Start to finish, designing a NEMO tent can take years. Some people have wondered why, if NEMO was founded in 2002, we didn't produce a full line until 2006. The answer lies in our meticulous attention to detail and exhaustive testing processes. Read on to get a glimpse of how our tents come together.

INSPIRATION
This seems pretty obvious, but it's key to our product development process. If we didn't get out and use gear, we wouldn't have a frame of reference to create the innovative stuff we do. Like anybody bitten with the outdoor adventure bug, we have pictures of Alaska and Patagonia plastered to our walls, and the only thing keeping us at our desks is the urge to build better equipment to take us further in our travels.

BRAINSTORMING
Now back from our epics, what problems did we encounter with our gear? Where can we make improvements? What obvious problems has everyone overlooked, chocking it up to "part of the experience?" How can we make life easier at 14,000ft, or on day 12 of 20? Spending a week in the backcountry is already great, but how can we make it better?

CONCEPTUALIZING
One of NEMO's greatest strengths is in design and the ability to generate new ideas. We pride ourselves on our talented team, our awesome studio in NH, and our proven approach to problem solving. We are serious geeks when it comes to studying, inventing and using gear. We have over 50 patents pending and countless other new ideas in bins and file cabinets around the office.

BASIC PROTOTYPING
Prototyping is both a reality check and an opportunity for new ideas. Most of the best ideas emerge out of the process of creating. You start chasing an idea and if you're lucky and your eyes are open along the way, you might discover something you could never have imagined.

COMPUTER MODELING
Plugging our measurements into computer modeling programs allows us to play with various aspects of the project without building completely new prototypes. For instance, once our design is in the computer, we can alter the length, the height, or any other dimension to discover how it will effect the overall shape of the tent.

ADVANCED PROTOTYPING
Product design is an incremental process that relies on each step to reach a desired goal. Each phase -- inspiration to construction -- is important, and there is always much back and forth while tweaking designs and construction. Advanced prototyping can go on for quite a while -- building near-production models and thoroughly examining them for flaws, altering the patterns, or redesigning whole sections. It's important that we get it right.

REAL WORLD TESTING
Real World Testing is ongoing, but begins after we make a few prototypes. We have a team of athletes and outdoor professionals who help us in this regard. They love our tents, and are glad to take them out and beat them up for us. We get them back in a crumpled heap -- usually covered in dirt and a little funky -- with a letter about what went right and what went wrong. This feedback is essential.

MATERIALS DEVELOPMENT AND TESTING
Much of our reputation for quality rests in our commitment to sourcing the finest materials, and refusing to sacrifice durability for a few odd ounces here or there. Many companies fall prey to the temptation to use cheaper components, but we know the consequences -- reduced quality. We guarantee our tents for life, and use only the best materials for the job. We design each part of each tent to perform a specific function, and it's of supreme importance the materials we use will perform exactly as intended.

USER FEEDBACK
We have a great group of customers. Just like us, most of them are passionate about gear and adventure. Many of them are a lot more hardcore!

We rely heavily on learning from our customers to make better product and continue to improve every aspect of our business. We wouldn't last long making tents only for ourselves. We are here for you.