NEMO’s OSMO™ Recycled Tent Fabric Named One of the Top 100 Greatest Innovations of 2021

December 11, 2021

{Dover, NH} /OUTDOOR SPORTSWIRE/ – A revolutionary new fabric from the award-winning designer of outdoor gear and accessories, NEMO, has been named one of the greatest innovations of 2021 by Popular Science. NEMO’s OSMO™ fabric, debuting in 2022 in two of the brand’s best-selling tents, is a proprietary composite weave made from 100% recycled fabric without the use of harmful flame-retardant chemicals or fluorinated water repellents (PFAS).

“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,” said Popular Science Editor-in-Chief Corinne Iozzio. “Despite the supply chain challenges making headlines in 2021, breakthroughs across all our categories have helped us glimpse a future brimming with possibilities.”

NEMO’s OSMO fabric is a leap forward, both in technical performance and environmental sustainability. 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,” said Popular Science’s team of testers. “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.”

“Climate change, chemical impacts, and resource depletion need urgent action,” said Gabriel Rosenbrien, NEMO’s Product Development Manager. “The goal for OSMO was to develop a tent fabric that reduces environmental impact and maximizes performance, without compromise. OSMO fabrics represent a significant step forward in tent fabric sustainability and will help drive future developments.”

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.

About NEMO

NEMO is a New Hampshire-based outdoor gear company known for creating award-winning products that are built to last, comfortable and fun to use. Named the fastest growing camping brand in 2021 by NPD Group, NEMO has also been recognized by New Hampshire Businesses for Social Responsibility as a small business leader for the environment, and recently won the 2021 Sustainability Slam for its 100K Polybag Elimination Project that aims to remove 100,000 polybags from the brand’s product line by 2023. NEMO’s reputation for design innovation across its product lines—tents, sleeping bags, sleeping pads, camp accessories and furniture—is an outgrowth of its design philosophy to never bring anything to market that doesn’t offer a meaningfully better experience. NEMO’s team of designers and engineers are motivated by a passion for outdoor adventure and sustainability.

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