NEMO Losi 3P

Summary

Excellent job, Nemo!

I've owned this tent for a year and half now. I purchased it based off of how much I liked my Nemo Meta 2P.

My first experience with the Losi involved a 4-day Boundary Water canoe trip. The first evening, my friend realized he forgot the poles to his 4-person tent, which himself, his daughter, and daughter's friend were suppose to sleep in. We were 15 miles from the outfitter. We ended up making a shelter out his rainfly, but on night 2, heavy winds brought in a nasty storm.

The four of us ended up piled into the Losi. It rained all night, and wind gusts tested the tents integrity. I ended up sleeping against the wall, against the side that isn't covered by the rain fly.

From previous experience with older tents, I assumed I was going to get soaked. After a long night though, we all woke up bone dry. We were all extremely grateful to have one solid tent on that trip!

I've had this on several other camping trips, Spring, Summer, and Fall. My fiance and I really like the near vertical walls. It makes for so much headroom. Another friend of mine was impressed by the tent's integrity during our flyfishing trip as well. It poured one of the nights, but again we were protected. You shouldn't expect any less from a tent!

GOOD NEWS! I received an email from Nemo today stating that they are currently producing a Garage vestibule for the Losi 3p. It is suppose to be available this summer, 2013!

Got the 3P several months ago to use on archeological digs in Europe. Just got back about a week ago and I have to write a review on this marvelous tent. Used it for a total of 7 weeks. One dig site for 5 weeks straight and two separate weeks at two other locations. I couldn't be happier with the service I got from this tent!

Light, small, roomy, and so easy to set up, I could not ask for more. Everyone I hung out with Europe were not familiar with NEMO Losi brand but were definitely interested in it after they saw how fast I set it up, broke it down, and how small it packed.

We experienced good days, and a lot of very bad rainy days. Did I mention rain, rain and more rain and a lot of wind. The 3P held up like a champ. Not a drop of rain, no broken parts or tears. A brand new North Face tent next to my site gave up the ghost in a week (torn and leaked from rain and wind). Ventilation, roominess, and lack of moisture or leaks kept me and my supplies high and dry.

My 3P got thoroughly tested one night with very, very high winds and rain. The velocity of winds were so high that the sides of the tent were moving so fast and hard that I got repeatably beat in the head with the sides of the tent for a few hours. Again this tent held together so well compared to the ones around me that I promised myself to write this review.

Another item I need to mention is the great ventilation. Many of the other folks I met marveled at how fast this tent dried out and the lack of water problems. A few made comments that I must have one of those quick drying tents (whatever that is).

In summary, if you need to travel lite and dry, and want an easy set up, then this is a tent you want to consider. It is at the top of my recommended list.

My friend and I are going cross-country backpacking, and after a long period of deliberation on which tents to get, we decided on the NEMO Losi 3-person. Our major motivations for this decision were the weight (6.7 lbs. packed), the ratio of space to that (50 sq. ft.) and the absence of any necessary stakes and/or staking. It cost $380 (bad planning on my part - at NEMO's website it's $355) or so, and the footprint was another $40.

Now, a brief rundown on why the NEMO Losi 3p was the best purchase we've ever made:

1. The NEMO Losi 3p is ridiculously easy to set up. There's almost no stuffing of poles through sleeves; the only two times that happens is with the two minor poles. The primary poles are constructed so that you hook the mesh tent up to the poles rather than trying to force the poles to adhere to the tent, and because of the basic design of the tent, it's incredibly hard to destabilize the structure without a tree falling on it (which they include in the troubleshooting guide - HOLY CRAP HARDCORE). Actually, it's very possible to decipher the layout and setup if you lay it out and look at it, which is a clear marker that this has an amazing design.

It's pretty obvious that whoever designed this tent had been through hell and high water with other tents, many of which are made primarily for 'good looks' and interesting shapes and not so much for actual usability. That makes sense, since a lot of people buying tents are middle-upper class families who want to go out into nature for a 'vacation', completely ignore the actual beauty of nature in favor of their luxuries (hotdogs instead of foraging, s'mores instead of bean soups, sedentary camping instead of exploration and wandering, etc.) and go straight back to their unfulfilling lives as consumer extraordinaires. However, there are people out there for whom 'camping' isn't a luxury - it's a way to survive and thrive in a world that's hostile to your passions.

That's me reading too much into this. Suffice to say that whoever designed this tent actually knows how to make it work because they have enough experience in that area.

2. The Jake's Feet. These are the most amazing contraptions of all time. A good part of the reason that you don't need a lot of heavy stabilization stakes is the fact that the Jake's Feet provide stabilization without requiring you to stake things into the ground (which may or may not cooperate with this idea). Once you figure them out - and again, they are ridiculously easy to figure out with a little examination - you see what parts go where (rain fly, tent, footprint) so that it all comes together.

3. It comes in three main parts: the tent base (mostly mesh), the rain fly (completely waterproof) and the footprint (I consider this necessary if you're looking to keep this long-term and not just waste money). The design of the rain fly is exquisite, as it secures into place over the mesh base so that nothing is exposed and it won't come loose during the night or in high winds.

4. There's an additional piece of beauty that I'd like to relate to the previous point, and that is the rain fly vs. mesh tent: because of the construction of the mesh tent, the poles that stabilize the mesh tent do not only that but separate the rain fly from the mesh, making leakage virtually impossible unless there's a hole. (I say virtually because I'm sure someone would figure out how.) The way the rain fly is shaped, in addition to this, only helps remove water, because any collection will roll off.

5. The inside makes it even more obvious that whoever had designed this meant for it to be used. There are places you can hang lightweight contraptions and objects for easy grabbing or even reading (with a small, lightweight lantern, for example) and an organization rack inside the tent if you don't want to use the vestibule for your shoes and such.

6. This tent is labeled as three-person. Really, this should be labeled as 'three humans and one dog', because this is pretty clearly part of what the tent was designed for. It's not only spacious (my friend and I don't even fill half of it, and only two-thirds with our mountaineering packs), there's a number of components that would make this amazing for a dog.

7. There are entrances at both ends. Literally - there's an opening on one end, and another at the opposite; look, it's an ergonomic tent! (Nerd joke. Sorry.) This, combined with the large doors, makes it nearly impossible to have a 'jam' of people trying to get in or out of the tent. Also, the close proximity of the bottoms of the doors to the ground make it perfect for a dog, making it easier for them to get in and out.

8. Did I mention it's lightweight? And inanely easy to set up?

A toddler could set this up. You'll need at least two people to set it up because of the tight fit of the minor poles (note: DISCONNECT a section or two of the pole, then fit them back in. It'll work much better) into their stabilization guides. Otherwise you're just... awesome.

My only real problems with this tent, because it IS that amazing and you can probably see that I am VERY finicky, are these:

- It needs a folding guide so that you can fold it properly and put it back up to move on, and
- The stabilization/hooking pieces that latch to the major poles and hold the minor poles have a fairly major if only occasional problem: the stabilization curve is short enough that, if given a sharp enough piece of pressure, turns sideways and LODGES between the two hooks. This could easily have been solved by adding just a few more centimeters onto each or one of the sides, making them too long to lodge whatsoever. It can be fixed temporarily by placing the minor pole above the hook piece, but I don't know what, if any, effect this would have on stability. (We got it undone later. Our teeth are sore now.)

Verdict: Five thousand stars, four thumbs and four paws up, 150% worth the money, 99% idiot proof. If you're known for forging ahead rather than taking stock of what you have in front of you, avoid this tent like the plague and get a hardier one. If you're going on rougher ground, spend the extra money on a pawprint, and always get the footprint. You can go nearly anywhere with this tent, outside of very cold regions, and that makes it pretty much 4-season in my book.

They say it's the cheapest tent for the amount of room and weight - they're overly modest. I've seen a lot of tents. I've slept in a lot. I've set up a lot. NEMO Losi is still the best one, not just in weight and room, but in design. Weight and room don't matter unless you have a good design, and NEMO has this in spades.

Bravo!

I received this tent as a gift and have been very happy with it.

The tent is well designed. It's nice and roomy; comfortable for three, luxurious for two. It includes more interior pockets than I know what to do with, and the headlamp diffuser is brilliant. There are two roomy vestibules, and the fly door makes for easy entry/exit. This tent is solid, dependable, and it looks pretty darn cool.

The quality of craftsmanship is excellent. Everything about it has a high quality feel. I've used it in some moderately extreme weather conditions and never once worried about damage or leakage of any kind.

The weight is acceptable for a tent this size. I use it primarily for car camping and walk-in camping. It would also make a good canoe camping tent. But I would take it backpacking only when sleeping three people. For two people, I would go with a lighter tent.

Setup is fairly easy, but a few things slow down the process. The two "ridge poles" add additional steps, but they make the tent more stable and increase interior space, so it's a worthy trade off. Some of the specialized hooks and snaps are very tight fitting, and a bit difficult to attach and detach at first, though I assume they will loosen a bit over time. You have to be sure to attach the main poles correctly, as a special hook at the center of the X must face downward in order to attach the tent's center clip to it. Also, this center hook is a bit hard to reach when attaching it to the tent. All the other tent clips attach and detach easily.

The included storage bag has a very cool design. You lay it flat, put everything into specialized pockets, and then roll the whole thing up. However, you have to utilize some precision folding on the tent and fly for it to fit and roll up easily. Definitely slower than the old stuff sack method.

I once set up the Losi in the footprint/fly configuration and it worked quite well. It's a good option for making a lighter load.

My experience with Nemo's customer support has been positive. It was a minor issue, merely a question about the tent, but my email was answered in a prompt and friendly manner.

I cannot say enough good things about this tent! I had obsessed for two months over the purchase of my first new tent in almost 13 years. I had been out of backpacking and hiking for quite a long time. I read many articles and reviews before being convinced that Nemo was the way to go.

I decided on the Losi 3P because of the specifications and user reviews. When the tent arrived, the high quality of both the materials and the construction were quite apparent. Also apparent was the size, true to Nemo's specs, of the tent. This is a true 3 person tent.

I set up first in my backyard in order to become familiar with it. Setup was very intuitive and easy. Break down was equally so. This tent is very sturdy and pitches very tightly. I absolutely love the roll up pack that the tent comes with. It is easy to pack, rolls up tight, and compresses down fairly well.

This past Friday, my wife and I took our new Losi out for a one night "shakedown" on our own property. The temperature dropped to around 30 degrees and it was very damp. We spent a comfortable night. Very roomy. No condensation despite the high humidity.

I do recommend both the footprint and Nemo's Pawprint. The Pawprint is a wonderful idea and really kept our sleeping pads from slipping around the tent floor.

I would also have to say that this tent is truly a 3.5 season model. I highly recommend this tent ... it is worth the extra money.

I bought this tent back in June in anticipation of a climbing trip out to Colorado. Since then, I have used it for everything from pitching outside of a car to 20 mile backpacking trips.

The rain this summer has been insane, but the Nemo held up better than I could have imagined.

I wrote a complete review of this tent, with pictures, on my climbing blog. Check it out if you want some more info on the tent: climbwiththecrimps.com/?p=245

Based on all the good reviews and the awards this tent won, despite some reservations, we purchased it for a two year cycle trip from London to New Zealand.

It was ok for a couple of months, being light and spacious, however after about about 40 days we noticed water on the tent floor. At first we thought that it was coming through the sides not protected fully by the fly. It does let water in there, but the worst problem is the floor. Despite having used the footprint since new the floor is now totally non waterproof. We have re-waterproofed it but the only way to keep dry is by using a cheap tarp we bought for 5 euro and putting this under the tent.

If the Chinese can make a tarp for 50 cents thats waterproof why can't Nemo put a decent floor on a $500 tent?

This is by far the leakiest tent I have ever owned and also the most expensive. I suggest anyone looking for a tent for serious use avoid this and buy a decent one. Also magazines who gave this awards should test things a little more thoroughly and save people wasting money on poor product. We are not the only people who have this problem and I would challenge Nemo to come up with a solution.

Llewyn Toms

Once this tent is setup, it is fantastic. However, the setup is somewhat complicated and involve flimsy plastic parts. The jakesfeet come off easily and are proned to getting lost. After perhaps 50 nights of use, the string holding my polls together has come apart and some of the plastic parts are bent. I wouldn't buy this tent again.