Marmot Limestone 4P Tent

Comments about Marmot Limestone 4P Tent:

After lots of research and reading of reviews I landed on this tent to take my family camping. Set it up in the store, loved it, packed it up and bought it. We got an opportunity to go camping finally and used it. The tent went up in a snap, even with the "help" of a 3 and 5 year old. Everything worked as advertised and as reviewers claimed. The tent was comfortable and seemed to breathe fine with 3 of us in there & a 40 degree night. There was no wind to speak of and no rain during the campout. The negative review comes from the take down. One of the pole's sections was bent enough that it would not lay with the rest of the poles correctly. (the insert on the tent bag says that poles will get a slight bend with use, I just don't think that is what they mean. I am worried that the poles will snap under any wind) I do not think after such light use that the poles should bend to that degree. REI is going to switch out the tent, and I will see how the tent holds up on the second campout. (this first one was only a single night on a cool day in texas) I hate to write a negative review, but for that amount of money, the poles should be able to handle a simple set up and take down without being permanently bent. I hope that the replacement holds up because I really liked the tent.

Comments about Marmot Limestone 4P Tent:

We loved everything about this tent for the first 5-6 times we used it. Around the 6th time using it, we noticed that the poles were staying slightly bent after taking it down. They got more and more bent each time we used it after that, and on the 9-10th time we were setting up the tent, one of the pole segments snapped clean in half. All of our uses were in about a 5-6 month time span. It may have been because we were setting up the tent and leaving it up for 3-4 days at a time (we frequent music festivals), but any tent should be able to handle that. Overall, I could never recommend this tent. It's a pity, we really wanted to love this tent, but the pole materials are just not good enough.

Comments about Marmot Limestone 4P Tent:

When we decided to go to Yellowstone National Park, we also decided it was time for a new tent. After looking over many tents and reviews, we decided that the Marmot Limestone 4P Tent fit our needs, and it came through for us.

In Yellowstone it was cold and very windy so we were very happy to find that the Limestone kept the wind (and it's noise) out and the tent never moved. Inside the tent, we had 2 adults, a small dog and our bags, with room to move around. The headroom made by the height of the tent was great. We were able to change in comfort and ease without having to go outside in the cold. Also the vestibule area made it easy to put our shoes outside, keeping them out of the dampness and safe. The vestibule area is large enough to place bags/gear etc so that there is more room inside the tent. Construction of the tent is also great, with seams, tie-down loops and material very sturdy. With the heavy weight of the floor, I wasn't worried about my dog's nails damaging the tent either.

Another pro about this tent is that you can use it for different types of camping. With the full tent, you are able to do regular car camping. You are also able to chose whether to use the fly or not. If you are out in a relatively secluded spot or not going to be changing in the tent, this is great. (If camping in crowed area, see 2nd con below.) But there is also the option to use just the fly and poles to do minimalist camping. This makes it easy to take it hiking or backpack camping.

There were only two cons that I really had with the tent. One was that the footprint that came with the tent didn't seem thick enough. We removed all the rocks, sticks and pinecones from the tent area, but still felt more when sleeping. We were using military sleeping bags that are thick and designed for the cold also. I'm a regular outdoor camping person, but I still like to sleep without stones prodding me awake every time I move.

The other issue was the mesh sides that when camping near people, make you have to use the fly. The mesh sides would be great to allow air to blow through the tent, but to have any privacy at all; you have to use the fly. This issue seems to be the trend in tents lately and I wish that they would rethink it. I would love to look out at the stars at night, or be cooled by the breeze. But this won't be happening where I have neighbors close enough to be nosy and this is very regretful. I hope that tent manufacturers would go back to the idea of having some mesh in the fly top for when you have to use it

I would definitely recommend this tent to anyone, as it is very versatile in its usage. As a rule of thumb, I say that a tent has room for one less person than they state, if there is going to be bags/gear kept in the tent while sleeping. If there is minimal gear or it is kept else were, than this tent would hold the recommended four people. This tent helps by having the vestibule area to stow gear, shoes etc. I also like that the heavy-duty floor will help the tent stand up to children or dogs.

Comments about Marmot Limestone 4P Tent:

This is a great tent, sets up easy, roomy, sturdy. Only issue is that a pole bent when I first set it up. REI replaced the pole and the pole bent slightly again. I've used this tent on five trips so far and really like it. A slightly bent pole is not a problem.

Comments about Marmot Limestone 4P Tent:

I researched tents for hours and days before I made my purchase. I was looking for a 4 person tent that was 3 season. I was torn between the rei base camp 4 tent and the Marmot Limelight 4 person tent. I decided to for go the 2 doors that came with the base camp 4 and opted for more height that came with the Limestone vs the Limelight. I much prefered a tent that had better flooring material and poles (it seemed like there were a lot of negative comments on the base camp 4 about the poles) then 2 doors. I am very happy with my decision. I was pleasantly surprised about all the storage around the tent for keys and small items. I was able to hang a flash light from the center of the tent to be able to get dressed at night and see at the same time. I loved that the tent had reflective material on the outside of the tent for identifaction at night.

My husband who set up the tent said that it was so easy to set up. He said he could do it "in 6 minutes without the kids and in 10 minutes with the kids!" were his exact words. We didn't even do a practice set up before taking it out.

This tent was amazingly roomy and was perfect height for me. I know I am the exception. I am very petite at 4'11 but my husband didn't have anything negative to say about the height and he is 5'10. We are a family of 3 and had plenty of space for sleep and our bag and cooler. It would easily and comfortably sleep 4 without a problem.

My only negative review I have is about the ventilation. There aren't any windows or things to open to let in a breeze. Luckily for us this was a non issue because we were camping in the mountains in Southern Colorado in SEPTEMBER so it got chilly. We did notice on one of the days that it got warm in the tent but the only way to ventilate was pushing back the rain fly off the tent or tieing it back on a small area. But then I could see someone feeling exposed if they had to dress in there at night because of how much netting/screen that the main tent is made of. This could be an issue if we were to camp in a very humid/hot place.

Other than that the tent performed like a champ. Sure we were cold on the first night but it wasn't the tent's fault. We just need to invest in some better cold weather clothing and sleeping bags. I have no doubt in my mind that we would be protected from rain, and wind in this thing! love the little window for a "look out" too!

Comments about Marmot Limestone 4P Tent:

Like the space inside and has weathered bad weather well so far. Only downfall was that one of the poles bend at its connection on first use. Bummer.

Comments about Marmot Limestone 4P Tent:

Two of us used this during a recent 8-day trip to South Dakota. Very roomy and easily accommodated both of us and all of our gear, which included a pair of day packs and two rolling duffels. Vestibule was nice and should easily handle days packs and shoes (we kept shoes and stools in the vestibule). Set-up is straightforward and two of us did it in about 10 minutes, illuminated by car headlights. Tall enough that I can stand up a bit hunched over (I am a little over 6 ft tall) to get dressed. We had some rain and wind - tent was sturdy and dry - but not enough to comment on the tent's ability to withstand both elements (bought it b/c of positive comments by other reviewers). A bit more expensive than some of the other tents, but I have been pleased so far with the purchase. Does get hot in the sun with the rainfly on, and the tent pegs (made of aluminum) bent fairly easily, but that was due to a combination of very dry/hard ground and lack of a stake hammer.

Comments about Marmot Limestone 4P Tent:

It was great for weekend camping, just me and 3 large dogs (90-120#). They had more than enough room. With the fly on and closed up you really have to love orange. But in the morning it is quite cheery.

In the am it is a bit difficult getting out of the tent with the vestibule is closed. But regardless of morning stiffness it is do-able.

In 30 degrees night weather there were no problems with condensation. Haven't tried really hot weather yet. Hot wet weather will be a real test.

Comments about Marmot Limestone 4P Tent:

I decided that if I were going to get a new tent I would have to sell off my old ones first. I wanted a tent with plenty of room with a full rain fly and a sizable vestibule. I also wanted a tent with enough room to move around in with some head room. After looking for months at several different tents I finally decided on the Marmot Limestone 4. I purchased this tent during the REI clearance sale last month and though I haven't taken it camping yet I did set it up in the back yard to make sure it met my satisfaction. The tent was easy to set up looked and felt sturdy and I especially liked the amount of room the front vestibule had and the placement of the mat for my shoes and gear. I am going to Yellowstone next and that is where I will test it for sure. I like the look and feel of the Limestone 4 and can't wait to take it out. I have told my friends on the east coast to check out this tent if they ever want to buy a new one I don't think they will be disappointed.

Campy McCamperson

Comments about Marmot Limestone 4P Tent:

I'm a casual weekend camper, and this tent impressed me because the poles aren't made out of junky fiberglass that fails by splitting and jamming painful splinters into your fingers. This tent has poles that are made out of lightweight metal tubing, so I'm expecting them to fail much more gracefully.

You see how I think about these things? Anyway, I took this out with my 6yo son over Memorial Day weekend, and it served us well. Weather was sunny and we had only a light breeze, so I can't say how well it will hold up in a storm, but to my eye, it looks better than the Coleman 6-person it replaced.