NEMO's Recycled Tent Fabric Named One of the Top 100 Greatest Innovations of 2021
NEMO Equipment’s OSMO™ fabric (which will debut in 2022 in two of their tents) was listed amongst Popular Science’s Top 100 Greatest Innovations of 2021…
“The Best of What’s New Awards celebrate the year’s greatest feats of human ingenuity—the steps towards safer, healthier, more-sustainable, and happier days ahead. Despite the supply chain challenges making headlines in 2021, breakthroughs across all our categories have helped us glimpse a future brimming with possibilities.”
Most backpacking tent flys—the tarp-like portion that goes over the shelter to protect it from rain—are made from lightweight nylon coated with polyurethane. But if you’ve ever woken up to a wet, saggy mess, you’ve experienced the material’s shortcomings. It’s stretchy, absorbs moisture, and takes what can feel like forever to dry. Nemo’s new Osmo fabric is made from a checkered weave of durable, weather-repelling nylon and moisture-wicking polyester. The result is that it dries much faster than other tent flys, and doesn’t sag. The material will debut in three Nemo tents in 2022.
The OSMO fabric is a proprietary composite weave made from 100% recycled fabric without the use of harmful flame-retardant chemicals or fluorinated water repellents (PFAS). As we noted before, there is a shift in the industry including Health Canada who are reassessing flame retardants in tents. Using a combination of 100% recycled yarns, the nylon fibers provide exceptional strength, while the polyester fibers resist stretching when wet. In addition to optimizing strength and water resistance, OSMO achieves water repellency with a PFC chemical-free finish, and meets flammability requirements without fire retardant chemical additives.
“Most backpacking tent flys—the tarp-like portion that goes over the shelter to protect it from rain—are made from lightweight nylon coated with polyurethane. But if you’ve ever woken up to a wet, saggy mess, you’ve experienced the material’s shortcomings. It’s stretchy, absorbs moisture, and takes what can feel like forever to dry. NEMO’s new OSMO fabric is made from a checkered weave of durable, weather-repelling nylon and moisture-wicking polyester. The result is that it dries much faster than other tent flys, and doesn’t sag.”
OSMO will be available in Spring 2022 on NEMO’s best-selling backpacking tent, Dagger OSMO™ 2P/3P, as well as its top-selling ultralight shelter, Hornet Elite OSMO™ 1P/2P. The brand intends to integrate the fabric into additional tents in 2023 and beyond.
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