ProView – Mountain Hardwear Nimbus UL 2 Tent
I’ve got lots of nights in the woods planned for this summer. I’m a mountain gal, through and through. I live for those cool summer nights where your feet hurt from hiking and all you want is to stuff your face with whatever you can cook the quickest. For work I spend weeks at a time with teenagers, and so my solo expeditions are recharge and reset time. I like to keep things simple. The less gear I have to carry the better, leaving more room for my creature comforts. I can always carry the extra weight of a summit beer.
Mountain Hardwear Nimbus UL 2 Tent
Product Name: Mountain Hardwear Nimbus UL 1 Tent
Product Description: Carrying a heavy pack sucks, but so does getting drenched by unexpected showers or ravaged by blood-thirsty mossies—our Nimbus™ UL Single Door 2P Tent solves the dilemma. With streamlined features and a sil-nylon rainfly that offers full protection without dyes, PU-coatings, or flame-retardant chemicals, the Nimbus is an integral part of your ultralight trail kit.
Offer price: $400 MSRP
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Quality
(5)
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Features
(4)
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Fit
(4)
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Durability
(5)
Summary
The Nimbus UL 2 speaks for itself with a simple yet thoughtful design. It doesn’t need extra bells or whistles (or weight for that matter) to be a reliable addition to your pack.
Overall
4.5Pros
- Thoughtful design
- Simple
- Easy to set up.
Cons
- Two separate stuff sacks are a hit or miss depending on how you pack your pack
I was honestly amazed when the Nimbus UL 2 arrived because the package was SO light. It’s maiden voyage was in Colorado this late spring. I took it out for a breezy weeknight trip. Crafted with attention to detail, there is lots to love about this tent. It takes your backpacking trips to a whole new level, giving you shelter without adding mass or heaviness to your pack.
Durability/Construction
A simple design: the Nimbus UL has one main pole and one door. The vestibule has dual zipper sliders for dual access. A unique feature of this tent is the cordage hooks used in place of clips to connect the tent to the poles rainfly. They are secure and make it easy to compress the tent into its stuff sack. The 20-denier nylon rain fly has silicone on both sides, increasing waterproofness and durability, without adding extra weight. A nylon fly (which is ounce for ounce lightest for tent material) is made with no fabric dye, which also significantly reduces weight. Two doors is always helpful for a tent, but then the whole design would have needed to be reconfigured. The reinforced webbing at the corners of the bottom of the tent don’t add to your pack weight while still keeping your structure sound.
Weight/Packability
It often feels like with tents you have to choose between functionality or weight. The recommended weight per person for a tent is 2.5 lbs (often folks split the weight of a full tent with a partner). Enter the Nimbus UL. It’s 2.2 lbs, easily light enough for a solo traveller to take on a decent trek. It comes with two separate stuff sacks, one for the poles and stakes, and the other for the body and rainfly. This is a hit or miss. If you pack your tent inside your backpack, great, however the size and shape of the stuff sack make it tricky to attach on the outside. The poles and tent stakes are DAC (light and strong aluminum) which lighten the load even further.
Function/Performance
Set up for the nimbus was quick and simple, total time no more than five minutes! Growing up my dad always told me that tents are never made for as many people as they advertise. I also should add a disclaimer here- my whole family is tall and gangly. We need all the extra leg room we can get. If people were to use this tent for two folks larger than 6 feet, it would be a tight squeeze, shoulder to shoulder (28 sq feet inside, 7 sq feet in the vestibule). The tent is slanted upwards near the door. I’m 5’10” and still could sit up near the front. There is enough room for people who pack light, and could keep smaller backpacks in the vestibule. But if you like extra space for an air pad or a game of cards this would be a tight fit. Since I go alone 9/10 this tent is perfect for my dog Flint, and I.
The Final Word
The Nimbus UL 2 person is your newest summer backpacking dream tent. It speaks for itself with a simple yet thoughtful design. It doesn’t need extra bells or whistles (or weight for that matter) to be a reliable addition to your pack. The one thing I’d consider changing is advertising it as a one-person one-dog tent, but what do I know…
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About the Gear Tester
Allie Fuller
Allie Fuller is a Field Supervisor for Second Nature Wilderness Family Therapy. She works year-round with at-risk youth in the alpine desert and Uinta mountains. She’s passionate about empowering young women to find strength while in nature. She slept under the stars for over two hundred nights last year. Allie has been doing outdoor youth work since 2012 in Utah, all over Colorado, and in the UK. When off-trail she’s road tripping around the west with pup Flint in a beat-up Subaru. She loves finding spots to boulder, tucked away hiking trails, drinking excessive amounts of coffee, and she’s never without snacks. You can connect with her on Instagram at @allie.e.fuller.
Nice article. Thx!
Thanks Stu!