Great deals on the best outdoor gear and apparel at CampSaver.com!

Previous to my Veda 1P I owned only double wall tents and haven’t had a single wall tent since the 80’s but I hike with a friend who only uses single wall tents and from what he tells me they are well worth the investment.  We are doing a hike on the JMT in August of 2015 so I’ve come to the realization that a lightweight, single wall trekking pole supported tent would be the way to go in order to simplify my trip and save weight.  So, I began my search for the right single wall tent that would work for me.

I took a look at several different brands, did my research and was totally deadlocked until I came across the Nemo Veda tent.  It had all of the elements that made it appealing to me.  It was the right price;  single walled;  made by a Nemo who makes awesome gear;  had some existing reviews;  set up with trekking poles and at a 33 ounce minimum weight it was over a pound lighter than my MSR Hubba tent.  I pretty much knew the second I spied this tent that I was going to get it so a day later I made the purchase!

The second I opened the box I knew this tent was going to be awesome – everything about it says quality.  The first thing I noticed was the color which is a brilliant green color that is very unique.  The second thing I noticed was that the material was more different than any of my other tents and it has a very different feel to it.  It feels dimpled and silky and very luxurious on the outside but the inside appears to have a breathable coating.  And the tent packs into a small roll-top bag that’s similar to a dry-bag but I don’t believe it’s waterproof but probably water-resistant.

My first trip with my new Nemo Vida 1P Tent was on 7/24/15 to Grayson Highlands State Park with my Nephew.  The forecast was fantastic with no call for rain all weekend so it ended up being a great time to test my new tent.

Night 1- I camped about 100 yards North of Thomas Knob Shelter on the AT in a small site just West of the trail.  This side of Grayson is exposed because of the balds to the East that offer a clear path for high winds to barrel through at incredible force.  It almost always seems to precipitate here on this side too because I’ve been here several times and every time it either rained to various degrees or misted so heavily that it appeared to have rained.

 

I woke up a few times during the night to check the inside of the tent for condensation but all I felt was damp coolness on the walls.  This was a great sign because again I’m still a little skeptical about the whole single wall tent idea after having issues with them growing up.  I got up the next morning and the outside of the tent was very wet but the inside was perfectly dry.  This was a great first night!  I let the tent hang for a bit while we ate breakfast but it didn’t dry it out at all so I packed it away wet and we continued our hike.

Night 2 – We arrived at our second night campsite at around 5ish and unpacked and set up camp.  I was surprised that my tent wasn’t extremely wet when I pulled it out of the bag but I hung it up on a tree branch for a short time anyway to help dry it out.  It was completely dry within a half-hour so I went ahead and set it up.  This night was not wet nor humid at all and so the tent performed flawlessly with not signs of dampness or condensation to speak of in the morning.

I know that both of these nights were nothing to give this tent a run for its money but if they are any sign of things to come then bring on the rain because so far I like my Veda a lot.  Either way I’m fairly certain it will get put to the test when I take it on the JMT here in late August.

 

 

Durability:  I can’t speak for durability but the material feels pretty tough for being ultra-light and the seams look like they will hold up to some stress as well.  The roll-top storage bag is very solid to say the least and the stakes that come with the tent, although pretty basic aluminum are pretty solid as well.  I really like the cordage because it’s reflective, small diameter and it is a stiffer cord that doesn’t tangle or knot so easily.

Setup/Functionality:  This is my first trekking pole tent so I figured there would be a bit of technical hindrance on my first setup but none at all.  Unlike a free standing tent the this tent requires good stake points in order to make a taut pitch of the tent.  I didn’t have any issues in that category and it went up without a hitch.  I really like the fact that you have the option of keeping both doors rolled up and supporting the tent with just a cord in front so that it’s wide open.  This is outstanding for giving you the ability to be semi-protected from dew and the elements but you have a wide open view to the center of camp so you can lounge in your tent while still staying connected to the outside.  It also gives excellent breathability.

Weight:  Okay this isn’t a Cuben fiber tent so it’s around twice as heavy as a comparable Cuben tent but it feels like it breathes which is something that Cuben fiber just doesn’t do at all.  I feel like the added weight will be a good compromise in the long run.  Of course that’s not going to stop me from purchasing a Cuben fiber tent in the near future simply because I love gear.  Minimum weight for my Veda is around 33 ounces compared to around 18 ounces for a similar in size Cuben tent.  I purchased the specific Nemo ground cloth for the tent so once you throw in stakes too you end up with about 44 ounces with is still under 3lbs.

Room:  I’m 6’2″ and 230 and this tent has tons of room for me.  I did stake out the additional head and foot stakes to give myself the additional space but I could have easily been comfortable enough without them.

So far, my opinion is that this is a great tent to get into the world of lightweight trekking pole supported tents without spending a fortune.  A similar Cuben tent around the same size and with all the fixins would be about 22 ounces and $500 plus while a sil-nylon tent respectively would be about 33 ounces and ranging from $280 to $350.  Now, you can get lighter and cheaper tents but for me and my size this is what I find works for me.

I had a chance to use my Nemo Veda again in the Grayson Highlands and it performed quite well.  It rained pretty good on Saturday evening and the tent did its job very well by shedding every drop that landed on it.  I got very little condensation with regards to this rain.  Overnight I got a little condensation typical of all tents and a little bit in the floor of the tent which is to be expected.  Overall the tent impressed me quite well on this second trip and kept me very protected.

 

9/13/15 John Muir Trail – I had a chance to extensively test my Nemo Veda on a recent trip to the Sierra Nevada Mountains via the John Muir Trail for approximately 9 days and it held up without fail.  It was pretty dry on the hike so not too much to worry about in the way of precipitation except for frost on two nights due to temps in the 20’s.  Frost formed on the all of the tent walls by morning but no harm done – I stayed perfectly comfortable.  The tent held up great so I can’t wait to take it out again.

 

Here are some specs directly off Nemos’ website: