Limelight 4P

I’ve turned the corner on cabin style after dome tenting for a decade in a Marmot Limelight 4p. Standing up to change or just move around is very nice plus my SO appreciates it too just walking out the door. Nicer for guests like you’ll have instead of everyone crouching inside. Sure there is more material but camping is work and it’s worth it. Use guy lines and a well made tent will stand up to wind. Blackout is nice or just wear an eye mask. Will keep the tent a little cooler in the mornings if you sleep late but will still get hot in full sun. There is no escaping that. You can double up with a tarp or solar tarp in very sunny hot weather. Learning the Prussic knot, bowline, and taught line hitch are extremely valuable or buy cheater devices to tie out your tarp. I always look for a full fly on any tent for a few reasons. Best rain protection. Also, in the colder/cooler months it’ll keep your heat from escaping and lower the heat envelope if you use a Mr buddy heater. Meaning you’ll feel the heat lower near the floor instead of maybe just at your shoulders. You can use a little fan to mix up the air and a full rain fly will keep it all in. I always laugh seeing the little cap of a rainfly many brands use.

I was a guide for 10 years and slept in a tent ~150 nights a year. The only tent I owned that entire time was a Marmot Limelight 2p. I think I broke one pole the entire time ( a non-necessary pole that gives you more headroom) and marmot was able to send me a replacement. It's a good middle ground tent, not heavy, but not ultralight. Reasonably priced. Rugged enough to keep up with the elements (used through many severe mountain storms). I have backpacked with it, but it's a bit too heavy to use it for that solo. I longer guide, but my family's tent is now a Limelight 4p (which is huge IMO). On the other hand. If you want true BIFL, don't care about weight, and are willing to spend a bit of money for the last tent you will ever buy, get a canvas wall tent as others have mentioned (Springbar or Kodiak).

I have an old Limelight (like 3 generations old) and it’s a great car camping tent. Got one of the newer versions (non-UL) and didn’t like the vestibule access. Ended up returning it and getting a Sea to Summit Telos TR3. Would definitely recommend the tent. Maybe a hair shy of a UL, but not by much

I have an old Limelight (like 3 generations old) and it’s a great car camping tent. Got one of the newer versions (non-UL) and didn’t like the vestibule access. Ended up returning it and getting a Sea to Summit Telos TR3. Would definitely recommend the tent. Maybe a hair shy of a UL, but not by much

My marmot limelight is pretty simple to set up and has lasted forever.

We originally had a Marmot 4 person dome tent. It was a good tent, but my husband and I are getting older and it was too hard to climb in and out of. We replaced the Marmot with a 6 person Nemo Aurora Highrise. We loved being able to stand up inside and having two vestibules. We use the back vestibule for our nighttime pee bucket--very convenient. It's still a bit difficult to enter and leave the tent. The door has a bathtub lip that wants to trip you up and there isn't really anything to grab to steady yourself for the step over. Once we decided we wanted to do more late fall and early spring camping, we added a White Duck 13' Regatta Bell and a Green Stove Hori 5 pellet stove. This combo is awesome, but it's going to be a LOT more than a beginner camper needs. The bell tent has a great entryway that unzips to the ground and there's a nice center pole to steady yourself when stepping in or out. It's very friendly for an older couple who only need to carry a heavy tent a few feet from the car. Plenty of headroom, easy to set up, comfortable as all get out, the only problem is finding a tent site large enough to handle the 4 meter diameter.

I have an old MEC Wanderer, but recently purchased a 4P Marmot and I feel like it’s a great canoe camping tent. Some brands out there are designed for arid and/or alpine environments and therefore do not meet the needs of canoeists very well. Ultralight is not that necessary for canoeing. The Marmot has a full durable fly and strong floor material and robust aluminum poles.

I'd add marmot to that list too for the 3-season and backup the canvas with stove for freezing weather.