Description
With a peak ceiling height of 44″ and near-vertical exterior walls, the NEMO Aurora 2P is a voluminous and highly livable backpacking-to-car camping crossover tent. It’s the best option in that niche for under $300. NEMO is famous for quality craftsmanship, and the Aurora does not disappoint. Price: $299 Weight: 4 lbs, 9 oz Material: 68d polyurethane polyester Interior: 31.8 ft² | Vestibule : 18.4 ft² | Area/Pound : 11.0 ft² Peak Height: 44″ Pros: Spacious. Freestanding. Great ceiling. Near-vertical walls. Complimentary footprint. Versatile. Cons: Heavy (for backpacking). Features This small 2 person tent is loaded with excellent features. This includes a complimentary footprint, overhead spreader bar, internal mesh gear pockets, dog-floor-liner compatibility, light diffusion pockets, and rainfly vents. It’s just so many creature comforts. In terms of livability, no tent does better than the Aurora when it come to head room over the head-end of the tent. Most tents focus on headroom in the center, but Aurora spreads it through very nicely. Relative to its peers in this class, we feel it is superior in performance, quality, and livability to the $250 Marmot Tungsten which is smaller and heavier. But if you can shell out an extra $30, the REI Co-op Half Dome SL 2+ is big upgrade across the board for only a bit more money. Weighing in at just over four and a half pounds trail-weight, it is heavier than we prefer to carry, and not what we would recommend as a dedicated backpacking tent. Verdict However, when you take into account its excellent comfort and front-country functionality, we think the NEMO Aurora 2P Tent is a great crossover design, and a very versatile and well-rounded as small 2 person tents go.
