User Review: Marmot Bise 2P

Marmot Bise 2P
Above: The current Bise 2P, which may differ slightly from the version reviewed.

Reviewed January 20, 2008 by hardcoredds

Rating:
Design: 3 season, freestanding, "stretched hexagon"
Sleeps: 2
Ease of Setup: no problem....colour-coding and clips help
Weight: 5lb 15 oz fully stocked (according to REI)
Price Paid: $279

My wife and I purchased this tent when it first came out, and we have not regretted it. I tend to spend a lot of time researching products before I buy them, so I was well aware of most of the 2-person 3-season tents out there.

I am 6'1" and have the problem that I know many others my size and taller have of having your head and/or feet hit the walls of a tent that is supposedly 10-16 inches longer than you when lying down....I know part of this is the "slope" of the tent walls, but I think some overstating of sizes by manufacturers must also exist...anyways, there is NO problem with that with the Bise.

We used it only a few times now (hence I'm reserving a perfect 5-star rating for that reason....no fault of the tent's, I suppose....). We camp in Alberta/BC so it is usually chilly at night even in the summer and rain is not a surprise. The one 3-night backpacking trip we took it on rained on-and-off the whole time, and we had no issues at all with wetness in the tent (rain or condensation). I was also concerned about so much netting and how much colder I would be at night, but I was fine and it felt similar to older tents I'd used that were totally "enclosed". Just lighter!

I know some true ultra-light hikers will not consider this tent, but at under 6 pounds that is great for the two of us. The extra room at your head and feet are great for keeping an extra layer, etc around, and (most importantly) my feet/head don't rub on the walls and I can sit perfectly upright without hitting the ceiling (the Aeolos, which we also considered, has a lower ceiling, which is what made me get the Bise). We opted for this tent for the length and ceiling height as we envision hours on end having to sit and play cards, etc in our tent due to rain and lack of warming hut/shelters on many trails.

While there are lighter tents out there that are *technically* 2-person tents, some I lay down in were so small (length, width, and height), I think I'd be so uncomfortable spending a few hours in there...worth the extra 6-14 ounces (depending which tent you are comparing it to) to save my back/neck/sanity!

Hmmmm....what else.....set-up is easy, and the 2 doors and 2 equal-sized vestibules are great. I also noted a "roof slant" that the previous reviewer noted, although I didn't think it was quite 3-inches, maybe 1.5. And no window in the fly, I think just the 3-person Bise has that. In summary, I'd totally buy it again.