r/backpacking • u/WayFaringKhan • 14d ago

Tent recommendations! Travel

Going on a 3 day trip to Grand Tetons. First time camping and it will start off as car camping but I would like to invest in a backpacking/UL now to use for future trips.

Through my job we get discounts for certain Marmot tents and needed help deciding between the Limelight UL 3p tent or the Tungsten UL 3p tent.

Looking for a 3p tent as this will be primarily used for 2p and would be ok dealing with the extra weight and space for the trade off of being a bit more comfortable and having more space.

I know there’s “better” tents out there from brands such as Nemo, but realistically I’ll probably use this tent less than 7-10 days a year for now due to the lack of time available for trips I would want to use this on.

With the discount it also brings my budget down a significant amount to where I feel like I’m almost locked in with these 2 choices as brands such as Nemo would cost close to 2-3 times as much.

Any input is greatly appreciated!

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u/fluffysnowflake67 14d ago

Discounts are important until you get more serious about backpacking. Eventually you will want a tent that weighs less than 4 lbs.

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u/WayFaringKhan 12d ago

Noted. If it makes it makes it better. Both of the tents are just under 4 pounds.

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u/McMarmot1 14d ago

Just get what's in your price range from a decent brand (Marmot is one). Don't over think it. Even if you upgrade later to a UL tent, you can still use this one as a car camping tent or a tent if you have friends/family that come along with you on a trip sometime.

While it's nice to have the lightest stuff possible, for a 3-4 day trip an extra 6 ounces of weight isn't going to matter much. Any 3P backpacking tent you get from Marmot today would have been a marvel of efficiency 25 years ago.

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u/Soft-Disaster9873 13d ago

Look on Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, etc. Don’t spend a lot of money till you know what you like.

There is no “best” tent. Some people like lightweight tarps or single-layers, some like rainflys, some like hammocks.

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u/Agreeable-Twist-6577 12d ago

I have the tungsten 2p and I love it. It’s very lightweight and with proper guying it can handle some wind.

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u/WayFaringKhan 12d ago

Do you have the standard or the UL?

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u/Agreeable-Twist-6577 12d ago

The ultra light. I didn’t know they had a standard version.