Nemo Obi 1P backyard observations...
Hi all,
I had a chance to set up and look over the new Nemo Obi 1P tent on Saturday, so I thought I'd take a few pix and make some backyard setup observations, especially in light of the Obi 2P I reviewed a while back. (FYI, I did not have a tent-specific footprint, so in the pix I just used a Kelty footprint I had lying around).
The over-all design and execution are, as to be expected, very similar to the Obi 2P, with a few exceptions: one door and vestibule, vs. two, the ability to fully peel back both sections of the door side vestibule for excellent ventilation in clear and/or hot weather, and no zipper fly venting option, like in the 2P. Instead, you get an always open side vent in place of the second door/vestibule of the 2P. You cannot access this area from inside the tent, but due to the high cut-out of the fly, it would most likely provide little weather protection for gear, so it is a mute point. The design seems a reasonable compromise to keep cool air flowing through the tent.
The 1P has similar internal pockets as the 2P, (including the ceiling pocket with the light dispersing material), as well as snaps and loops for the optional pawprint and gear caddy. The 1P also shares the 2P's ability to attach the sides of the tent to the fly to increase internal volume. In the 1P, however, Nemo chose to include only one clip, on the left side of the fly, to volumize the tent. Fortunately, they provided a tie out on the door side of the tent body so you can employ a guyline/stake to fully increase the internal volume. This makes a huge difference in the internal volume, even more so than in the 2P, due to the very narrow tapering of the walls in the 1-person configuration. I do wish Nemo had included a clip on the door side of the fly, but at least you have the option to use a guyline/stake.
The vestibule in the 1P appears much larger than a single vestibule in the 2P. This appears to be due to the tent body being much narrower and also longer than that of the 2P. Needless to say, you'll have more than enough room for your pack, boots, cooking etc. I think you might even be able to pull in another person in an emergency. Good stuff.
So here is how the 1P measured out:
Trail weight: 2lbs, 8.2 oz (Nemo specs 2lbs, 8oz)
All internal tape measure readings approx but reasonably accurate:
Internal floor length, 88" as spec'd by Nemo
Internal floor width at the head of tent, 39"
Internal floor width at shoulder zone, 36"
Internal floor width at mid-point, 32"
Internal floor width at foot, 29'
Side walls, mid-point, fully volumized, shoulder level, 29"
Internal height, mid point, 39”
Overall, the internal space is very nice for one person, with plenty of length for a 6' + person, and enough room to sit up, jockey around and not feel like you're in a coffin. But if you don't volumize, then you'll feel pretty cramped.
Now some picks...
In the 2P, the main wall at the head of the tent body has a loop along with a clip at the fly, that when connected and used with a guyline on the fly, helps against wind deflection across that large expanse of fabric. Interestingly, the Nemo 1P has the loop on the tent body and a loop on the fly, but no clip to connect them. If you really wanted/needed, you could always rig up a solution with a bit of guyline, but as the size of the tent wall on the 1P is smaller than that of the 2P, I think that wind deflection is less of an issue. I bring this up, however, because one feature that Nemo left out from the 1P was not providing loops at the bottom mid-point of each side of the tent body, like they did in the 2P. This helped to further increase the volume of the tent and allowed for easy one-hand operation of the doors, but more importantly, kept the walls taut against wind deflection at the mid-point of the tent body. Not having them in the 1P seems like a real over-site, as wind deflection on the side walls is exaggerated due to the narrower dimensions of a 1-person tent. I would much rather see Nemo forgo the loop on the tent body head wall all together, and then add it and one more at each of the the lower mid-point side walls like in the 2P. Small over site, but in really windy weather, could make a huge difference.
Those two complaints aside, I’d say Nemo hit the nail on the head with the Obi 1P. It packs small, sets up quick and taut, weighs just 2lbs, 8oz trail weight, has a large vestibule, more than enough room to comfortably protect one person and overall seems buttoned down for both good and bad weather alike. I like it, surprisingly more than the 2-person version. Sure the Obi 2P has larger internal dimensions, 2 doors/vestibules and more elaborate venting options (dual zipper vents), and seems a better deal, especially when you get this extra space and features for for just $40 more and a mere 6 oz penalty. But the Obi 1P actually does what it is designed to do in the pure sense of the word. It will hold 1-person comfortably, with little to no compromise. Period. I cannot say the same about the Obi 2P, which to me is too small internally for two people to comfortably co-exist, and thus misses the 2-person tent ideal. In that context, the 1P seems the better tent. I just wish it was priced at about $299, because at $349, it just might be too expensive to justify over the Obi 2P, regardless of its better over-all execution, and it might also have a hard time competing against the identically priced, but larger and lighter Big Agnes Fly Creek 2P, especially when used as a single person shelter.
Cheers!
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Originally Posted by Limeman
