Marmot Tungsten UL 2P Tent Review

June 1, 2017
Marmot Tungsten UL 2P Tent
Marmot_tungsten_ul_2p_tent-0.jpg
Marmot Tungsten UL 2P Tent Marmot_tungsten_ul_2p_tent-0.jpg
GEAR INSTITUTE RATINGS
87
Shoulder Room
8
Packability
7
Set Up
7
Weatherproofness
8
Features
7

The Good

  • Plenty of pockets for organization
  • Great weight to roominess ratio
  • Simple and fast pitching

The Bad

  • Setting it up solo is harder than most tents
  • Full mesh body not good for windy or cold camping
  • Fragile feel to lightweight fly
THE VERDICT

How did they pack so much room, pockets and other handy features in a tent so light? That’s what every tester was left wondering after trying the Tungsten. Few tents can compare to the livability to weight ratio. The trade off is on durability—treat this baby gently.

FULL REVIEW

Shoulder Room
Marmot says the Tungsten UL has “more space per ounce than any other freestanding ultralight tent”. We haven’t fact checked that claim but we wouldn’t be surprised. The 32 square foot interior is definitely roomy for a two-person tent and especially roomy for one that weighs less than four pounds. The asymmetrical design flares towards the shoulders and narrows at the feet, from 54 inches to 48, plenty of room for the biggest camping pads and stockiest dudes and all their gear. The height is focused over the center, so not a ton of elbow room, but enough for two to sit up and play cards.

Packability
Tons of mesh in the body of this tent and a 20 Denier fly equals a small pack size. Less than two pounds per person is easy to schlep.

Set Up
The two-pole design is simple to set up—an X-shaped pole to the four corners and a truss across the center. Color-coded poles and grommets simplify the asymmetric design. Setting it up solo, the poles tended to pop out of the grommets, but it wasn’t a huge issue. The fly is color coded too.

Weatherproof
The fly hugs the ground and is made from a polyester that doesn’t stretch or sag when wet. That means less cinching tight and no waking up with the water weeping through onto the tent. The central truss pushes the fly over the entrance to provide cover for climbing in and out. And the 30 Denier floor is leakproof—after a long night of rain, a small river flowing under it never entered the tent.

Features
Pockets are everywhere on this tent, including one for a headlamp. Drop it in and the fabric diffuses the light to all corners. The two doors are easy to use and large, as are the two vestibules.

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USER REVIEWS
Marmot Tungsten UL 2P Tent Based on 1 user reviews.
Paul Carew
Newbie (1)
Review Date: August 10, 2018
Experience: Experienced
Pros: lightweight, roomy
Cons: fragile, lacks tautness of the fly = (noisy) !
Full Review:

We’ve been on several backpack trips this season 2018 and we’re still on the fence with this tent on whether or not it’s a keeper. Your review is well stated when it comes to it’s questionable longevity, I’m sure the zippers will be the first things to fail, I’d prefer a couple more oz’s of pack weight for a more robust zipper system. All that aside, the tent’s polyester fly is it’s scariest feature, with the lack of tautness, it puddles on the top and flaps like sailboat sails in the wind, making it one of the noisiest tents I’ve ever owned! The lack of tautness also brings the fly dangerously close to the inner mesh walls, as long as the fly retains it’s ability to shed water from the outside it shouldn’t be a problem, but it still leaves the question of condensation buildup on the inside and what happens with a floppy fly … hope this helps, thanks for listening!

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