User Review: Marmot Thor 2P

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

Reviewed April 22, 2006 by TNic

Rating:
Design: Mountineering Bomb Proof.
Sleeps: 2
Ease of Setup: easy setup
Weight: Mine weighs in at 10 pounds but it can be striped lighter

I previous owned a lot of tents. My favorite 2 person was the Moss Stardome. The Thor is my replacement for the Stardome.

Thor is heavier. Make no mistake this tent is built for gale force wind and heavy weather.

Some features:
-Lots of internal room. Tent is large enough for winter camping in comfort. Its an enjoyable tent to be in. 4 net wall pockets and one net pocket up near the ceiling.
-Tent setup is very easy and intuitive. Setup time is fast after one or two practice runs. If your tent partner helps setup is very fast.
-Full coverage fly covers entire tent.
-Fly and tent floor are factory sealed.
-6 poles – 5 for tent 1 for vestibule.
-Pole sleeves are mesh at the top to help facilitate air flow
-Secondary poles bow out away from tent at bottom which holds tent fly away from tent body.
-Tent has adjustable pole attachment points for primary poles for extreme cold (see below)
-Pole system completely suspends fly over tent – no tent body touch points for condensed liquid on fly to wet tent body
-Secondary poles have webbing which can clip onto steak loops for added strength (first tent which I have seen with this feature).
-Stake loops are reinforced at tent body for strength.
-Best air flow and condensation control of any tent I have owned or seen.
-Top vents in fly can be opened from inside and have small supports to hold them open.
-Ceiling panels open for lots of air flow.
-2 doors, 1 front 1 back. Each door has a zip open window. While this is a winter tent I believe the ventilation is so good it should be fine in all seasons.
-Aerodynamic design sheds wind. Looks like a turtle.
-Tent fly has 16 guy line tie out points for extreme wind conditions – with reflective detailing. Photos on Marmot site and sale sites do not show all the tie outs.
-Tent body has a total of 14 stake loops for survivability in wind. Each of the 4 corners of the tent have 2 stake loops each for the tent body! One is oversized for skis. Of course you don’t have to use those. This is a serious tent.
-Color – I prefer tan tents and earth tones. Not sure why tent makers give people who love nature unnatural colors.. The yellow and terracotta are not bad but jeez how about some friendly earth tones?
- On my 2006 model, there is no burrito bag or burrito bag attachment points in the tent and I could care less.
- The vestibule pole sleeve is sewn with the sleeve on the outside of the fly which makes it much easier to insert the pole (unlike other tents where your wrestling under the fly).
-Bug protection is excellent
-Vestibule opens on 2 sides. You can cook in there if you have to – if you don’t kill yourself with carbon monoxide.
- Aero design and fabric cut does not flap in wind. It’s quiet.

In very cold temps the nylon on tents shrinks and I have been on trips where people snapped poles trying to set their tent up because the fit was so tight. Others could not fully set up their tents below -10 F and colder. The Thor solves that problem with an adjustable pole webbing foot. You can tighten or loosen it. The tent is festooned with useful features. Of course all that adds weight. But they are all features that increase survivability not fluff. Some of the features like the webbing on the secondary poles and the XC ski/I-beam stake loops are removable.

The front and back door, Vestibule with 2 doors make for easy egress and reduce tent mate grumbling. One of you can cook out one door while the other door is still free for the call of nature. If your gear is piled up in the vestibule – use the back door!

If you like to camp on mountain tops with a view, where the wind blows. If foul weather is your call to go backpacking (as I do) you will love this tent. You won't have to worry about being caught out in extreme weather of all types in this safe haven.

If you want one tent that you can use in any conditions, is roomy, and enjoyable to be in but don’t mind the weight – you would be hard pressed to find a more survivable tent than the Thor 2p. Survivability, ventilation and livability were designed into this tent. It is the finest example of a mountaineering tent I have seem Marmot (or anyone else) build. But it is not light weight.

You can remove the straps on the secondary poles and some other stuff to save a little weight if you like.

The tent is mostly free standing except for the 2 stakes needed for the vestibule. You can set the tent up with about 4 stakes or even 2 if you wanted. However if you want to fully deploy all guy outs and loops – it would take 33 stakes! But sleep well, this tent will be standing when the rest of the camp is blown to shreds.

I am very happy with the Thor. I plan on using it on kayak, snow shoe trips, backpacking, winter trips etc. I have lighter tents when weight is an issue. But none are stronger.

You might want to look at the North Face Mountain 25 tent which looks like it was made by the same manufacturer. It appears to be the same basic tent (just about the same size, same peak windows and same peak vent design) re-branded with the NF log and a few changes on the design. I liked the Thor better. There are more similarities than differences…