Should I buy a Marmot tent?

[redness44]

I'm strongly considering the purchase of the Marmot Colfax 4p.

Can anyone advise me on the quality of the Marmot brand?

[action]

Re: Should I buy a Marmot tent?

I have a new Marmot tent......Really like it. Tungsten 4p.....Lots of room for me and my Dog. but I only have a thrift store tent to compare it to.
Jack

[NYCgrrl]

Re: Should I buy a Marmot tent?

[QUOTE=redness44;43475]I'm strongly considering the purchase of the Marmot Colfax 4 specs:

• 68D polyester taffeta fly with a PU coating
• No-See-Um mesh canopy
• 2 doors, 1 vestibule
• 4-person capacity
• Three zippered windows
• One double door
• Lamp shade pocket and small gear pocket

Material
[fly] 68D polyester taffeta
[canopy] No-See-Um mesh, 100% polyester taffeta
[floor] 68D polyester taffeta

Capacity 4-person

Season3-season

Wall Type double-wall

Freestanding yes

Poles HD Velocity 7000-series aluminum (12mm)

• Footprint included

$368.00 from backcountry.com

OK because it has a to the ground vestibule, I would call this a true 4 person tent, as long as most, if not all of your gear can be stored in the vestibule. I'd be sure that the floor print was used in the vestibule also to ensure that clothing and such doesn't get wet in that area.
No vestibule? Just go with traditional thunk: 2-3 person tent in this instance.

The tent's height is less than 6' feet so decide how important that is to you.
68 denier PU coated taffeta for body and floor is respectable as long as shoes are removed which I think should happen for all tents; not a fan of excess cleaning.

The more people, the more doors, I prefer in a tent. Looks like this tent has ONE double tent door NOT 2 door on opposite walls. Again think how you want to use this tent.

HTH!

[MacGyver]

Re: Should I buy a Marmot tent?

From the specs and pictures I've seen online, I like that the Colfax has heavy duty poles and windows that actually zip up. It seems to me that too many tents these days have a lot of mesh that can't be covered up. What I don't like is that the rainfly doesn't adequately cover the windows. Unless you hang a tarp over it, rain could be a problem. But all in all, Marmot is definitely a company that makes good products - the Colfax looks like a good tent.

[NYCgrrl]

Re: Should I buy a Marmot tent?

From the specs and pictures I've seen online, I like that the Colfax has heavy duty poles and windows that actually zip up. It seems to me that too many tents these days have a lot of mesh that can't be covered up. What I don't like is that the rainfly doesn't adequately cover the windows. Unless you hang a tarp over it, rain could be a problem. But all in all, Marmot is definitely a company that makes good products - the Colfax looks like a good tent.

Yes I forgot to mention that the poles were well made!
As for windows that zip close I've never had a tent where that feature dinna exist so didn't think to point it out. This feature goes a long way towards negating concerns over half roof flies from my POV but since I like to see outside tents this might be a personal regard.

[redness44]

Re: Should I buy a Marmot tent?

Thanks NYCgrrl and MacGyver.

We don't camp that often at least once per year, but never more than twice - yet. We'll likely camp more now that the kids are grown and out.

Like you NYCgrrl, we like to be able to see out. The other 4p tents don't have this same openness.

I'm not a fan of the "all or nothing" rain fly's. However, it's clear those are much more waterproof than the kind with the zip up windows. We don't encounter rain too often. But I would like to have a higher quality tent with a proven track record and reviews of being waterproof. Especially if we're going to camp more often.

I can always buy some water repellent spray and seam sealer to shore things up a bit. But that stuff stains up my tent and I'd rather not. But I'm sure I'll have to at some point.

The colfax offers more head room than any other 4p tent I've seen. There may be others but none that I've seen in my price range/quality group.

I would love to continue getting feedback from anyone else. It's clear there's a lot of experience running around this forum. I'm glad I've found it.

[tplife]

Re: Should I buy a Marmot tent?

The quality companies that make tents include Marmot, A16, EMS, REI, Sierra Designs, Apex, Big Agnes, NorthFace, and Mountain HardWear. They will all feature current designs and features like hubs, Swiftclips, anodized aluminum or carbon fiber poles, color-coded setup, full rainflies with one or more vestibules, plenty of "vertical space" using pre-bent poles and dome designs, twin-layer construction using liberal amounts of mesh to minimize condensation, uv-resistant polyester fibers and of course, "full-bathtub" floor designs. Save yourself grief and use seam sealer with a small paintbrush, the sprays will soon delaminate and become ugly dust magnets. REI offers rental programs that will illustrate that a lot of myths that surround tenting just don't pencil out in actual use, I would suggest you take advantage of any programs like this and not end up with a 12-man tent that's a bear to set up, doesn't have enough poles, and is a wind-sail and rain-magnet. Camping should be warm, dry, fun, and comfortable: don't expect to get there with $100 tents and $ 40 air mattresses. Ebay is your friend!

[MacGyver]

Re: Should I buy a Marmot tent?

REI's Kingdom 4 has a height of 6' 3" and offers more fly and screen options, a larger floor and also has two doors. If you have a store near you, might be worth a look. Only $20 more than the Colfax. https://www.rei.com/product/894015/rei-kingdom-4-tent