Nortent Vern 2 Review
Nortent’s Vern 2 is a beautiful shelter that carries across all of the things we love about the Vern 1 whilst offering a seriously impressive amount of room for two people in a small and lightweight package.
The Nortent Vern 2
Lightweight, easy to carry and durable enough to put up with the worst of British 4-season weather, the Vern 2 is an exceptionally well-designed 4-season shelter that’s ideal for couples or for people who always adventure with a friend. Delivering the same sterling performance as the Vern 1, it comes with some smart design tweaks to maximise room whilst not sacrificing any of the performance.
The Good
Very light for so much space
Robust
The added crossing pole makes it surprisingly stable in windy conditions
The most spacious 2-person tent we’ve tested
Two large vestibules
Beautiful to look at
The Bad
You have to seam seal it yourself
Less stable than other 4-season tents in the wind
The Nortent Vern 2 review
Nortent is one of the newest names on the UK wild camping scene, having taken the community by storm when their Vern 1 model took off earlier in the year. Since then, we’ve been lucky enough to have tested numerous models of Nortent tents through 2023, and the Vern 2 sits atop as one of our favourites: Cavernous, strong and beautiful to look at, it’s a rugged 4-season tent that you could take practically anywhere. And — considering the size of the tent when pitched — it’s also impressively lightweight and packable, ideal for 2-person adventures in the worst of the British weather.
Weighing in at 2.5 kgs (2.6 with the crossing pole), the Nortent Vern 2 is decidedly competitive when it comes to a true 2-person 4-season tent. Unlike most 2-person tents that are made to fit one man and kit, however, the Vern 2 is a palace. Seriously, this thing is gigantic when pitched, coming with two massive vestibules (which are like 1-man tents in themselves) and a large square inner that you and a friend could easily sleep in. At a push, we’d even say that you could fit up to 4 bodies in this, especially if you removed the inner (which is very easy to do).
The Vern 2’s (middle) pack size in comparison with the Vern 1 (top), featuring a 1-litre Nalgene bottle for reference.
Therefore, if you’re looking for the usual 1-person and kit type of 2-person tent, you’d be better served getting yourself a Vern 1. Nortent’s 1-person lightweight backpacking tent, the Vern 1 offers an equally impressive amount of room for a 1-person tent, which we covered extensively in our review of that shelter here. The Vern 2 is properly for 2 people and is very much overkill if you’re going to be using this on your own.
When it comes to price, the Nortent Vern 2 remains competitive: Despite coming in at a whopping £626 when bought through UK retailer Valley and Peak, this is still several hundred pounds cheaper than many equivalent models, such as the Hilleberg Nallo 2 (which, at £950, has a similar weight and pack size as the Vern 2 but offers substantially less room) or the Fjallraven Abisko Lite 2 (which costs £700 when bought directly through Fjallraven).
A note on price
At the time of writing, the Nortent Vern 2 could be bought for $537 (£440) directly through Nortent.com. Shipping will set you back another $48 (£40) and you can expect to pay Customs Duty and VAT on import, which will set you back about another £13.50 and £107 respectively. This brings the total cost up to £600, which is slightly cheaper than the price you’ll pay at Valley and Peak. Therefore, though this will certainly fluctuate, it is worth checking if you can get a better deal when purchased directly through Nortent.
Our experience using the Nortent Vern 2
To test this tent, we took it out a few times in miserable UK autumn conditions up on Dartmoor: intentionally camping twice up on Great Mis Tor, one of the windiest parts of the park (in our experience). Once, we even used it in conjunction with the Vern 1, the Vern 2’s little brother, so we could compare both shelters and see how the design differs. And as we consider the Vern 1 as one of the best tents of 2023, it’s safe to say that we went into our first Vern 2 test with very high expectations. So, did it deliver on those expectations?
Yes, it did. Resoundingly. Coming with two poles, an optional crossing pole and the same elongated guy-out points we are all too familiar with from the Vern 1, the Vern 2 is easy to pitch and sits surprisingly strong in the wind. Inside, you’ve two gigantic vestibules, a very roomy inner, and so much space that you could easily while away days in this thing. The tent is so big, in fact, that we think the Vern 2 would make an excellent bikepacking tent for couples pedalling in horrendous conditions, as you could easily store a bike in either vestibule. Due to this size, you also have the option to put all of your and your partner’s kit into one vestibule and reserve the other for cooking — something which massively improves the normally uncomfortable process of whipping up a meal in a tent.
Inside the inner, there are two large semi-circular doors that are double-zipped: One opens the door fully, and the other opens the nylon material on the inside of the door for maximum ventilation (whilst still keeping out bugs). The rest of the inner is made from a lightweight yet durable nylon to maximise heat retention in the winter months, and you get a total of 8 inside pockets for organising bits and bobs you need inside with you. Much like the Vern 1, each end of the vestibule comes with a large port that can be opened or closed depending on conditions. These are very easy to use and do a great job of optimising ventilation inside the shelter.
Unlike the Vern 1, however, due to the two support poles and the size of the fly, we found the Vern 2 slightly more difficult to pitch in heavy winds. On the several occasions that we erected it, it took us on average about 8 minutes to set up effectively, although it must be noted that we put the Vern 2 up alone each time. The thing we struggled with most was the optional (additional) crossing pole, which is recommended in high winds or when you’re expecting heavy snow. To effectively mount this, you slide it along the spine of the Vern 2 and mount it into grommets on the guy lines attached to the end of each vestibule. Mounting this successfully is a matter of effectively managing the position and length of the guy lines on either end, however, something that is particularly difficult to do on your own. Naturally, we were always able to make it work after around 90 seconds of dashing back and forth, but had it been raining (or in blizzard conditions), this could quickly get frustrating were you to have to do this on your own (like we were).
With the crossing pole in place, the Vern 2 is solid and stable and does a phenomenal job at repelling wind considering the tent’s weight and pack size. Seriously, with large, broadsides and a huge area for the wind to drive into, it’s impressive how well it buts off gusts, especially when the guy lines are fastened and the hatches are properly battened down. That being said, it definitely moves a little more than the Vern 1 does, although that shouldn’t come as a huge surprise considering the size difference.
Expecting super exposed, windy conditions?
If you’re anticipating having to use this in an exposed Scottish or on top of a blustery summit somewhere, understand that this is a lightweight tent that demands a sensible pitch. In January 2024, Nortent released a new version of the Vern series that promises to be even sturdier*. Though they weigh over a kilogram more, they’re performance is said to be up there with other ‘bombproof’ 4-season tents, so this might be a better option for you.
*Please bear in mind that we’ve not personally tested the new Vern series yet, so we cannot currently speak to its performance.
A frozen Nortent Vern 2
As is the case with any Nortent shelter, you do need to seam seal it yourself. In a move to keep the price affordable (something that many brands have now instituted), you have to go over all of the permeable seams with the seam sealant provided by Nortent. This process can be a bit messy and can take a bit of time, but it does render the shelter 100% waterproof and extends the life of your tent.
Nortent Vern 2 FAQs
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For a four-season tent, the Nortent Vern 2 performs impressively in the summer. Lightweight, easy to carry and featuring numerous ventilation options, including ports at the ends of each vestibule, the Nortent Vern 2 is as great to use in the summer as it is in the winter.
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The Nortent Vern 2 performs excellently in UK winter conditions, especially if fitted with the added crossing pole. As ever, however, be sensible in where you pitch it as this is still a lightweight model, despite carrying the 4-season label.
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For such a small, lightweight tent, the Vern 2 performs really well in the wind. That being said, the lightweight design and materials used lack the durability to survive a proper winter storm. Therefore, treat this like you would any other lightweight tent and be sensible where you pitch it.
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The Nortent Vern 2 is reasonably easy to pitch, although it can be a little bit of a faff if you’re own. As a pair, it’s possible to pitch in under 6 minutes as it’s simply a matter of adding the supporting poles and pegging out the corners. Just bear in mind that the tent isn’t free-standing, meaning that if you can’t peg out the corners of the Vern 2, it will have no structural integrity (unless you use the additional crossing pole to make it freestanding).
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Yes, we think the Nortent Vern 2 is fully worth the money. It’s a robust and reliable true four-season shelter that’s well suited to UK conditions, and it only weighs in at 2.5 kgs. If you compare this to similar shelters in this category, such as the Hilleberg Nallo 2 and the Fjallraven Abisko Light 2, which cost £225 and £85 more respectively, it’s clear that the Nortent Vern 2 represents good value for money and is an investment that we’d happily make if we were looking for a true 4-season shelter that’s both lightweight and roomy.
Conclusion
All in, we love the Nortent Vern 2. It looks beautiful, offers acres of space, and makes for a comfy place to while away uncomfortable weather. Suitable for use in relatively heavy winds, beating rain and white-out blizzard conditions, it might be overkill for your usual 3-season camping trip in the UK, but if you always go camping as a duo, we think the Vern 2 is as good a shelter for 2 people as the Vern 1 is for one. If you’re looking for a one-person-and-kit style shelter, however, this definitely isn’t it, and you’d be much better served by looking at something like the Vern 1. And if you don’t intend on camping through the worst of British winter weather, you might even be better served saving money and going with something like the North Face Trail Lite 2.
But, if you’re looking for a durable, reliable and comfortable shelter for true 4-season UK adventuring with a partner, we don’t think there are many shelters out there that offer as much as the Nortent Vern 2. If you can afford the £600 investment, you’ve not only a beautiful shelter that will last you many years out on the trail — but one that you could use in any weather conditions, no matter the time of the year.
