Marmot Limestone 8 Person Tent (Totally Reliable 3-Season Tent)

If you need full weather protection for family or group camping, this Marmot Limestone 8 person tent is for you. This is a tent which stands out for its quality and features.

Key features & benefits

What type of tent is this

This green version has replaced the orange tent which they had on the market for some time. There are big differences, vestibules are changed, instead of two you have one now, the inner area is a bit bigger now, there are awning poles included, etc.

This is an extended dome-style tent, and semi-freestanding. So you have an extra pole added on one side and this creates an extra room. But due to this same pole, you have to stake it down to be fully functional. The structure without the fly is shown in the picture below.

The removable divider included in the package can be used to separate the extension and this creates two separate rooms, one small for 2 people and the other is for the rest.

Note that this is a tall tent with a peak height of 77 inches (196 cm). The tent comes with a full fly so you have complete protection from elements. The picture below shows it with the fly on and with the doors closed. I have included it in my list of best tents with full coverage fly.

Who is it for

Size-wise, the declared capacity of this tent is 8 people. But the inner floor area is only 130 ft² (12 m²) which makes 16.2 ft² (1.5 m²) per person. So this is a backpacking principle used here, more about this terminology in my another text.

However, you have a vestibule which creates a large storage space in front of the main double door, its size is 32 ft² (3 m²). This adds a lot of functionality to this tent. In any case, use it for up to 5 people maximum if you want some comfort while camping.

Season-wise, this is a true 3-season tent, very reliable with its full fly, and it will definitely keep you dry regardless of weather conditions. The dome shape of this tent is aerodynamic, and it can be staked firmly to the ground so it will behave nicely in the case of winds.

The packed size 33 x 16.5 inches (84 x 42 cm), and the weight of 21.19 lb (9.6 kg) are such that you will use normally this tent at places with motorized access. In such a case this tent can be used for many outdoor activities, no limits. But its ratio of the total protected area and weight is great, 1.6 m²/kg, so if you want an 8-person backpacking tent, this would be your best choice.

Construction & materials

Rainfly

The rain fly is 68D polyester ripstop, so it is reasonably durable. It is fully seam taped and it is also the full-coverage type so the inner tent is completely protected.

The fly creates one vestibule which allows for an awning configuration and for sitting outside under the shade. Note that the poles for this are included in the package. But you can unzip both zippers and roll the vestibule up and fix it with toggles, see the picture below.

Poles

There are 5 poles for the tent, plus the poles for the awning, DAC DA17, all are color-coded so that they fit the corresponding color sleeves which you have in the inner tent, see the picture without the fly above. This is the type of poles specially engineered for large modern tent structures like family camping tents. Note that DAC is the world-leading manufacturer of tent poles.

You have two main poles that create the main dome part of the tent. Here you also have two brow poles that go around the main poles and make the sides with the doors vertical, and this adds some extra head-volume in the tent and increases livability.

There is also an extra pole that creates the extension on one side of the tent. This is for the extra room which you have there. The main two poles are 14.5 mm and the others are 12 mm. They are pre-bent and this adds lots of volume inside, so it looks almost like a cabin tent.

The inner tent

The main part of the tent is 40D 100% polyester No-See-Um mesh, while polyester taffeta is more on the lower sections, on the side room, and on the back. So this taffeta material is asymmetrically built in here, and it is there for extra privacy and for protection.

The floor is a catenary cut type and coated, and here you have a quite durable 150D 100% polyester oxford.

Ventilation

There is nothing one could object to ventilation in this tent. You have several vents on the fly and there is also a large zippered floor vent in the main room. This together with all the mesh in the inner tent body is a guarantee that ventilation should not be an issue in any weather conditions. These vents are with Velcro stiffeners and they can be kept open all the time.

Waterproofness rating

The floor is with 3000 mm rating and the fly is 1500 mm. These are very good numbers which you will see also in many winter tents as well. In view of the sealed seams, you have full protection here. More about the waterproof rating you can see in my separate text.

Other features

The tent comes with a removable taffeta divider that you attach to the walls by toggles. It has a central vertical zipper. There are many pockets and organizers on the walls, 8 in total in various sizes, see the pictures below.

Specifications

• Type: dome, non-freestanding, 3-season.
• Capacity: 8 people.
• Weight: 21 lb 3 oz (9.6 kg).
• Dimensions (L x W): 187 x 100 in (475 x 255 cm).
• Peak height: 77 in (196 cm).
• Floor area: 130 ft² (12 m²).
• Flor area per person: 16.2 ft² (1.5 m²).
• Vestibule area: 32 ft² (3 m²).
• Total area per person: 20.2 ft² (1.9 m²).
• Packed size: 33 x 16.5 in (84 x 42 cm).
• Warranty: lifetime.
• Light-reflective points.
• Jingle-free nylon zipper pulls.
• Optional footprint is available.

Marmot Limestone 8p tent vs competitors

You might want to see how this tent stands when compared with some other tents in this capacity range. So I give two of them. Please follow the links to read more, they are described in detail in my separate texts.

Final thoughts, rating, pros & cons

See how I rate it against my standard set of criteria used for all the tents here in the site:

Marmot Limestone 8 Person Tent

8.6

Area per person

8.3/10

Weight

8.7/10

Packed size

7.0/10

Protection

9.3/10

Ease of use

8.8/10

Features

9.7/10

Pros

• Very reliable.
• Quality materials.
• Versatile.
• Good organization & features.
• Very comfortable.

Cons

• Very expensive.
• Small for the declared capacity.

Note that they also have a screen house with a similar name so you can use it as an annex, so see this ultralight Marmot Limestone Lanai Shelter.

Thank you for reading. There are many tents in this size range presented in the site, so please check around if you need something different. 

Note that I am not paid by the manufacturer, and this is not a sponsored text. In the case of questions or comments, please use the comment box below. Have a nice day.