Ferrino Nemesi 1 Tent Review [merged]

[frenchy_84]

I have been given this Tent free of charge by Rico of Adventure Friends for the purpose of test/review for bw.com forum members, I am under no obligation nor do I have any affiliation to or with this Company or Rico.

The Nemesi 1 is a lightweight 1 man, 3 season tent from Ferrino. For those of you who are not familiar with the brand Ferrino they’re an Italian company that have been making tents for 140 years and are now being sold in Australia through Adventure Friends. The Nemesi 1 retails for $241 Aus dollars, but is currently on sale for $199 with free postage within Aus.

It is a similar design and size to a MSR Hubba, both having an inner 700mm wide at its widest point, although the Nemesi tapers to 500mm wide at the feet while the MSR does not. It’s quite a small one man tent. My medium Exped Synmat 7 takes up almost the entire floor, with approximately 10cm of room left at one end. For me at 6 foot 2, my head is very close to the end when my feet are touching the bottom. That said, there is quite a lot of head room when sitting up. Ferrino quote it as being 900mm high and I found this quite adequate. Technically it has 2 vestibules; however one can only be accessed from the outside and by unhooking a peg. A large 80 litre pack will fit in both vestibules with it touching either the fly or the inner slightly.

The Nemesi 1 is a free standing tent with a mesh inner. Straight out of the box the Nemesi 1 weighs 1.6kg, however this includes a repair kit and a rather heavy stuff stack. With the majority of lightweight tents on the market around the 1.2-1.6kg mark, the Nemesi 1 is not the lightest contender out there but it’s on par with most and I doubt I will ever meet a person who can tell the difference between a 20kg and a 20.1kg pack without scales.

The Nemesi 1’s major design flaw is the fact that it’s not integral pitch (the inner must be set up first and then the fly attached after) this being especially apparent with a mesh inner tent. This is not a design flaw isolated to the Nemesi 1, most of its competitors are also in the same boat. It is quick and easy to setup, with a Y shaped pole holding the tent up and a small pole bracing the top. Once erect, the tent seems to be very sturdy, with little movement when pulling at the tent. To be honest, this is the first tent I have been in that has a mesh inner and this makes me nervous. I’m sure this is an overreaction on my part, as many reputable manufactures make mesh inner tents and after all it is a 3 season tent. So far I have only set it up in a strong breeze but it seemed to handle it easily and with less flapping than the Hilleberg Nallo 2 set up next to it. This early in to our relationship I wouldn’t be worried if the weather turned for the worst (within reason of course) during the night.

After sleeping in the tent any apprehension about the Nemesi 1’s size has gone, it is snug within the inner; but the fly is a fair distance from the inner so that even if your sleeping bag is pushed against the end of the tent no moisture will transfer through the fly. The fly has one air vent with a fancy Velcro piece to hold it open or closed. After a night sleeping in it with little wind there was some moisture on the inside of the fly, although this wasn’t excessive. If Ferrino where to design a second similar vent on the other side of the tent this would most likely reduce the moisture build up further. At this early stage it appears very well made. I can’t help but worry that the upper cross pole design may create a weakness in the fly material. However the corners are reinforced so this may be unfounded, only time will tell. It would have been for easy for Ferrino to shave a few grams off the poles however im glad they didn’t, they appear to be well built and strong.

In the end I was pleasantly surprised with the Nemesi 1 and I defiantly plan to take it on many more walks and will update this review as I go.




The Pro’s
• Quick and easy to put up
• Value for money
• Twin vestibules



The Cons
• Mesh inner
• Not integral pitch
• Not as light as some


The Verdict
If it was my money would I buy it? Probably not, but this is being unfair to the little Italian, for my needs I would look at a differently designed tent. Which would bring us back to the much discussed Atko versus Scarp debate.
Would I buy it if I was looking for a 3 season, one man tent which wasn’t integral pitch? More than likely. When a lot of other one man tents are around or well above the $400 mark, the Nemesi 1 is extremely good value at $241. I think anyone who is prepared to buy a MSR Hubba (at Aus prices) or similar should have a very hard look at the Nemesi 1 because for that style of tent it’s hard to see why you would pay the extra money required.

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setup with Exped Synmat 7

Fly vent

[frenchy_84]

More images

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Im not a fan of the camouflage green colour, would be much happier with a nice bright red...

[Ent]

Good honest review and thankfully we are not yet again referred to a pay for information site. Also good that some tall timber is out there looking at tents. How do you find the Nallo for room just to get an idea on your view on space. I love mine but a few extra inches would not go astray. As for Akto, great tent but like all single person tents I have seen for taller people the best one person tent is a two person tent

Cheers

[frenchy_84]

The problem with the length of the nallo is that the toe end drops down too quickly (and it also difficult to get a tight pitch in the corners) and so your sleeping bag touches both the inner and the fly so the bottom of your sleeping bag can become moist. IMO a ridged clip that connects the toe of the inner with the fly yet keeps them at a set distance apart would help. But this is getting slightly off topic, the good thing about the Nemesi is that your sleeping bag can be pushed hard up against the inner yet it wont touch the fly, so no moisture transfer happens.

[Ent]

Hi

Thanks for the background. I have much the same issue but getting better at pitching the tent. I look forward to posts on further experience especially how the find the mesh inner and living with a solo tent plus how the brand holds up over time. I not familiar with the brand so it is great to get an idea of it. The price especially means it would fit into more peoples budgets than the more expensive tents that get a lot of airplay around the various review sites. I am fortune that gear cost is not the single pressing factor in gear purchases but for many it is but the various review sites tend to miss this important market segment.

Cheers

[ILUVSWTAS]

Hi all.
This is a review of the FERRINO NEMESI one person free standing tent, given to me by Rico at Adventure designs to test, and write a review.
viewtopic.php?f=27&t=8236

One man - Three season - 1.6kg
Price around $200-$300

First impressions....
Service by Adventure Designs seems excellent. Friendly efficient service. Price is very attractive. I could only imagine when buying your first tent, this one would be very hard to look past. I could even imagine once used to the tent it may be difficult to justify an upgrade, but time will tell with that!
Tent arrived 2 days after it was sent, my first thoughts were, it's quite small!! Packs to a very manageable size. Alot of tents are quite long when packed, but this comes in quite a compact size making it quite easy to fit into any size pack in any way. Scales read 1.6kg. Good start, as stated. Better than some models i've dealt with already...
I'd imagine it could be shaved down another 100-200 grams as well as it came with an army of pegs, and while the bag it comes in had a neat little inbuilt pocket for pegs/poles, it is quite bulky and thick. Repair kit could also be left at home on shorter trips, or if another emergency kit is carried.

Time to erect........
At first I thought it could be a bit fiddly to set up, but i soon saw it is quite a simple design, similar to the Hubba MSR. The poles were (and still are) my biggest concern with the tent. I have never been sold with the screw in crossover pole deisgn on the Hubba, Ferrino's is similar, but instead of screw in , it is a simple design where the pole just slides into the hub like a normal pole to pole set up. Once the poles are erected, the fly is simply thrown over the top of the tent and held into place by velco straps which limits the movement of the fly/tent perfectly. Once pegged out the tent is very firm and taut. Is has 2 guy lines, but i didnt feel the need to use them as I said, the tent is quite solid. They would be useful in a breeze though.
Tent was set up in a few minutes.

Thoughts.........
Having a few one person tents, I was fairly impressed with the vestibule size!! There is enough room to store a pack and cook in poor weather if needed. Even though there is no rear door, the rear of the tent could be used to store any wet gear as there was alot of room here.
I am only just shy of 6 feet, and i found the tent a perfect size. I could sit upright without concern of touching the roof, and although the tent is quite narrow, it has a comfortable feel to it. A very high tub floor gives a good feel of waterproofness. Seams are sealed saving a messy fiddly annoying job. Tent has many inner pockets and clips. All mesh makes it definately only 3 seasons, but would make it a very comfortable sleep in warmer conditions.

Use in the field/practicality..............
Excellent. Found it very comfortable. Some condensation on the outer, but the mesh inner stays quite dry. I will definately use it again. Had one very windy night on top of Olympus, and the tent seemed to perform as well as some of the others, it was a bit noisy, but everyone complained of this.

For the price, this tent is an excellent option for first time buyers.

I will post some pics later today.

Last edited by ILUVSWTAS on Thu 05 Jan, 2012 6:28 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[Liamy77]

Just to clarify: can the fly be set up first before the inner in rainy conditions?
cheers, Liam

[frenchy_84]

nope. I should also add that ILUV and myself did the reviews separately to each other so its good to see similar opinions of the Nemesi. It really is a good little tent and makes you wonder why you would spend more on other brands.

Last edited by frenchy_84 on Thu 05 Jan, 2012 8:11 am, edited 1 time in total.

[ILUVSWTAS]

Just to clarify: can the fly be set up first before the inner in rainy conditions?
cheers, Liam

No thats right it cannot. I've never thought thats important though. If it's raining when your setting your tent up, your likely to be wet already. Just pitch it and get it and get dry. Or just harden up princess.

Being a seperate fly you CAN however pack the fly seperately when wet so the mesh tent inner stays dry. It's a good set up.

[Liamy77]

Yeah it does sound nice... i bought the tarptent moment for a similar price with the extra pole and 3/4 inner.... but the deep tub floor is not a thing mine can claim, and having camped in mud rivers and windy rain-spray it would be the first thing i would change if I could. Look forward to seeing it ...
Liam

[ILUVSWTAS]

Pics.

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[ILUVSWTAS]

and more

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ferrino, terra nova photon, akto and minaret

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plenty of pockets, and high tub floor

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[ILUVSWTAS]

last couple

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plenty of head space

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the bits

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[ollster]

Good review. Might help to clarify that "everyone complained that their own tents flapped around that night" - with a sample of 6 other designs.

PS: Where's the chicken hat?!

[ILUVSWTAS]

Good review. Might help to clarify that "everyone complained that their own tents flapped around that night" - with a sample of 6 other designs.

PS: Where's the chicken hat?!

Thanks Ollster.

Well I was wearing the chicken hat, so someone else must have the photos..

[Nuts]

I don't know if i'd trust the pole hubs either. Good looking tents though and cheap enough. Nice location.

[etrangere]

Too bad its not freestanding

[JohnM]

Just to clarify: can the fly be set up first before the inner in rainy conditions?
cheers, Liam

No thats right it cannot. I've never thought thats important though. If it's raining when your setting your tent up, your likely to be wet already. Just pitch it and get it and get dry. Or just harden up princess.

Being a seperate fly you CAN however pack the fly seperately when wet so the mesh tent inner stays dry. It's a good set up.

IMO, non-integrated pitch is just inferior design. It's a PITA having to pitch an inner first when it's bucketing rain, and while I might be wet, I'd rather the inner be dry. Still, for $200-odd dollars, I wouldn't expect integrated pitch, and is looks like a nice affordable tent.

[ILUVSWTAS]

Too bad its not freestanding

This is your lucky day....
Technically it IS free standing.

[Franco]

Most "freestanding" tents fail to fulfill the freestanding definition , that is "A tent that requires no ropes or stakes to support the tent. Most dome tents are self-supporting.'
If by "tent" we adopt the US version of the term , (the bit everybody else calls the inner...) than the ones that only need the vestibule to be pegged out can (maybe) pass.
For example the Hubba.
However a tent like this one or the Big Agnes (Fly Creek) that need to have the inner pegged to retain the shape are not in a practical sense freestanding at all.
From my point of view , the only fully freestanding tents are the two pole wedge type (Bibler iTent type) and the few dome tents with supported vestibules like the Bibler Pinon/Jupiter or the newer Hilleberg Soulo/Allak.
When you move this tent you still need to put 2 pegs in for the inner and several others for the fly.
If using two pegs is is freestanding than my Moment also is. That too only needs 2 pegs, in fact it sits fully shaped just with those two...
Interestingly Jack Wolfskin call their version (Termite 1) freestanding too, however the similar Carbon Reflex 1 is called non-freestanding by MSR.
http://cascadedesigns.com/msr/tents/exp ... -1/product
Franco

[ILUVSWTAS]

Quite true Franco.

I must confess i do like the thought of a totally free standing tent, but i cant for the life of me think of one single time it was necessary in all the hundreds of nights i've camped.

[Aushiker]

IMO, non-integrated pitch is just inferior design. It's a PITA having to pitch an inner first when it's bucketing rain, and while I might be wet, I'd rather the inner be dry. .

Same here. One aspect I really like about my Tarptent Scarp 1 is that I can pitch it all in one go ... handy in the rain.

Andrew

[Franco]

"I must confess i do like the thought of a totally free standing tent, but i cant for the life of me think of one single time it was necessary in all the hundreds of nights i've camped."

Neither can I. And I am thinking of my nights , not yours..
Mind you, on platforms some are better (easier) than others.
I still have 2 FULLY free standing tents but of course to set them up the first thing I do is peg them down.
Last week I was watching a video of a German climber in action . At some point he was high up setting up his freestanding inner (!) when you see the fly , close to the camera) taking off .
There was a cut there and then the video continued with a different scene...
Anyway I thought it was somewhat amusing.
Franco

[etrangere]

Most "freestanding" tents fail to fulfill the freestanding definition , that is "A tent that requires no ropes or stakes to support the tent. Most dome tents are self-supporting.'
If by "tent" we adopt the US version of the term , (the bit everybody else calls the inner...) than the ones that only need the vestibule to be pegged out can (maybe) pass.
For example the Hubba.
However a tent like this one or the Big Agnes (Fly Creek) that need to have the inner pegged to retain the shape are not in a practical sense freestanding at all.
From my point of view , the only fully freestanding tents are the two pole wedge type (Bibler iTent type) and the few dome tents with supported vestibules like the Bibler Pinon/Jupiter or the newer Hilleberg Soulo/Allak.
When you move this tent you still need to put 2 pegs in for the inner and several others for the fly.
If using two pegs is is freestanding than my Moment also is. That too only needs 2 pegs, in fact it sits fully shaped just with those two...
Interestingly Jack Wolfskin call their version (Termite 1) freestanding too, however the similar Carbon Reflex 1 is called non-freestanding by MSR.
http://cascadedesigns.com/msr/tents/exp ... -1/product
Franco

Agree with your definitions of freestanding 100% Franco. My own opinion is similair to the US version....if the inner is fully freestanding then it passes as a freestanding tent in my book. Others may agree or disagree, each to their own I guess.

[Rico]

Thanks Frenchy and ILUVSWTAS for a very professionally done independent review, I am happy to see that you both agree on the strength and weakness of this tent. And thanks to all the others for your opinions.

I appreciate that many of the comments are about the non-integrated pitch. In my experience the biggest problem with that type of design is that you give up to an inner that it is freestanding on its own, needing the support of the fly. If I have to choose to buy only one tent, a free standing inner is much more important then a integrated pitch. This is especially true for a tent with inner mesh, as I can double its use as screen in many different environments.
For example I live in the tropics and it is often too hot at night to use the flyer, but I definitely need a mozzie net. When I used to live in Central Australia, in winter I didn't carry the flyer at all, but I needed something to keep centipedes, spiders and snakes from trying to enter my sleeping bag in search of warmth (it happened... twice! Lesson learned).
A free standing inner is ideal for people walking the Kokoda track, as they spend most nights in large longhouses full of bugs, or for backpackers sleeping in cheap hostels around south east Asia or India, to create a more private space and limit unauthorised access to their most precious belongings when sleeping.

I understand that there are tents out there with integrated pitches and free standing inners, but they are very specialised tents with more complicated designs and much higher price tags. Those tents are made for people like you and me, with a passion for the outdoor gear, but you may agree that they are not the best solution for the other 90% of people you meet on the trail every day.
What I am trying to do is to offer to the Australian market an all around tent, lightweight, made of high quality, durable materials (even better Fire Retardant), fast to set up and able to be used under tropical rain in Queensland and strong winds in Tasmania, and I want to offer it at the most competitive price in the market. What do you think, is the Ferrino Nemesi 1 the winner? Should I keep offering it, or I'd better look for a different model with different features?

Thanks,
Rico

Last edited by Rico on Sat 07 Jan, 2012 2:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[JohnM]

IMO this sounds like a good tent, and if money was an issue I'd be prepared to trade off integrated pitch to save 200 bucks. But I've always been curious as to why it's only the high end tents that offer it. Surely it can't cost that much more in manufacture. I know that it negates the ability to pitch inner-only (although not with my Soulo) but personally I've never put up a tent in a place where I could trust it not to rain overnight.

Apart from deserts, do people REALLY pitch the inner only, or is it more something you just see in ads?

[etrangere]

I have used a sts 2 x 3 tarp strung out over a msr hubba mesh inner. Great in hot conditions to maximise air flow and shade. A one man tent with fly on and even with vestibule doors fully open can stil be an oven in hot weather

[frenchy_84]

As a follow on from this review, I recently completed a trip from Mt Thetis to Pelion West taking the Ferrino with me. On the night we were to camp on the exposed ridge between Mt Achilles and PW a thunderstorm was forecast. Luckily I was able to find a campsite on the eastern side of ridge just under the top of the ridge. The storm only lasted for half an hour or so but the during that time the rain bucketed down and we experience strong gusts of wind. The Ferrino handled the storm really well, at no point did the tent look like buckling in the wind and no rain came in under the fly. And fortunately I am unable to report on how well it handles being struck by lightning although I was quite worried at the time.

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Campsite at leonards tarn

Campsite on ridge towards PW

[ILUVSWTAS]

Just to "bump" this thread and put in a bit more info on this tent, over the last 12 months i've used it several times, and the more i use it the more i like it.
The mesh offers good ventilation for condensation in cool weather but also allows a cooling breeze in for the warmer months. I still say it's probably only 3 seasons at best, but for the price and weight, it is excellent.

I took it on a 12 day trip through the Prince Of Wales where we had everything from wind, 40degree days and snow, it performed very well. The small pack size is also very convenient.

My 4 season tent is a OP Goondie, but i find where i can, i go for the Ferrino.

A few pics from the Prince of Wales, and on more recently on Cathedral mtn.

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Typical Prince of Wales campsite

Camped in extreme heat on the POW

Camp on Cathedral Mountain

[Strider]

Thanks for bringing this back to mind ILUV!