If your old tent is a bit outdated and worn. Or, if you are looking for a new tent to lighten your load on your next backpacking adventure. In our review and testing, we find the Nemo Equipment Dragonfly Ultralight 2-person tent the best overall.
When researching a new backpacking tent, there are so many options to think about. In general, do you want a freestanding tent or one that uses trekking poles? How much room do you need? In short, there is no need to worry as we’ll help you out.
5 Reasons to Love the Nemo Dragonfly 2
- Lightest freestanding tent!
- Trapezoidal vestibule provides extra room
- Interior pockets organize your gear
- Two side doors
- Packs up small, so it doesn’t take a lot of room in your backpack
Available At:
– Amazon
– REI
– Backcountry
Who is the Nemo Dragonfly tent for?
- Backpacking
- Car campers
- People who want a ultralight freestanding tent
Nemo Dragonfly 2 Tent Review
Personally, I like freestanding tents. A freestanding tent uses tent poles and can stand up without using any stakes. Whereas, a non-freestanding tent will require stakes, guy-lines, and a trekking pole or two. In contrast, with a freestanding tent, you can set up on a flat rock or on the sand and your tent will stay up without stakes! In case you can’t use stakes, I suggest finding some rocks or logs to weigh your tent down. That way, if a strong wind whips up, the tent will not blow away.
The Nemo Equipment Dragonfly Ultralight 2-person tent is a freestanding tent, so it checks all the boxes that I mentioned above. I like using a 2-person tent so that when my wife and dog join, there is plenty of room inside. A one-person tent is less weight, but I prefer the extra room of a 2-person tent. The Dragonfly 2-person has a footprint that is 50” wide at the head, is 88” long, and tapers down to 45” wide at your feet. The peak height is 41”. I’m 6’2,” and I find the Nemo Dragonfly 2P is plenty long and has enough headroom for me to sit up comfortably.
Two Doors and a Trapezoidal Vestibule
The Dragonfly has two doors. The two doors are nice so that you don’t have to crawl over your partner to get out of the tent. Nemo Equipment artfully created a trapezoidal vestibule that provides more room in the vestibule area than similar 2-door ultralight backpacking tents. The two trapezoidal vestibules are helpful because it allows for extra space to store your packs, gear, or cook a meal if it’s raining.
Speaking of rain. If you get caught in a massive storm with surging waves in Central Baja as I did, the single-seam tub construction provides excellent waterproof protection from floodwaters, and the fly repels torrential downpours.
Setting up the Dragonfly is a breeze. Nemo color-coded the poles and matching eyelets on the webbing, so it’s quick and easy to set up, leaving you more time to explore!
Inside the Nemo Dragonfly 2 Tent
Inside, the Dragonfly Ultralight tent has multiple storage areas to organize your things. For example, next to the zippered doors are mesh pockets for your essentials. Additionally, both of the top corners are pockets with light-diffusing fabric that help cast a glow across the entire tent without blinding you or your partner. Furthermore, the top of the tent is a rooftop pocket. Typically, I use the rooftop mesh pocket for my beanie, light-weight gloves, and an extra layer. In short, all of the pockets are designed for a purpose to help organize your tent.
For the weight weenies, the Nemo Equipment Dragonfly tent is light. It weighs in at 3 pounds 2 ounces, which is fantastic for a freestanding tent. Also, the DragonFly only takes up 4.18 liters in your pack, which allows you to use a smaller pack. I typically use a 38-40L backpack for long weekends.
After multiple backpacking trips, I haven’t found a negative other than the price being $10 more than its nearest competitor, but that’s a small price to pay for a well-designed quality tent. The Nemo Equipment Dragonfly 2P Ultralight tent can be used for car camping, but I typically prefer a larger tent that I can stand up in when I am car camping.
Ultralight Freestanding Tent Category Ranking:
These ratings are based on the Nemo Dragonfly 2P tent.
- Overall Rating: 1st
- MSRP Rating: 5th
- Weight Rating: 1st
- Height Rating: 2nd
- Vestibule Rating: 1st
- Volume Rating: 1st
Other Ultralight Freestanding Tent Options:
Common Questions
Question: Does it come with a footprint?
Answer: No, that can be purchased as an add-on. When using a footprint, I prefer to use a polycryo sheet. It’s very light and cheap.
Question: Does it come with stakes?
Answer: Yes. It comes with 8 aluminum stakes.
Question: Do you need to fold and roll up the tent to get it in the stuff sack, or can you stuff it in?
Answer: You can stuff the tent and rainfly into the stuff sack if you desire.
Specs
- Capacity: 2-people
- Seasons: 3
- Packed Weight: 3 pounds 2 ounces (1.41 kg)
- Peak Height: 41 inches (105 cm)
- Floor Area: 29.0 sq ft (2.7 sq m)
- Floor Dimensions: 88 x 50/45 in (223.52 x 127/114 cm)
- Vestibule Area: 10.0 sq ft + 10.0 sq ft (0.9 sq m + 0.9 sq m)
- MSRP: $399.95
- Cost per gram: $0.28
Construction & Materials
- Type: Freestanding
- Tent Poles: Aluminum DAC Featherlite® poles
- Door Quantity: 2
- Vestibule Quantity: 2
- Canopy Fabric: 10D Nylon Ripston / No-See-Um Mesh
- Fly Fabric: 15D Sil/PeU Nylon Ripstop
- Floor Fabric: 20D Sil/PeU Nylon Ripstop
Bottom Line
The Nemo Dragonfly 2-person tent is awarded the best free-standing tent award. The tent is obviously very light, but what makes it great is how spacious it is inside. The thoughtful wall and roof pockets help keep your stuff organized, and the trapezoidal vestibule provides more room for your gear. Check out the tent, you will not be disappointed.
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