The NEMO GOGO Ex
The NEMO GOGO one man tent made my 2011 Editor’s pick. Although it says it’s a one person, I’ve crammed in to the same dimensions with a girlfriend before and it was no problem. And at just over 2lbs you get rock solid construction in a super light weight package.
If you haven’t checked out NEMO I highly recommended it. They are one of the top picks of the Special Operations community (at least the SEALs). I don’t say this to be arrogant, just to inform people that it’s a vetted piece of Kit. They aren’t cheap but, you tend to get what you pay for with some things and tents are no exception.
I’m looking forward to seeing what kind of materials advancements NEMO has made at this years SHOT show. In the mean time here’s a closer look….
Brandon
Click Here to Follow Brandon on Twitter for the latest Kit Up gouge.
Direct from their Website at NEMO
From the alpine tundra to the arid desert to the jungle, there might not be a more useful 2 pounds you can toss in the bottom of your pack than Gogo™ EX. With 9.5 feet of interior length, this super-bivy shares the same shape and door configuration as Gogo™ LE, but includes a full mesh inner tent and a fitted rain fly. A removable welcome mat underneath the side vestibule keeps gear off the ground and offers a dry place to sit when lacing up your boots or preparing a meal. When there isn’t a risk of rain, remove the fly and enjoy a full canopy of highly breathable mesh. Gogo™ EX comes with the Integrated Pump, a watertight stuff sack, stakes, and a repair kit.
{ 96 comments… read them below or add one }
I’m at 5K sea level. I’d freeze in that, wife/girlfriend (!) or no. Dude the winds we get up here would tear that thing a new one.
I agree, what is up with all these silly gear picks, Brandon, r u getting any kick backs from this?
I’m starting to wonder the same thing…
Maybe not kickbacks, but it wouldn’t surprise me if there’s a lot of cool gear spread around the Kit Up office.
“kickbacks”
Not even close.
And yes we review gear and people send us stuff…..no suprise here. Oh yeah….and the Kit Up giveaways???
You guys are killing me today….
-BW
Just fess up Brandon, you’re selling tents for the military-industrial complex!
Brandon is the Don Draper of Military.com
Lol
There’s a place for both but I do enjoy seeing the best gear that is available.
In fact, I exchanged some emails with NEMO this very morning in an effort to find a Longbow in MultiCam. It seems they are available by military contract only but they recommended the GOGO LE instead.
Listen up NEMO: I want a GOGO LE or GOGO EX ( removable fly ) in MultiCam with the OSMO or Gore fabrics !!! Make it happen !
Keep the good work Brandon !
Thanks brother!!
lightfighter if you’re 7th ID I’ll trade you a (rare) 28th air division patch for one of yours.
Also folks, in Ranger Battalion we never used tents, just a poncho and some bungee chords but do you really want me to write an article about that?
Yes.
YEAH!!! This is the reason I follow Kit Up, and not GQ or FHM, tell us how the big dawgs deal with gear, the outdoors, combat, DONT tell us how you guys roll in Rolex and Asolos and Louis Vuitton bags in the boondocks! And how expensive your gear has to be to be good.
You got it. I don’t want to put people to sleep with this stuff but if there is a interest I will be happy to cover it.
Jack,
We (the folks who read Kit Up!) are here to learn and to share about good kit that we can use. That is why we all like the reviews of pouches, packs, guns, and stuff. The insights into the SOF community is also great and another reason we come here. We don’t come here to read what comes across as a poorly disguised advertisement for someone the staff met at the SHOT show. Something that I never expect to see here is a neadline that has the phrase “Must Have” in it like this one has. There are plenty of great large bivies out there, this one isn’ the only great one.
Whether the KU staff are being “shills” for vendors or not isn’t the issue or concern here. The fact that this is coming across like they are is. Just something to think about.
And don’t worry about not getting comments on a post, we will always make comments, it’s in our nature. BTW, I think that hearing what someone who has been downrange carries in their personal survival kit would make a great post.
Larry
I’ve been reading KU since it was about iPods, Gameboys, hot sauce and silly string. While I like the new stuff I’d love to get some info on how HSLD-guys use regular kit (I’m leg infantry, no gucci for me!).
Keep up the good work Brandon. Haters gonna hate.
Jack, that set up sounds too luxurious for Rangers.
Hey, give us a break Nick. We’re going to be soaking wet one way or the other. Back in the day, leaders would wait until everyone was completely drenched and THEN you could put on wet weather gear.
Back in the day we stayed wet until the sun dried our OG107s. Wet weather gear made a specific sound when water or branches hit it.
Now THOSE were the days LOL!!!
An article on the M1A1 poncho hooch would be great. Be sure to stress using an old school or German rubber poncho vs. the nylon rubberized crap. A candle for heat, 12″ off the ground and a dry field jacket liner, h e a v e n …
I appreciate both the cheapy gear that is effective and also the higher priced stuff that is the best out there. Sometimes I’ll go cheap on stuff I can go cheap on and splurge on stuff I can splurge on. Don’t be hatin’.
Interesting.
Gents (and Haters)-
I created the Fireteam page as a portal for you to submit your comments and suggestions. We have about a 95% turn rate on ANYONE who has suggested we post something or look into it. SO….
If you have good feedback please use the portal or you can keep whining in open forum and it will accmoplish nothing other than reflect poorly on your screen name.
Me and the guys do a range of gear…I’m definitely high end and Jack is on the complete opposite spectrum with his ****** DIY posts….We try and cover everything on both ends of the scale.
Out here. -Brandon
*** is it you you lot that call people who do a bit of crit “hater”, have a word.
pulse…could we get that in a complete sentence? wow. Just wow.
Hello Brandon.
I enjoy both ends of the pool here but even looking at the expensive stuff can give the grunts and shooters ideas how to improve their gear and make life better for them or simply keep breathing.
I have a Casio watch but also a dive watch that cost 200$ but is worth it for some of the work I do. Matching the tools to the job and getting ideas into actual work can benefit a lot from what I see in this site and as another example people can use a few straps to hook up their own TRX just like the people who invented it and keep strong and healthy while deployed with no exta cost.
Just my two cents
Sharon Friedman
Master Sargent IDF
Hmm… I must be in the 5%, for fireteam input, but was trying to supply the kind of kit these guys were looking for, albeit on the technical side. Good to know. I’ll continue to keep my comments to myself and contribute elsewhere.
FSG Collins. -And for the record I posted a DIY camp pillow and a $5 dollar REI flint tool! -BW
From my perspective I’m interested in efficiency. Best is not always expensive but I’m not afraid of dropping coin where it matters, but I have that luxury as I’m a civilian now. But really I’m interested in new ideas and things that work.
FSG Collins comments were funny but he made a good point that has come up before such as with the watch discussion. Bill and then Brandon did follow up posts on affordable good watches so maybe something like that? I’d like to see Jack do a follow up on poncho and bungy cord. I’ve done similar myself with plastic tarp and paracord (but only for sun cover not warmth or heavy weather).
Greetings ~
Personally ~
I am interested in ALL facets, because one can (learn) from – “the simple and inexpensive” – to – “the expensive”… then the obvious comes – “the decision” – and what YOU wish to obtain for yourself personally (including what is affordable)
From reading here, I obtained the Pulsar Solar 4000, for me its working great! and was not that expensive at all, (you can’t beat a Holiday deal) that was found for just under $100 = total $120 tax and shipping combined and all because it was recommended here.
So, how about a suggested compromise/idea?
(maybe) a – “balance” – on the items suggested, let’s see some tough K.I.S.S. (simple) combat proven methods, along side the high-speed kit options. – I wouldn’t mind that as that will give me more options to learn and explore. ~ (yea, granted I’m already retired – but who cares?) ~ you never stop learning.
In closing ~
I was exposed to the very same thing (back in the day) mentioned by (Jack Murphy) we were – “sopping” – before we were comfortable – when we miserable, we were comfortable, and dealt with it.
What’s that adage? – “If it isn’t raining – We aren’t training”
All of us, no matter the grade, no matter if we’re Army, Navy, Marine, Airforce, Coast Guard or if our MOS is Infantryman, Grunt, Airborne, Ranger, Scout, RECON, LRSD, Nighstalker, AFPJ, SF, SEAL… ~ if we have served, experienced, we are ALL brothers, whether we admit it or not…
just my worthless 2 cents…
Well said. -BW
TENTS! I don’t recall seeing any tents at Ft Benning in the mid 80′s. Saw some big tower looking things up close and fast but no TENTS:-) Oh, sorry about that, tents are cool.
Well said dethenigma.
I think the writers are in a difficult position because of their love for KIT, their desire to write about it, further complicated by an audience that appears to take interest in what they write about and industry that wants to sell KIT; good KIT, crap KIT, cheap & expensive KIT (the kind of KIT that makes you wonder did Uncle Sam really pay that for a ______). Industry knows there’s an audience here and I’ll guess that the writers get some KIT to eval for the audience regardless of what that KIT retails for. Maybe they get to keep it, maybe the writers give it away I don’t know. Anyone of us here would probably raise our hand if asked “Would you be willing to eval this KIT for us and then write about it?” You probably wouldn’t ask how much does it cost first and then I’ll tell you if I’ll write about it.
There’s a lot of KIT out there, some expensive, some not expensive, some good, some bad. The important thing is that we have a good place where we can exchange ideas about KIT and not blame the writers for the Gucci Factor, the price tag or the apparently difficult position they are in. If it’s to Gucci or expensive move on to the next article.
TENTS…… Lol
I guess I should be glad guys are ******** and moaning…..when that stops is when the real problems start!
Brandon
this thread got weird.
Hehehe.. yeah. It’s kinda funny though.
I think everyone is still tweaked about the expensive watch threads. This tent _aint_ that expensive. Not something I would put in Gucci category.
Yes it did.
Yeah, no s**t. Everyone needs to take a chill-pill and just let this art form flow through . .
Did everyone get sand in their **** over the holiday break? Good stuff is posted on this site, everyone just needs to relax.
I would just like to comment on the tent. It looks great for a backpacker and I wouldn’t mind owning one.
However, for soldiers in the field PEO Soldier is trying to reduce the weight they carry. One way of doing this is using multi-purpose tools whenever possible. Thus, a well-designed shelter-half/poncho/tarp/blanket makes sense; a 2lb tent that requires level ground, not so much.
The US is currently fighting tribesmen who, not unlike the old Highland Scots, can probably get by with a tartan slung over the shoulder acting as blanket/tent/overcoat/hood/pockets. We can learn from that, IMO.
Concur. Something along the lines of Hill People Gear’s “Mountain Serape” would definitely fit the bill.
SOF gets the best gear because their lives depend on it and they do things normal troops don’t do.
I am proud my REMF tax $ fund their ops and enjoy the gear reviews immensely.
Keep em coming!
I like getting the best of both worlds. Therefore I propose with each new item/all new gear, that KitUP! would continue to review the best gear out there and then throw in a word or two or maybe a link to a poor man’s version.
That way we get to read about cool stuff AND it makes the whiners happy.
Two cents worth from someone who has never been in the military or LE. I love this place. I have never been shot at, but I have an interest in military matters and especially enjoy the articles, if not the equip reviews. You don’t have to be being shot at to need, and love, good gear. I’ve learned a lot of stuff, ignored more which wasn’t applicable and will probably do much more in the future. Good stuff is good stuff. Period.
However, it seems to me that a lot of the review stuff lately has been what ya’ll call “Gucci Gear” (love the terminology I’ve learned here as well. I especially liked “snivel gear.”) I will not likely buy a $200 watch or a $150 combat knife (and the old lady would give me **** if I did – LOL!), but so what? I read them, shake my head and FIDO.
Seems to me that that the Admins here have heard what we would like to see a return to a balance and we can all get our panties out of a wad. If the balance doesn’t return, since we can’t/aren’t all sh(you know) hot special ops people then we can all go elsewhere…
I usually find most things posted here interesting reads and I would think that this site covers a very wide variety of equipment as well as tastes. While I don’t see myself using every single piece of equipment written about, it’s nice to see capabilities and price points when it comes time to purchase similar category items, so I know what to look for what to start paying at.
Add me to the satisfied with KitUp as is category. I like coming here and learning about what’s new, old, rich and poor. I don’t expect to be jazzed about every item presented because this site has a large audience, but I’ve got a few receipts for things I’ve bought solely from the advice of this site.
I also enjoy the (constructive) observations from those with experience on alternative solutions and workarounds they’ve devised regarding gear or the hazards of the field.
Rolex watches, Swarovski binoculars. I gloss right past that stuff as I will never be able to justify the expense, Zombie apocalypse or not.
How about affordable base-layers? Merino wool vs. Underarmour/Compression clothing?
Which manufacturers gear is made in America vs. China, Vietnam, etc.? If it’s one thing I hate, it’s having to buy more Chinese-made crap.
Nice….great feedback.
Don’t get me wrong, I would love to have Swarovski binos but no amount of “but honey”‘s will convince the wife.
Seriously, even with the top-end gear, I love Kitup and check it out daily; One of my favs on the whole intarwebnetz. It’s just that most of us are on a beer budget even though we might harbor champagne aspirations.
The merino v. compression thing would really make a good read. Also, maybe a comparison of different brands and weights of merino base-layers would be good.
Gents, I visit this site and two or three other defense-related sites daily. If I like something, I’ll pass on my thoughts. If I don’t…why would I waste even a second of my time telling a bunch of names on a computer screen?
If you take issue with what is being reviewed, move on. Or better yet, post in the fireteam section about what you want to see reviewed.
Although this one’s a bit out of my price-range, it goes on the wishlist under:
“Replace my issued piece of crap: one-man tent edition”
Keep up the good work Kit-Up!
Oorah!
I enjoy reading Kitup!, for both the gear articles as well as the SOF articles. Wait, is this the part when I admit I’m not MILLE at all? Just a guy who likes gear and the outdoors? I spent a previous life working in the bicycle field and it’s been my experience, you get what you pay for, you don’t buy a $200 Wal-Mart special MTB and expect the bike to be as good as a Turner. I’ve enjoyed the ‘gucci gear’ posts personally. When I’m at the doctors, I don’t read the Hyndai review in Car and Track (?), I read the articles about the super exotics.
I don’t understand what all the *****ing is about here. If you can’t afford the gear, there’s no shame in that. There is also no reason to rag on the authors of KitUp because you somehow feel jaded or excluded from the reputed Gucci Gear Club.
I too enjoy reading KitUp for the variety of articles it publishes. I’m also an individual who pushes his gear to the limits and is always looking to buy the best because my life takes me to places where the right gear can make all the difference in the world. I’m not interested in reading about Dollar Store solutions or how to be a cheapskate. DIY solutions are another matter altogether and I feel those are excluded from this argument.
Basically, all I’m saying is that when it comes to gear purchases I ask myself one question: “How much is my life worth?”
If you take that question into account, then cheaping out on your gear is the worst possible thing you can do. Advocating cheap gear is like hearing from the bump-firing Bubba crowd that the Hi-Point is the end-all-be-all CCW pistol :P
Mr. X
Well said. -BW
But Hi-Point’s make for wonderful clubs after the ammo runs out ;)
I don’t want ‘cheap’ either, but I don’t think people are advocating crap of dubious quality. I think a better description would be ‘affordable level of quality’. There are Chevrolets, there are BMWs and then there are Lamborghini’s. Sometimes a decent Chevie can be had to get the job done rather than a Lambo.
There’s room for all kinds of gear but if the haters would look closely at the tag line under the Kit Up! logo it reads: ‘ Beyond Standard Issue ‘
A regular good old ponch is fine but a Kifaru Woobie & Doobie or a Hill People Gear Mountain Serape are beyond standard issue ….. Get it ?
Word is that law enforcement has been using FLIR to try and count the number of protesters as they sleep in tents at night. A good zero-degree weather sleeping bag or some rain probably renders the FLIR useless. However, is there some other added insurance I could carry in my Kit (keep it lightweight please) to put on or in the tent that would keep someone from finding me at night if detection could be fatal? I assume that reducing or eliminating my thermal image would also avoid detection by a Zombie should that be a concern …
Rumor has it that US Army issue bivvy sacks will defeat FLIR…
Good input Jack. Is that about 5 lbs?
Less than that I think.
One of those ultralight silverized IR reflective bivies at REI would.
Nice to see a plug for the Dirttime forum. : )
Geez, he did say he shared a one man tent with his girlfriend. That tidbit alone could save you $100 on these types of tents. Having shopped these out, you are paying for the weight, compact size, ease of use, and durability.
Holy Gods, if this were a PT formation we’d be making sugar cookies all day. Haters gonna hate, quit yer whining and move on.
I for one found this post extremely informative. I’m looking for an ultra-light one-person tent, and this certainly fits the bill. I hadn’t thought about looking at airframes, I’m just old-school and prefer tents with poles.
the OP hit the nail on the head when he said ‘resourcefulness’…what the old site had and this does not. How about an instructables style article on building a tent / cover with a poncho and liner and then a second on the high end tent… I like the newer watch article which showed a piece of gear cheaper than the usual $400+ kit.
Lots of good commentary above. $.02 more. All should go back and look at the posts Christian was putting out when Kit Up! started. The range of stuff reviewed, from DIY, to COTS, to high-speed was broad & deep.
The value of this website is the information (it provides), the opportunity (it allows – discussion/personal experinces) and the comments, which are sometimes hilarious. Mad Duo watch out!
- Good review. Nemo makes some very interesting items, like MP7 water-proof bags and the RFID-blocking pouch.
- Not everyone can be a SEAL, and that just makes a lot of people sad.
- $2000 is NOTHING for an automatic watch.
- Keep the high-end gear coming, along with any other interesting information (regardless of cost). I want to learn something new, not receive affirmations about my (lack of) income level or my DIY ingenuity.
- No one cares if “in your day” you had to walk 30 miles uphill in the snow to school when you lived in dangerous jungles of Tampa.
- Rewarding companies that produce second-rate products is un-American, no matter where it is made. My money goes to the winner.
- Anyone who uses the term “Gucci Gear” in regular discourse discredits him/herself.
Spoken like a lawyer by day, mall ninja by night.
Free Market Rules….
Thanks Eskimo1 -BW
Eskimo, you just summarized everything I’ve had on my mind regarding this site for weeks. Good gear is good gear. It costs money.
Now, leverage the cost of the gear to what you’re doing: if you’re not active and on an op tomorrow, you can probably get away with WalMart gear. If your *** depends on it, then no one is going to come visit your grave when it says “I’m Dead. I didn’t buy a good watch.”
You numbskulls, has anyone ever died because he had a Casio or a tarp tent in the field?
Well said mate.
FSG,
Discussing cheap and effective gear does not generate as much web traffic as what’s usually covered here. Less web traffic, less ad revenue. I was tried before, thus the change.
go easy. sure this site has been forwarding expensive gear but at the end of the day, or the middle of the fight, what gear are you sporting? So it’s top end. Yes there’s room for low end E-3 affordable crap, but you can get that at the P/Bx, who cares? Stop whining ffs.
Tom, there’s room for five stories up front. They all don’t have to be about special ops or expensive kit.
@Tom – It is all well and good reviewing top rated kit but there has to be a limit on the gucci kit getting spammed on here, not everyone can get access to this sort of kit or even afford it.
I’m really interested what soldiers are improvising in the field, DIY jobs and the like. Hit us up if you got anything, I’ve covered DIY combat shirts in the past. I’ll have to write up my DIY survival kit for you guys sometime soon.
Would you prefer reviews on G-shocks, Inova led’a and other stuff you find in the PX?
People who can’t afford at least some of these items are of little interest to the advertisers.
No room for stories that are only going to be read once, or not commented much. Special Ops and expensive kit are some of the most popular postings.
Tom,
Just don’t forget your core audience and why they come here. See my post below in reply to Jack Murphy. Your post above is what I was talking about.
Larry
“I guess this is Kit Up’s, Occupy movement moment, we’re just sick and tired of the 1%ers flaunting their Gucci gear.”
Seriously? It’s a post about a tent that campers can buy at REI. Someone should have told me that Brandon was rubbing shoulders with Rupert Murdoch and Donald Trump!
I love it that people use a gear forum to push some sort of political agenda.
Seriously? I don’t read a military gear blog for the articles about toilets and composting. You want to live off grid that’s fine, but go to a blog with a name like “Earth Living”, not “Kit Up”. At least try and get into the spirit of the thing, ask about “Tactial Fertilizer Deployment” or “How to spread compost with only 5m of detcord.”
I guess I am being a little mean, when I want info on farming, which turnips grow well in which soil, and well digging, I go and ask spec-ops veterans, too. They get trained on EVERYTHING!
I teach at a univeristy. I make 700 bucks a month. I’m a vet. I love this site. Keep your hippie 1% bs to yourself and gofk. Keep your political idiocy to yourself it’s not welcome here.
Hmmmm, good question. Has there ever been a review on those cheapie $5 lights. A comparison to their compititors? Same for the g-shock?
Oh, and yes, I’d read an article on what’s the best under $20 light out there.
Are you jealous? I would sport a $3K watch if I needed or wanted a solid timepiece that would last years.
I don’t think anyone on an auto forum would mind a review on a lambo or ferarri.
LCpl Rice. I appreciate your service and situation but your ‘Occupy’ are ridiculous.
Haha “tactical fertilizer deployment” – that’s funny.
I would totally read an article called “spreading human compost with detcord.” Everything you need to know about improvised excrement devices [IEDs].
I have an ENO hammock which I like but it is def. used mostly in summer months. I want to say you lose most of your body heat from your back – but I can’t prove that. That’s why you want to lay on the ground or something thick and warm.
I found that if I use a thermal pad in my hammock I stay a lot warmer. A friend of mine also states that if you make a pile of leaves and then sling your hammock so that it rests inside it, that insulates you as well.
Doesn’t that employ a “fan”???
Lighten-up T-9. There’s a place here for everyone who’s served.
I’ll have to try that next time – thanks
Yeah I’m a bit high strung. Sorry.