User Review: Marmot EOS 1P

Marmot EOS 1P
Above: The current EOS 1P, which may differ slightly from the version reviewed.

Reviewed May 4, 2006 by Paul Clark

Rating:
Design: Three-season, freestanding solo tent
Sleeps: 1
Ease of Setup: Fast, and iIncredibly simple
Weight: Around three pounds with ground cloth
Price Paid: $219

After wearing out my trusted, never-once-let-me-down Mountain Hardware Solitude, and many wet, uncomfortable nights spent inside my very packable, lightweight, and intelligently designed but all-too-single-wall Mountain Hardware Waypoint 1, I needed a tent that could handle the climate and conditions of the Northeast.

I live in New York state and backpack and camp primarily in the Catskills and Adirondacks. And yeah, I know, single walls don’t belong in humid climates. They’re made for the drier air and altitude of the West and Southwest. But the Waypoint 1 was a cool tent and I had to at least try. I even I took it to New Mexico for two weeks of Philmont trekking, thinking things would be better there than in New York. No such luck. I still woke up in the middle of every night and at the crack of every dawn just as soaked.

When I got back—-and dried everything out—-I began looking through every outdoor store website, catalog and showroom I could find. After a couple of weeks of searching, a new REI catalog arrived in the mail and there it was. The Marmot EOS 1P.

One look and I knew it was to be. But at the time none of the local outdoor stores carried it. And it wasn’t even on the Marmot website yet. But the REI site had it, and I needed a tent for an upcoming weekend trek and ordered it sight unseen.

Now, after carrying it around in my pack, and sleeping in it for a year’s worth of New York summer, fall, winter and spring, I’m both glad (and relieved) to report that the EOS 1P does not disappoint. It has turned out to be everything I hoped it would be—-compact, extremely lightweight (2 lbs. and change), lightning-quick to set up and strike, tough, weather proof and very well made.

As for interior room, however, I would have to agree with other EOS 1P reviewers that a couple more inches at the head and foot would be nice. I’m 5’10” and I and my summer and winter sleeping bags fit in the tent comfortably. And I can sit up inside with the top of my head not brushing uncomfortably up against peak. But if I were over six feet tall, I might not think so.

The incredibly simple hub pole system is similar to the MSR Hubba and the stakes are amazingly strong and light. The tent itself has a metric ton’s worth of mesh for ventilation (to keep you nice and dry), and the bathtub floor extends upwards enough to keep rain and snow from blowing up under the rainfly and into the interior.

The fly itself has a nice self-sealing door zipper, an adjustable air vent and a large (for a one-person tent) teardrop window just over the door and bright reflective tabs for easy location after dark. The fly also extends out from the side-entrance door to create a decent-size vestibule for boots and smaller items. It’s not big enough to contain a full pack, but the space is ample just the same. There are a couple of interior pockets that are good for small stuff like socks and gloves.

My only “druthers’” might be a softer color. Marmot’s pumpkin-and-terra-cotta color scheme illuminates the inside of the tent like Klieg light when the sun hits it. But on the other hand, it does get you up and at ‘em every morning in no time flat.

So. If you’re in the market for a dependable, well-designed one-person tent for weekend hiking as well as long-haul treks—-and you’re under six feet tall-—take a good look at the EOS 1P. It’s the real deal. And great value all around.

As for that Waypoint 1, I gave it gladly to my brother-in-law, who has since used it for bike trekking/camping in Colorado at 6,000 feet, and while camping in Mexico. No problemo. He loves it.