Marmot tents ? And what we ended up with

[Honu]

Edited the title
Since this was also a quest for new tent
Some posts down gave my reasons why we got the Kodiak Canvas 10x14


Curious if some of you have current experience with Marmot tents ?
http://marmot.com/products/capstone_6p?p=118


I have not shopped nylon since I sold my Moss so been a while
And the Moss I had was great for a two man
For me that big of a tent that's a cheap price ! If it's good
Back in the day I know Marmot was great stuff and just hoping they did not go the way of North Face


My reasons to ask
We are selling our trailer and going back to tents wife is not stoked over the ladder and our family of four and the dog she wants us all on one level also so trailer is going
I love canvas but have also spent at least 3 years sleeping in nylon tents longest stretch was 6 months in my Sierra Designs 2 man so not new to nylon but single young guy is dif than now a going on 50 with kids and dog

So no experience with this large of a nylon ?

We were going to get a canvas safari bow or howling moon but for the extra room we wanted the dome style 3 meter ended up being a touch to small ? Sad as I love those tents
We might pick up a kodiak or springbar 10x14 to try ?
So we need a 120 sqft at minimum and prefer this layout width and standup room

Upside will be a small pack size and light if I miss canvas maybe end up with a springbar/kodiak



So I guess my main questions are !
Is Marmot still a good tent maker ?
Are large nylon like the link above to big for nylon ?
Things I am afraid of, to bright in the morning wind noise against tent ? shaky in winds I now to stake it out well again that much nylon ? Family of 4 and tent sweat inside ?

Thanks all for helping me out with any info major change for us trailer to tent
And will be posting my trailer in for sale section soon when I get pics but it is for sale

 

[HOOLIGAN]

I've only used Marmot and Mountain Hardware tents and love them. My MH is over 10 years old and going strong. But that's not really what you asked. I have never used any of the large Marmot expedition style tents, but I know several people that have and really had no issues. The used them for base camp tents and they withstood some pretty good winds. I've also been out of the business for awhile, so things may have changed.

Side note: I'm interested in your trailer.

 

[Honu]

no it helps me out some thanks

 

[Christophe Noel]

Marmot has had some challenges with retaining the reputation they built during the 90s. I'm not saying they're not a top tier brand, they are. They just struggle to produce the award winning designs that used to roll out of the Marmot house every season. They took a brief foray into price-point tents and bags in the last few years and lost many of their loyal customers, even me. Speaking to their reps and sales manager, they realize they lost some of their design chops, especially with tents. That said, the tent you link isn't a bad tent at all. In fact, it's one of their few larger tents that I like. The pitch is a bit complicated, but it is a very stout tent for its size. I kind of cringe at the price.

I think given the materials and intended purpose of the tent, I'd save $150 and get the Big Agnes Big House 6. I think both tents represent the same level of quality with the Big Agnes being far easier to pitch and agin...much cheaper. The additional vestibule on the Big House 6 is awesome when the weather gets gross. I wouldn't say either of these have the pinnacle quality of a Moss, but then again, most Moss tents were polyester, not nylon. My Big House has seen some rough use and it might show it.

 

[UK4X4]

I have a large marmot family tent
6 person plus foyer

Is Marmot still a good tent maker ? Broke one strap mount first time out- 4th time some of the little vecro tabs detached themselves from the ridge
Are large nylon like the link above to big for nylon ? not too big -but its certainly no canvas tent as far as life time goes
Things I am afraid of, to bright in the morning wind noise against tent ? shaky in winds I now to stake it out well again that much nylon ?
Mines a sort of iglo cross staked out its ridid as hell with good sized poles and air shifting shape
Family of 4 and tent sweat inside ? Mine has sufficient vents for the size.

It does however take abot 30mins to put up and handling all that material in a blow is dificult

we use it as a base camp - but if less than 2 days I'd rather use our two small 3 people tents 8 mins and done

 

[Honu]

Thanks UK and Flounder

Scary to hear things failed so quick ?
With a %20 off the price comes down at least
I guess the looking at safari canvas the price seems decent forgot what my moss was back in the days maybe was hoping it was much more of a tent knowing it might not be as nice as I hoped then the price might be a bit more and can see that

Sadly I don't want to go smaller ? Looked at the big agnes Flying diamond 8 but wanted more square wider design ? Than long and thin ? Also wanted a bit larger stand up area

Flounder would love to hear your thoughts comparing the marmot to the Sierra design yahi 6+2
http://www.sierradesigns.com/p-469-yahi-annex-62.aspx


Curious who makes the best large 100 and over sqft tents then ? Maybe I have to give up larger standing room and wider design to get quality ? Or get a springbar or kodiak to get that large footprint I want ?

I think I might miss my huge trailer setup hehhehee

 

[Andy@AAV]

I have had an Marmot Aeros 3P for the last 3 years and would not buy again. Last year at the Mountain Rendezvous I noticed 3 holes in the screening large enough for flys to get through. I don't beat up my gear, but I do expect it to last longer. Aside from that I have some issues with the tent not being stable in high winds. The tent isn't bad by any means and has done many trips but I feel that I get better bang for the buck with other manufacturers. For comparison, I gave my sister my 12 year old Eureka Timberline when I bought the Marmot and it was still in very good shape.

 

[Honu]

Thanks rocket

 

[Christophe Noel]

Honu, you can pretty much take everything I said about Marmot and apply it to Sierra Designs. SD has become more or less the "nicer" version of Kelty since both were acquired by the same parent company. My complaint with that tent you linked is the pole hubs. They make pitching the tent a hassle. That's my primary complaint with that Marmot, by the way. It's also the one reason I went with the Big Agnes Big House 6 as my personal tent. I can pitch it by myself in about 10 minutes with no headaches. And, I can literally walk around in that tent. The BA Diamond is a complete pain to pitch.

The other tent in this category I like, but have only used a couple times, is the MSR Backcountry Barn. MSR is one of the better tent producers out there at the moment. The BC Barn is just fantastic. I can pitch it by myself in about 15 minutes. It's highly versatile and curiously strong in a gail, with appropriate stake-outs. The useable space can't be beat as you can walk around it easily. I think squeezing 5 people in there is more than possible. Great tent.

 

[Jonathan Hanson]

I agree with what's been said so far. Marmot is no longer the stand-out maker of tents (and everything else) they were when I bought my Taku. Today's Chinese-made Marmot tents are more or less interchangeable with those from Mountain Hardwear or a half-dozen other brands. That's not to say they're garbage, just not unique. That flag has passed to makers such as Hilleberg.

With kids to help carry and pitch it, I'd strongly consider a U.S.-made Springbar if I were you.

 

[Honu]

Jonathon thanks

I might be heading the springbar way

I did look at the hilliberg atlas system but a bit to much $

Flounder thanks
Sadly I thought that might be the case
Good to hear the BA diamond is a pain so I know not to get a pain in the okole tent

Back in the late 80s through 90s when I had my bike shop used to sell MSR stuff always loved their stuff also used to sell a ton of OR stuff mostly mitts and such for the snowboard crowd

Thanks again have some things to think about for sure

 

[Christophe Noel]

Jonathan hit the nail on the head about the continuity of mediocrity that pervades the bulk of the tent market. Comparing all of the tents mentioned above is like comparing apples with apples. We're basically chosing the best of the average offerings. What I try to avoid is buying the average offering that's $200 more than the other average offering.

 

[Jonathan Hanson]

You might also look at the Turbo Tents. Roseann and I have been using one for several years and like it a lot.

 

[Honu]

Yeah makes sense if they are all close these days not to be paying way more for nothing

So besides hilliberg is any manufacture making high quality non canvas tents in the 100+sqft size then ?
or is it all about the same these days ?
Seems if all about the same keep it under $500 and choose the features one likes as quality will be about the same but features and size/layout and pitch time/difficulty are all that make the models/ manufactures different then ?

Any thoughts on some of the larger snow peak offerings ? Like the two large living room models that have the inner tents ?


Thanks again

 

[Honu]

You might also look at the Turbo Tents. Roseann and I have been using one for several years and like it a lot.

Had looked at them some
My only fear might be a few say they don't do well with wind ? Again no clue if these are empty claims or real ?
So do they do well with wind that we get here in the open desert areas at times ?
No fear the top comes down by itself ?

And canvas or the non canvas models ?
I would like the larger ones which are not canvas ? Are they OK or about the same as the marmot I linked to ? Or maybe nicer ?

Thanks