NEMO AURORA
The two-berth Aurora is a simple dome-style tent but provides a surprising amount of living space.
The footprint of the tent is average-sized but the near-vertical walls make it feel far more roomy inside – and the generous use of mesh in the inner tent only adds to the feeling of spaciousness.
The mesh walls also mean you have loads of ventilation, and, in fact, if you were really confident of the weather staying dry all night, you could leave the flysheet off altogether and just sleep under the inner, gazing up at the stars as you drop off to sleep. This is the UK, though, so good luck with that! All that mesh is obviously great for camping in hot temperatures, but not so brilliant if you are pitched up in howling winds on the side of a Lake District hill. And for that reason I would suggest this is a good two or three-season tent, but not one for winter trips.
Pitching is fairly easy, with interconnecting aluminium poles forming a free-standing frame which you clip the inner onto, before attaching the flysheet on top. But bear in mind this is an inner-first pitching tent, so you do run the risk of everything getting wet if it’s raining.
With doors and spacious storage vestibules for backpacks and boots on both sides, the Aurora works well for two people. It weighs in at just under 2.5kg, which isn’t too bad even for one, but if there are two of you sharing, you can split the load between you.
The Aurora is also fitted with clips for Nemo’s Pawprint liner – a neat optional extra that means you can take your dog with you without worrying that he’ll damage the tent floor with his claws. Speaking of protecting the tent floor, the Aurora comes with a footprint to form a barrier with the ground below the tent.
The overhead light pockets use special light-diffusing fabric to cast an even glow throughout the tent from your torch and there are gear pockets for stashing small personal items.