × 25 in pads fit
- Fits sleepers up to(estimated)
- 6ft 10in tall
- Doors
- 2
- Vestibules
- 2
- Freestanding
- freestanding
- Poles
- aluminum
- Wall type
- double wall
- Season rating
- 3-season
- Fly fabric
- OSMO ripstop, 1500 mm
- Floor fabric
- OSMO ripstop, 2000 mm
- Floor hydrostatic head
- 2,000 mm
- Approx. price
- ~$600
Features
- Rectangular 50 in floor width from head to foot — two 25 in pads fit
- 24.2 sq ft of vestibule across two doors
- OSMO recycled fly that stretches far less than nylon when wet
- Landing Zone waterproof tub and Divvy Cube stuff sack included
- Gatekeeper door clips to hold a rolled door open one-handed
- Sold in 2 and 3 person on one geometry
In its favour
- 50 in of width all the way to the foot — two 25 in pads genuinely fit
- 24.2 sq ft of vestibule swallows two packs and boots with room to cook under
- OSMO fabric's low wet stretch is the most concrete fix anyone has shipped for overnight fly sag
- Freestanding, with 43 in of head height and two doors
- Waterproof storage tub and stuff sack come in the box rather than as accessories
Against it
- 53 oz is over three pounds — the Copper Spur UL2 does a similar job 11 oz lighter
- $600 puts it against genuinely ultralight tents
- Nemo does not publish a denier for the floor, only the 2000 mm rating
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
- Owners rate the interior room highly and describe it as the reason they chose it over lighter rivals
- The waterproof vestibule storage tub is a feature people go looking for by name when shopping for alternatives
- The see-through mesh inner gets specific praise for stargazing, alongside the light-diffusing pockets
- It shows up as a long-term keeper — owners replacing one are looking for something lighter, not something better
- Secondhand examples turn up cheap and are widely considered a good buy at those prices
Common complaints
- The 2-person pitches inner-first, which owners raise repeatedly as a real shortcoming in bad weather
- Getting around that means carrying the footprint, which adds weight the spec sheet does not show
- At over three pounds it is heavy for its floor area, and owners who also own trekking-pole shelters say they reach for those instead
- Footprints for the current generation have been hard to find, which matters more than usual given the pitch order
The Dagger's reputation is space and features rather than weight, and owners describe it that way themselves. The rectangular floor, the waterproof gear tub in the vestibule and the light-diffusing pockets all come up by name, and people shopping for a cheaper tent specifically ask for something with the Dagger's storage tub — which is a good sign about a feature.
Pitch order draws more complaints than anything else. The 2-person goes up inner-first, so in rain the inside gets wet unless you own and carry the footprint, which is exactly the weight you were trying to avoid. Owners raise this as the thing that puzzles them about its otherwise strong reviews, and it is the reason several people in the discussion end up with a fly-first shelter instead.
The other consistent note is weight. Fifty-three ounces is a real backpacking weight, and owners who also have a trekking-pole shelter say the Dagger comes out for trips where room matters and stays home otherwise. Nobody describes it as failing; they describe it as heavy.
Questions people ask about it
Does the Dagger really pitch inner-first?
The 2-person does, and owners consider it the tent's main design shortcoming. In dry weather it makes no difference. In rain you either accept a damp inner or you carry the footprint so you can pitch fly-and-footprint first, which adds weight.
Is it good in heavy rain and wind?
Owners asking that question about Scottish and alpine conditions are generally pointed at it favourably — the fly is full coverage and the pole structure is stout. The caveat is the pitch order, not the weather performance.
Dagger or Dragonfly?
Owners who own both describe the Dragonfly as sitting between the Hornet's weight and the Dagger's space. The Dagger is the one to take if two of you use wide pads or you want gear inside; the Dragonfly saves half a pound and gives up some of the width at the foot.
What is the storage tub for?
It is a waterproof tray that sits in the vestibule so wet boots and a pack are not on bare dirt. It is a small thing that owners specifically miss when they move to another tent — several ask for recommendations for a cheaper tent that has one.