The incredibly spacious NEMO Dagger OSMO 2 is an excellent choice for those wanting a tent that’s comfortable for any type of adventure – it’s light enough for backpacking and roomy enough for frontcountry camping. As always, NEMO has designed a ton of useful features into this tent. From the light dispersing pockets at the head to the storage tub in the vestibule, there’s a lot to love about the Dagger OSMO. See how the Dagger compares to our other top backpacking tents on our Best Backpacking Tents list.
Quick Specs
NEMO Dagger Osmo 2
Price: $480
Packed Weight: 4 lbs. 2 oz.
Dimensions (LxWxH): 90 x 50 x 42 in.
Pros
- Incredibly spacious
- Easy to set up
- Durable
- Versatile
- Good ventilation
- Excellent protection in wet weather
- Great pockets
- Large doors with an updated design
- Roomy vestibules
Cons
- A bit expensive
- Heavier than others
Pros
Incredibly spacious
The Dagger is one of the most spacious tents on our Best Backpacking Tents list. With a generous floor length of 90 in., there’s plenty of space to store gear inside and taller folks can lay down comfortably without touching the walls. The pre-bent poles at the ends and cross pole at the peak also provide a ton of headroom throughout most of the length of the tent.
Durable
We’ve had good experience with the durability of NEMO products, and the Dagger Osmo is no exception. The proprietary fabric used to construct this tent relies on a weave of nylon and polyester for waterproofing instead of the more common polyurethane coated silicon. A coating will break down much quicker than the fabric itself, so you can count on the Dagger to stay waterproof for longer than many other tents.
Easy to set up
The Dagger is freestanding and has a rectangular floor, so setup is really quick and straightforward. The poles and clips are also color-coordinated, so there’s very little room for error.
Versatile
The Dagger is light enough for backpacking – especially when split between two hikers – and roomy enough to be comfortable for frontcountry camping. This makes it a pretty good value for the money, since budget conscious folks will get a tent that’s great for both activities.
Good ventilation
There’s a ton of mesh on the body of the Dagger which is great for stargazing and also provides good airflow throughout the tent. The rainfly has dual zippers that allow you to open up the top of the fly to deploy a strut for venting while still remaining protected from precipitation.
Great pockets
There are two storage pockets on each end – one higher up for keeping stuff out of the way and one low for easy access to frequently used items. There are also two light dispersing pockets at either end. Their orange color filters out blue light which is good for your eyes when winding down to go to sleep.
Excellent protection in wet weather
The OSMO fabric of the NEMO Dagger is made from woven nylon and polyester that won’t sag when wet like silnylon does. Having a tight pitch is key to getting water to bead up and roll off rather than pooling up and wetting through.
Large doors with an updated design
One noticeable change from the previous iteration of the Dagger to the Dagger OSMO is the door design. The old Dagger had two large curved doors with zippers that went all the way around. Instead, the Dagger OSMO has two large triangular doors that meet at a point with two zippers running separately on their own tracks. This design makes it easier to open the doors with one hand and puts less stress on the tent fabric and zipper track than a curved design does.
Roomy vestibules
With 11.4 square feet of storage per vestibule, there’s plenty of room to store any gear you don’t want in the tent with you. The Dagger comes with a pretty handy vestibule accessory – a clip in tub floor – that keeps your things drier and allows you to isolate muddy gear from the clean, dry stuff inside your tent.
Cons
A bit expensive
Any high quality backpacking tent is going to cost you a pretty penny, and the price of the Dagger – while high – is about average for a two-person freestanding tent. We find the Dagger to be a great value since it’s so versatile.
Heavier than others
At 4 lbs. 2 oz. (packaged weight), the Dagger OSMO is a bit on the heavy side for backpacking. But it’s still pretty light for the amount of space you’re getting, and it’s manageable when split between two hikers. There are several things you can leave behind from the package too – like the tub insert that clips to the vestibule – if you want to save a little weight.
Bottom Line
The NEMO Dagger OSMO 2 is a versatile tent with an awesome amount of interior space for two hikers. While it’s a little heavy, it’s still reasonable for backpacking when split between two hikers. And there are a ton of convenience features for those who value comfort over saving a bit of weight. Since the Dagger makes a great fit for both backpacking and frontcountry camping, we think it’s an awesome value. We named the NEMO Dagger best crossover tent on our Best Backpacking Tents list.
