Marmot Limestone 4 Review
Our Verdict
Compare to Similar Products
This Product
Marmot Limestone 4 | |||||
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Awards | Best Overall Camping Tent | Best Form and Function | Most Versatile | Best Bang for the Buck | |
Price | $429 List $428.95 at Backcountry | $500 List $500.00 at Backcountry | $349.93 at REI Compare at 3 sellers | $375 List $239.73 at REI | $228.99 at Amazon Compare at 2 sellers |
Overall Score | |||||
Star Rating | |||||
Bottom Line | For a simple, high-quality tent, this classic criss-cross design is recognizably comfortable | It's hard to imagine a better use of space at this price point | With good looks and even better functionality, this tent was built right | Small but mighty, this tent will quickly be your go-to for short overnights | You may have to sacrifice a little on quality, but this tent is fairly solid, cleans easily, and can sleep a platoon of kids and pets |
Rating Categories | Marmot Limestone 4 | The North Face Wawo... | NEMO Aurora Highrise 6 | Mountain Hardwear M... | Coleman Skydome XL 8 |
Space and Comfort (35%) | |||||
Weather Resistance (25%) | |||||
Ease of Use (15%) | |||||
Family Friendliness (15%) | |||||
Quality (10%) | |||||
Specs | Marmot Limestone 4 | The North Face Wawo... | NEMO Aurora Highrise 6 | Mountain Hardwear M... | Coleman Skydome XL 8 |
Measured Weight | 11.85 lbs | 21.9 lbs | 18.9 lbs | 7.1 lbs | 20.3 lbs |
Max Inside Height | 5' 3" | 6' 4" | 6' 5" | 4' 0" | 6' 1" |
Floor Dimensions | 8' 4" x 7' 2" | 10' x 8' | 8' 4" x 10' | 7' 6" x 5' 8" | 16' 2" x 7' 1" |
Floor Area | 59.2 sq ft | 86.1 sq ft | 83.3 sq ft | 42.5 sq ft | 114.5 sq ft |
Seasons | 3-season | 3-season | 3-season | 3-season | 3-season |
Windows | Mesh top | Mesh top | 2 | Mesh top | 2 |
Pockets | 6 | 9 | 7 | 5 | 6 |
Number of Doors | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
Room Divider | No | No | No | No | Yes |
Vestibules | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
Vestibule Area (total) | 27.9 sq ft | 44.7 sq ft | 23.6 sq ft | 37.5 sq ft | N/A |
Packed Size | 27.5" x 10" | 10" x 32" | 26" x 9.5" x 9.5" | 7" x 25" | 28" x 11" x 11" |
Floor Materials | 150D polyester | 150D polyester | 150D PU Polyester | 68D ripstop polyester | Polyester |
Main Tent Materials | 40D polyester/mesh | 75D polyester | 68D Polyester/ No-See-Um Mesh | 40D polyester mesh, 75D ripstop polyester | Polyester |
Rainfly Materials | 68D polyester taffeta | 75D polyester | Polyester | 68D ripstop polyester | Polyester |
Number of Poles | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 4 |
Pole Material | DAC DA17 Aluminum | DAC MX aluminum | Aluminum | DAC Pressfit | Fibergblass |
Extras | Close line across the top | Dual exits in vestibule, 3 pockets on back door | Oversize duffel storage bag, nightlight pockets | Fly rolls back and secures halfway for stargazing, footprint included | Integrated string lighting system |
Our Analysis and Test Results
As the strongest and lightest 4-person tent in our lineup, the Marmot Limestone 4 is a force to be reckoned with. You get great weather options, outstanding durability, and set up and tear down are a breeze. However, what the Limestone 4 gains in low weight and superior weather resistance are lost when it comes to headroom and comfort. This tent is relatively small with a max height of just 5' 3", a footprint of 59.7 sq ft, and a 27.9 sq ft vestibule.
Performance Comparison
Space and Comfort
The Limestone 4 wasn't built as a leisurely family tent — it was built for serious campers who have different expectations of space and comfort. You can sneak in a full and twin air mattress with a little extra room for bags, and the vestibule is big enough to store extra packs, shoes, and dirty dishes easily. But neither affords enough space to make things as comfortable as other contenders.
The tent does have great pockets scattered throughout, with probably the cleverest being a waterproof pocket on the rainfly, accessible from outside the tent. It's a great feature for stashing car keys and phones.
Another clever storage option with the newest version is the close line across the top. This is great for hanging hats, drying wet clothes, or stashing your sunglasses. Ours started out loose though, so avoid hanging anything too heavy.
Weather Resistance
Now we enter the real strength area of the Limestone 4. This tent is built to handle the weather, and we put it to the test in Joshua Tree National Park. While other tents were flapping in the 50+ mph wind, this one held firm. It comes with smaller, backpack-style stakes, but with the structure and shape, they did their job perfectly. The rainfly also fully wraps the exterior and extends to the ground --meaning rain will have a hard time finding its way into the tent unless you allow it.
The Limestone 4 also excels in hot weather. The main tent structure has a full mesh roof, and about half of the sidewalls are also mesh. This not only allows for great ventilation but also excellent views. With the rainfly on, heat will escape out of the top vents and from the sides (if you guyline the rainfly) and under the vestibule.
Ease of Use
This is another top-performing metric for the Limestone 4. Color-coded clips and poles, a low profile, smooth sliding pole sleeves, and a lightweight overall design make this tent easy to use. It went up in 4 minutes and 46 seconds without any frustrations or missteps.
The Limestone 4 weighs in at 11.85 pounds, and because of its size, packing and carrying this tent is lighter and easier than some air mattresses. Likewise, tear down, rolling, and packing scored high, and fitting the tent back into the bag wasn't a struggle.
Family Friendliness
Not a great score here for the Limestone 4. While the additional top two poles add room to the ceiling, this tent simply isn't very tall. Unless you are 5' 2", don't plan on changing while standing up. The vestibule size makes doing anything in a downpour for more than one or two people a little rough, and because of the vestibule's height, you will still have to sit inside the tent to take off your muddy shoes. Outside of height, the Limestone 4 does have some great family-friendly features, though, including six storage pockets, an external quick-access pocket, a close line setup, and solid material ready to take on a family with pets.
Quality
The materials on this tent are of superior quality. A 150D polyester floor, 68D polyester taffeta rainfly, and thick, pre-curved aluminum poles give it high points in durability. The mesh is a 40d 100% polyester No-See-Um material — basically, a super tight micro-mesh that looks and feels as cool as it sounds. This is the same style found in some of the best camping tents.
Because the included stakes are a lightweight style, we did have to knock off a point. These stakes easily bent while pounding them in with a rock, the official way of staking for our testing. While strong and simple, the bag could also use some cinching straps to help keep the profile down if your roll is a little on the loose side.
Should You Buy the Marmot Limestone 4?
Quality construction, simple and easy to set up, and built to withstand some weather, the Marmot Limestone 4 is a great tent. However, it falls short in size, height, and vestibule area. If you don't need to stand up in your tent or stash tons of gear in the vestibule, this is a great option for a solid, well-constructed tent.
What Other Camping Tents Should You Consider?
With superior quality and excellent weather resistance, the Marmot Limestone 4 is a great buy, especially if you emphasize quality and build more than space and comfort. The MSR Habitude 4 is the next step up, offering a bit more space and height without adding substantial weight. If you decide extra space is a premium quality in a tent, the The North Face Wawona 6 offers the best usable space of any tent we tested.