NEMO Galaxi 2 Tent Review

The NEMO Galaxi 2 Tent is a spacious and affordable ($199) two-person tent that comes with an included footprint. Setting the tent up is easy because it has a single hubbed pole and inner tent and rain fly can share the same corner grommets, while numerous interior pockets and gear loft provide interior convenience and comfort. Weighing 5 lbs 1 oz, the Galaxi 2 is definitely on the chunky side for a backpacking tent, but it has the flexibility to be set up in a number of different weight-saving configurations that extend its value beyond basecamp or car camping. More on this below. All in all, we really like the Galaxi 2 because of its size, comfort and price. There is more to this tent than meets the eye.

Specs at a Glance

• People: 2
• Doors and Vestibules: 2
• Type: Semi-freestanding
• Minimum number of stakes to pitch: 2
• Floor Dimensions: 88″ x 53″
• Floor Area: 32 sq feet
• Vestibule Area: 11 + 11 sq feet
• Peak height:  38.5″
• Seam-taped: yes
• Weight:
  • Poles: 21.4 oz
  • Inner: 30 oz
  • Rainfly: 30 oz
  • Footprint: 8.3 oz
• Materials:
  • Floor: 75-denier PeU polyester
  • Rainfly: 68-denier PeU ripstop polyester
• Footprint: included

The Galaxi 2 has a single hubbed pole with four corner poles and a center ceiling pole to help create vertical sidewalls.  The advantage of a single-pole architecture is that you can’t lose any poles because they’re all attached together….which is why users like them and manufacturers make them.

The four corner poles slot into grommets. While it’s best if you can stake the corners out, this makes the inner tent freestanding and very easy to set up on a wooden tent platform, sand, or rock ledge, as shown here. The rainfly slots into these same grommets, so you only have to anchor the vestibule doors if want them for covered storage, rain protection, or privacy. If you roll the vestibule doors open, then you can get away without requiring any tent stakes, as long as you weigh the interior down enough so that the tent won’t blow away in a breeze. That can be very convenient, especially if you have to set up a tent someplace where staking it out is a hassle. (like a wooden tent platform).

The inner tent clips to the pole structure making it super easy to set up. The upper part is all mesh, providing excellent ventilation, with a deep bathtub floor for rain and standing water protection. There are two large doors, so you and your partner can get in and out with disturbing each other, which is a must-have if you are couples camping. These can be rolled open and secured using simple magnetic strips of fabric so you don’t have to fuss with toggles and loops when you’re setting up your gear inside or packing up the next morning.  The inner tent also has 6 pockets, two large pockets on the sidewalls, two centrally located, medium-sized pockets at each end of the tent floor, and two light pockets in the ceiling to diffuse the light of a headlamp for overhead lighting.

The rainfly has two vestibules to complement the two doors in the inner tent. Both are quite large, so you can store gear under them and still get in and out of the tent with relative ease.  The vestibule doors have center zippers so you can roll back half of the door for ventilation while keeping the other half closed for gear storage, or you can roll both doors back on both sides of the tent for maximum cross ventilation.

The vestibule doors have two zippers, one on the top and one on the bottom, so you can open the top of the vestibule to create a transom-like opening to vent moisture or warmth if it’s raining, without having rain get into the tent. There is also a short fiberglass rod included that you can use to prop open the door for ventilation this way, which attaches to a velcro tab a bit lower down on the door.

Setup Configurations

One of the nice things about the NEMO Galaxi 2 is the ability to set up the tent in a number of different configurations. For example, if you just need insect protection, you can set up the inner tent with the poles. This would a good option if you need to sleep under a canvas boy scout tent or you’re camping someplace pretty dry and don’t need morning dew coverage.

Alternatively, you can combine the rainfly, poles, and footprint to create a nice sun shelter for the beach or for use as a 2-person tarp style shelter when insect protection isn’t required. The Galaxi 2 comes with a footprint in the base price, which we think is a great value, compared to other tents where the manufacturers charge extra for their footprints.

Finally, you can roll one side of the fly up to the center hub for star gazing and additional venting for those hot but star-filled nights.

Comparable Budget Backpacking Tents

Recommendation

The NEMO Galaxi 2 Tent is a large and spacious tent that’s easy to set up. Priced at $199, including a footprint, we consider it a best buy. While it’s a bit on the heavy side for long backpacking trips, it’s an excellent option for base camping or car camping that can be stripped down to essential components to save weight. The interior of the tent has excellent pockets and is quite spacious, while large vestibules provide additional storage. The Galaxi 2 tent is also very easy to set up on non-traditional surfaces, such as the wooden platforms or hard-packed tent pads found in many campgrounds, making it a dependable shelter for a wide range of different usage scenarios.

Disclosure: NEMO provided the author with a sample tent for this review.