Nemo’s Osmo tents have long been WIRED favorites. The proprietary, hybrid Osmo fabric is a blend of nylon and polyester, with dual coatings (silicone on the outside, poly on the inside) that offer the weatherproofing of polyester with much of the durability of nylon. The Osmo Dagger we reviewed several years ago is still going strong.
Earlier this year Nemo revamped the entire Dagger Osmo tent to be fully Bluesign compliant (previously just the fabric was). It now offers slightly more headroom, thanks to a pole redesign. The new model is also $30 cheaper.
Fabric Osmosis
Photograph: Scott Gilbertson
Nemo's Osmo fabric first arrived in 2022 after two years of research, development, and testing. Where most tents are either nylon or polyester, Osmo is a proprietary blend of both. Nemo's product development director, Gabriel Rosenbrien, told WIRED in that one of the company's goals with Osmo was to find a way to overcome the stretching of nylon (which absorbs water and sags), while also avoiding the downsides of polyester—namely, that it's not quite a strong as nylon.
This is bit of an oversimplification. Factors such as the coating used, the density and type of weave, and other design choices make comparing nylon and polyester something of an apples-to-oranges prospect. In general, both nylon and polyester have strengths and weaknesses. Osmo is Nemo's attempt to pull in the strengths of both while avoiding the weaknesses, and I think the company has succeeded.
I have spent 25 nights now in the previous model and a week in the new one, including one of the heaviest rains I've ever experienced, and I've found Osmo to be plenty durable and great at shedding the rain.
New for 2025
Photograph: Scott Gilbertson
Coming in at just under 4 pounds, the Dagger is on the heavy side for what it is, but split between two people the weight is acceptable for what you get. This is an especially livable backcountry tent that's roomier than most.