Reviews You Can Rely On

Marmot Limestone 6 Review

A great, if basic tent. Many features of higher-rated tents in a more simple package
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Marmot Limestone 6 Review (Marmot Limestone 6p)
Marmot Limestone 6p
Credit: Marmot
Price:  $545 List
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Manufacturer:   Marmot
By Wes Berkshire ⋅ Review Editor  ⋅  May 16, 2018
74
OVERALL
SCORE
  • Comfort - 40% 7.0
  • Weather Resistance - 25% 8.0
  • Ease of Set Up - 15% 7.0
  • Workmanship - 15% 8.0
  • Packed Size - 5% 7.0

Our Verdict

The Marmot Limestone 6P is the kind of tent you can rely on. It's going to get the job done. It's not as fancy as some of its counterparts, but it's not a poor-quality throwaway either. We love the roominess (much enhanced by the steep walls) and the double zippered front door and front vestibule. The added zippers make the Limestone so much more versatile than many tents in this category. Overall, you won't be disappointed in the Limestone 6P, but it doesn't quite match the competition.
REASONS TO BUY
Roomy and tall
Multifaceted vestibule
Simple design
REASONS TO AVOID
Fly gets caught up on obtrusive poles
Top pole sleeve is strangely tight
Vestibule could be larger
The Limestone 6 has been updated since our test period. Some specs and features of the tent may have changed.

Our Analysis and Test Results

Performance Comparison


marmot limestone 6 - the limestone 6p hunkered down for the night.
The Limestone 6P hunkered down for the night.

Comfort


Like many tents in this category, the Limestone 6P would probably be a bit tight with six full-grown people inside. Three or four though would find it plenty spacious. At 83.3 square feet, the Limestone comes in a little smaller than the Wawona (86.6 square feet). This really isn't a big deal unless, again, you're trying to squeeze six or more fully grown adults into it.

marmot limestone 6 - the limestone 6p has a good amount of room. it's not enormous, but...
The Limestone 6P has a good amount of room. It's not enormous, but with four people or less, you'll have plenty of elbow room.

Gear pockets are intelligently spread throughout the Limestone, with one in each bottom corner, one under each door, and a couple more in opposite corners up high.

marmot limestone 6 - moderate-sized storage pouches are scattered conveniently in every...
Moderate-sized storage pouches are scattered conveniently in every corner and under the doors (plus a couple more in the upper corners).

The ceiling and the upper walls are full mesh, giving you the option to air things out, get a good sky view, or just let in more light.

marmot limestone 6 - there is plenty of mesh around the top of the limestone for when you...
There is plenty of mesh around the top of the Limestone for when you need to cool things down.

We were also intrigued by the quad-zippered front door. Marmot has put two zippers on each side of the door going around to meet the others. What this allows you to do is make a double entrance, or, by stringing up a divider across the middle, a double room; kids on one side, adults on the other.

marmot limestone 6 - four zippers on the front door give you many options for how to...
Four zippers on the front door give you many options for how to arrange both the entrance to your tent as well as the layout inside.

The Limestone has a double zippered front vestibule that opens things up for you to be creative with that space. You can use it as a standard vestibule, a storage space for shoes and gear out of the rain and other elements. You can roll up the front panel, but keep the sides down to enjoy the view while still protected from the wind.

marmot limestone 6 - the dual zippers on the vestibule give you many options in how to...
The dual zippers on the vestibule give you many options in how to arrange the front of your tent. For one example, you can roll the front section up to keep your view, while leaving the sides to block the wind.

With the help of some hiking poles and a couple guy lines, you can even pull the rectangular front portion out vertical to create a sun-shaded veranda. The Limestone's veranda is fairly small. There isn't a pole that extends out into that front veranda to add more space and room. Furthermore, the size of that front rectangular portion of the vestibule isn't very wide and doesn't offer a ton of coverage, but we think it's still a super nice feature and one that you'll get a ton of use out of.

marmot limestone 6 - your own personal veranda to get out of the sun. it does, however...
Your own personal veranda to get out of the sun. It does, however, need to be guy-lined and staked, and hiking poles are not included.

Weather Resistance


The Limestone's rain fly gives impressive coverage. The sides go to the ground, and it can be tightened where it connects to the poles to keep everything taut and efficient on the outside, leaving you dry on the inside. You also have a nice vestibule to keep anything dirty or muddy out of the main tent, while also keeping it out of the elements.

marmot limestone 6 - the limestone's rain fly offers full coverage, all the way to the...
The Limestone's rain fly offers full coverage, all the way to the ground, making sure you stay dry and comfortable when those dark clouds roll in.

The vestibule could be bigger. It goes out about three feet, but slants down from the top of the door, meaning it's great for storing gear, but probably won't add to your personal lounging space. Again, like so many other features of the Limestone, it's not that the vestibule is tiny or inadequate, it's just not palatial. It's effective. It does what it's meant to do. You're just not going to be inviting your neighbors over to hang out in it when the weather turns nasty.

marmot limestone 6 - from the inside, the vestibule is a good size, just not the full...
From the inside, the vestibule is a good size, just not the full atrium size of the top tents in this category.

As for heat, the Limestone has large sections of mesh both on the front of the tent and over the entire ceiling. With the rain fly on, Marmot has added velcro vents that can easily be popped up to allow geat to get out the top of the tent. Keeping things cool and airy will not be a problem.

marmot limestone 6 - ceiling vents in the rain fly are easily pulled out and velcroed to...
Ceiling vents in the rain fly are easily pulled out and velcroed to offer an escape route for heat without jeopardizing any waterproofing.

Finally, with a multitude of loops for added guy lines, securing the Limestone in the wind won't be an issue either.

Ease of Setup


With a similar cross-pole set-up to The North Face Wawona, along with two smaller poles that pull the side walls out to a more tensioned, near-vertical, the Limestone is super easy to set up.

marmot limestone 6 - the crisscrossed poles have three hooks on either side coming up...
The crisscrossed poles have three hooks on either side coming up from the ground, then a relatively short sleeve that covers the ceiling area or the tent.

It shouldn't take more than 7-10 minutes from car to completion. We did have a slight issue with the fly. The ends of the two side-wall poles stick out away from the main body of the tent, and the fly has a tendency to get hung up on them, making stretching it over the tent potentially frustrating.

marmot limestone 6 - the side poles do a good job of pulling the tent out to give you...
The side poles do a good job of pulling the tent out to give you more room, but the way the ends stick out can make getting the rain fly over the tent tricky.

It's not a big issue, and if you have a second person to help you pull the fly over the top of the tent, it shouldn't be a problem. It just wasn't as smooth as some of the other similar tents in this category.

Packed Size


The Limestone comes with a fairly standard, open-ended, tube-style storage bag. What that means is that you'll have to be a little careful in folding and rolling it up so it will all fit back in the bag. That's not necessarily a deal-breaker, and Marmot did at least make the bag generous enough size-wise that you shouldn't have to be a type-A, methodical master to make it fit. Nor should you be jumping up and down on it like an overstuffed suitcase at the end of a trip.

marmot limestone 6 - the limestone's tube-style bag isn't ideal for getting the tent back...
The Limestone's tube-style bag isn't ideal for getting the tent back in for the trip home.

It's not terrible, but it's not great either. Certainly, other companies like Big Agnes and Eureka have more innovative and user-friendly packing designs, but the Limestone is adequate.

Workmanship


The Limestone is a well-built, quality tent, that should last you many nights and many seasons. It's fully seam-taped, all stitching is uniform, the catenary floor is of a substantially thicker and more durable nylon than the walls, and all zippers are designed not to get caught on any of the door fabric or mesh. The mesh that covers a fair bit of the walls and all of the ceiling is reinforced at the seams with nylon, which should keep everything intact and rip/tear-free.

The poles are burly and will keep everything upright and in position when the wind gusts up. Our only concern was the intersection of the pole sleeves at the peak of the tent. The sleeve for the top pole cinches down, right at the crux, to the point that you have to push it through.

marmot limestone 6 - the fit at the crux of the upper sleeve is oddly tight. our fear is...
The fit at the crux of the upper sleeve is oddly tight. Our fear is that over time it will stress, and eventually rip out, the seams.

It certainly has the potential to stress the stitching and tear out either through repeated use or impatient set-up/tear down. It's possible that the fabric loosens up with repeated use, but in setting it up and taking it down repeatedly during our testing, we didn't find that to be the case.

Value


The Limestone 6P balances price and quality well. It's not cheaply made, but it's not the absolute top of the line either. Its price fits its quality and function very well. You won't be disappointed with it, you won't find yourself making excuses for it, and you won't feel like you paid too much for it. That's good value.

marmot limestone 6 - the marmot limestone 6p is a solid, fairly basic, tent.
The Marmot Limestone 6P is a solid, fairly basic, tent.

Conclusion


The Limestone 6P is a great tent. It has all the features you want, without any unnecessary bells and whistles.

Wes Berkshire