Nortent Vern 1

A remarkably interesting, innovative, spacious and versatile one person tent. The lovely taut pitch is well considered, and the tent is very well made. The entry door configuration is very useable and unique.

I was in the market for a one person, 4 season, bombproof, integral pitch tent that is suitable for both summer and winter. I put all the contenders on a spreadsheet and set to work. The list became very short very quickly.
I had the Wilderness Equipment Ace winter. It had good interior space, a smallish vestibule but the hub construction and flat spot on the top which held water/snow let it down. The later Space versions fixed it with a short cross pole. Venting at the top is also not great. Got the Second Arrow X. Good space inside for one person but not long enough for me at 188 cms. I had to sleep diagonally with my head hard pressed against the inner to keep my feet from touching the inner at the tapered end. Vestibule was good as was the venting. Flappy though and hard to keep taut and have good venting when windy.The Hilleberg tents, Akto and Soulo could not be found at that time though supply has now been restored including on the second hand market.

I came across the Nortent site and had a look at various reviews of the Vern 1 and became interested. Having been burnt with the claimed size and space for previous one person tents that manufacturers put on their websites, I thought that I should mock it up in the basement with some plywood hoops, light rope and some tape. I then placed my usual gear in the usual locations and found that it could work for me. I am 188cm and cannot sit bolt upright but leaning forward slightly. Length is not a problem and the separation between inner and outer is good. 

I ordered one with the crossing pole. It came within a couple of weeks, assembled with the inner attached and I took it down to the local park for the first look. The cross pole slides into a pocket on the door side. Then it is a simple matter of tensioning it and the basic setup is done. The crossing pole took a little longer and it was important to get the right sloping angle on the two small end poles so that the crossing pole fits. The tent tensions up beautifully.

Great care has been taken in the design and cut of the tent as is the fit and finish generally. It does end up being quite long with the extended reach of the guy ropes. However they can be made shorter should you be restricted by your site.You should put one end into the wind when pitching, then you can have the entrance on whichever side suits access requirements or the slope of the site, as the tent is symmetrical.

The entrance is effectively two symmetrical doors either side of the central pole making for a versatile and accessible entry. I found that I could tie back just one door leaving the other zippered to protect my gear with plenty of room. At the bottom of each two way door zip in a clip. Not just a velcro tab. I am thinking that this would be useful in windy weather to help stop zippers creeping open. Could also be useful for some extra ventilation in rainy weather as it is behind the zipper flap. The two vents above the doors also help to shield  the entry from drips. Also you can just tie the whole thing open in fine weather and have a veranda. This is a cool feature. I do love a good and well thought out entrance.

The mockup had worked and my assumptions about the size and space available internally were correct. Sitting up is fine. Yes, I am a bit compromised for height but it is workable. I need to sit slightly bent over. Beside you when sitting up, is a space for a couple of clothing bags etc and the ample pockets take care of the rest. The large  door is good as is the full mesh and lining to the door.The inner is very long. At each end are small vents which can be zippered up. They also have zippered lining. So you’re always able to control the amount of air coming in and then for it to be rising up and flushed out thru one of the two vents at the apex.

The unique aerodynamic shape was drawing some curious looks from those passing by in the park.The black colour was something that I pondered over. I would prefer a lighter colour to help find my tent in the bush but it's not a big deal. All tents are hot in our sun and the additional temperature from one of the other darker colours is minimal. At least this one has a “verandah” mode and a big mesh door. It would be very rare for me to be inside a tent in good weather anyway. 

High in a windy, rainy saddle in the Serra range would be a reasonable first test for the Vern 1. Wind was whipping across the saddle so one of the ends went into the wind. Got it up quickly in the drizzle. A little bit of a fiddle getting the ends of the crossing pole to sit in. I adjusted the small end poles to be more inclined and then everything pulled taut. A bit more practice and I’ll have it down pat. I don’t think that I would travel without that crossing pole. These are the sorts of locations that I seek out and having with me would be essential. Only in the most sheltered or benign conditions would I not put it on as it is only 300 grams.

Fully guyed out it was rock solid. The generous length of the guys meant that the tent was being well supported.

The vestibule works well. The photo shows the pack on one side and boots and stove etc on the other. Leaving sufficient space for me to enter. The soft wire in the vent cover over the doors helps to shed drips and provides additional rain protection when it is used as an entry. Gear stays dry as does the all important inner. This will undoubtedly be my wet weather setup.

I zippered up the low-level inner tent vent at my head end as too much of a draught was coming in. Zippered the outer and had a warm and comfortable night’s sleep in the wind and the rain without the tent flapping at all.

The morning light didn’t reveal any moisture ingress or any condensation to speak off. So, the vent combination of the two at low level on the ends and two at high level on either side of the pole works well.

A warm long weekend paddling the Snowy River was the next test. I had the vestibules almost fully open and the inner door inner unzipped. Very easy access to the tent and gear in these conditions.

It was a comfortable night under clear skies. The vestibules protected my gear from the morning dew. Because the tent was put up in the warmth of the late afternoon, I could have retensioned it a bit but chose not to, to see how it responded. The crossing pole is proving its worth here. It’s holding up the outer and stopping it touching the inner. So, either retensioned it, or have the crossing pole when going from warm to cool conditions overnight.

Summary: A very interesting, innovative, spacious and versatile one person tent. The lovely taut pitch is well considered and the tent is very well made. The entry door configuration is very usable and unique. This tent is a keeper. I think that I will get plenty of use of it in remote locations in trying conditions.

Background

Other Current tents: Exped Orion 2p Extreme (2023).

Previous tents: Iglu 2 (Bo Hilleberg design), Mont Epoch (1985 original 3p tunnel version), Wilderness Equipment First Arrow (2004), Vango Typhoon 200 (2011), Exped Orion 2p Extreme (2013), Wilderness Equipment ACE W UL (2014), Wilderness Equipment Second Arrow X (2022),

It looks like a partial rip off of Tarptent

It looks like a partial rip off of Tarptent. The tent needs double wall for snowy/rainy weather.

Background

Solo hiked the entire PCT in one timeframe. Hiked Arizona, Utah, Canada, Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky...