Marmot - Tungsten 3 Person

The tungsten 3p is great, and solidly holds up in all weather I’ve thrown at it.  You say you don’t care about weight but the UL version will give you lighter baggage and pack smaller. 

I have the base tungsten, it’s good. The UL version is lighter and packs smaller. Both are very nice. 

We love our Tungsten also but both zippers have gone after 4 years of use along with minor tears on the seams with repairs done. We have used this tent prob 30x so great use until the issues this year.

for how many people? i love my marmot tents. i have 4 different ones now. a giant 6p for family / car camping. a 3p for when its just me and another adult or me and my two kids. a 1p ul backpacking tent. i also have a much older 3p tent maybe 10yr old that had a "window" in the rain fly that delaminated a year ago and they replaced the entire tent with my current brand new 3p tent for freeee. i thought they would just send a replacement rain fly but got a whole new tent and then fixed the rainfly on my own. my 1p tent i've had for 15+ years and its holding up great still.

for how many people? i love my marmot tents. i have 4 different ones now. a giant 6p for family / car camping. a 3p for when its just me and another adult or me and my two kids. a 1p ul backpacking tent. i also have a much older 3p tent maybe 10yr old that had a "window" in the rain fly that delaminated a year ago and they replaced the entire tent with my current brand new 3p tent for freeee. i thought they would just send a replacement rain fly but got a whole new tent and then fixed the rainfly on my own. my 1p tent i've had for 15+ years and its holding up great still.

I have a Marmot Tungsten 3 and I have used it as a 4 season tent. Held up pretty well. But, get a good quilt / sleeping bag, an insulated sleeping pad and a closed cell foam mat and you should be good in most any weather. Even in a budget tent. I prefer a hammock with a down quilt and down underquilt.

Must haves (I’ve passed over and returned tents for these) Poles that clip instead of slide into sleeves. Makes setup/takedown super fast and easy.  High Quality zippers/fabric/hardware Full rain fly with vestibule for shoes. Double doors.  Good ventilation and plenty of mesh. Available oem Footprint Nice to haves: (Increase comfort and usability but aren’t total dealbreakers) Headroom is important to my family, but not a big deal for me personally.  Straight walls which keep the interior feeling open.  These two hit all those marks for me: Mountain hardwear Mineral king https://www.mountainhardwear.com/p/mineral-king-3-tent-2102591.html Marmot tungsten https://www.marmot.com/equipment/tents/4-person/tungsten-4-person-tent/SP_1031644.html

I really love my Mormot Tungsten. It is a little heavier than some of the other Recs but is roomy and has withstood some intense PNW rain. It also comes in an ultra light version (I don’t think it’s actually ultralight, but it is lighter than the OG version). Don’t pay full price for it though, Marmot tents are on sale all the time. I don’t like the zipper geometry on the MSR elixir and hubba for heavy rain and damp/dew- it’s meant so you don’t have to reach so far out into the vestibule to open your fly, but i find it means the zipper can drip into your tent through the open door.

We downsized the tent we take on kayak trips to save on space and a bit of weight. Our 3 person marmot is almost 8 lbs vs my Durston XMid but if I didn't also want something for backpacking a Naturehike Mongar 2 would be a good balance between size, weight and costs.

Yeah we have a 3P Marmot that's similar. Very sturdy and great for its intended use but there are much lighter weight options like the Mongar that's also quite cheap. Basically unless you already own the heavy tent there's little reason to buy one when there are lighter, cheaper options which are readily available.