Marmot - Tungsten Ultralight 3P

I own Kelty, North Face and Marmot backpacking tents, and can attest to their durability, ease of use and agreeable weight. I've used them both in the backcountry as well as when going car camping.

The tungstens are awesome. A little heavy and bulky for backpacking but you can totally make it work too. I have a 1p and 3p and they are my go to for car camping. I used to use them for backpacking until I got lighter stuff.

My recommendation as a life scout having been in an active scout troop for 5 years is the Marmot tungsten 2p. It has plenty of room, is easy to set up, and is nearly bullet proof. I have had the 3p version for 4 years with no issues. The tent can be used 4-seasons out of the year, and is light enough to take on backpacking trips. You shouldn’t have to buy your scout another tent in his duration in scouting(provided they take proper care of it)

Marmot makes some excellent tents in that price range. I have the tungsten UL 3P, it’s a little outside your range, but the non UL versions are within your range and still around that 5lb mark. Personally, I’d avoid naturehike. Materials, testing, and quality control are really important with tents, and these are the main things that get skipped by Chinese brands seeking to undercut the market. Nothing worse than a tent that just WONT pitch taut because the pattern it’s sewn with is a little off, or the material is a little too stretchy. Nothing worse than rain running down the inner wall of your tent because the rain fly is sagging and touching it.

I absolutely love my marmot tungsten ul 3P. Perfect size for two people and a dog or two. Price has gone up since I got mine, but if you can find it on sale it’s a fantastic tent for the price. [link](https://www.bushwhacker.com/tungsten-ul.html)

I got mine in 2020 for like $240, I was so stoked. It’s been absolutely bulletproof over the 75 or so nights I’ve spent in it, including one time when we woke up to water actively running under and around the tent (tons of rain and poor site selection on my part) but were still perfectly dry inside. And while it obviously can’t compete with single walled non-freestanding tents in terms of lightness, the liveabiliy trade off is so worth it for most of the types of hikes I like to go on (pretty low miles).

I have a Tungsten UL 3p and it is like a mansion... Love that tent. We take it when we take a dog or just want spacious luxury... Even if it is a couple lbs heavier than our Durston. I'm not a fan of 1p tents in general. Just not enough room. Our first Marmot was a 3p Limelite.... Like a Cadillac, but just as heavy, LOL. Carried that sucker for 10 years before it started to wear out. I'm a fan of the brand.

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

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.

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

Marmot Tungsten, Naturehike Mongar 2p, Big Agnes Copper Spur, Durston X-Dome... Lots of great options out there. Get a tent with a mesh body, not a solid body, for summer. The Sundomes is a good tent but gets hot and doesn't air out as well as a higher grade shelter since it has mostly solid walls.

Tungsten 3 person yeah!

Hmm mine is a year old. Not sure about any extra wing. Just realized there’s a cool pocket sleeve at the top of the tent on my last trip. No issues with this tent so far.