Marmot Asylum

Excellent construction, quality materials, and easy setup. I use year around on backpacking trips. The tent has a window in the rear and one over the door. The door itself can be zipped down to increase ventilation through the netting. I've never felt like venilation was poor at all. Also, since these vents are covered, you can keep them open during a rain storm.

There are storage pockets in each corner. You can also use the tent's storage bag as a storage shelf on the ceiling of the tent. When backpacking, I put the tent and vestibule in a small compression stuff sack to reduce the amount of space it takes up in my backpack. Both the tent and my sleeping bag fit in the sleeping bag compartment of my pack. The poles go in the my pack's main compartment.

When I first purchased the tent, I spent considerable time sealing the seams on the inside of the tent with McNett's Seam Grip. After each outing, I spray the outside down with a hose and wash with Nikwax's Tech Wash. I vacuum the inside and then spray the seams with Nikwax's TX Direct Spray. Overall, I am very happy with the tent. Email me if you have any questions.

I purchased this tent for use in fast winter assaults in deep snow and high wind conditions. It hasn't disappointed me. The Asylum is light, durable, easy to set-up, highly wind-resistant, and readily sheds snow. Moreover, the interior fabric does not accumulate condensation (as advertised), is soft and warm to the touch even at sub-zero temperatures, and doesn't give you that annoying flapping noise in the wind.

The aggravation with this tent comes only before you use it for the first time - NONE OF THE SEAMS ARE FACTORY SEALED! When one considers the price for this puppy, Marmot's lack of consideration is an insult! Be prepared to spend the better part of an afternoon with a glue tube and a paint brush. And work on this task outside - the toluene fumes from the glue are known to be a good solvent for the lipid material in your brain cells!

I've cycled for years with a Marmot bivy tent and found it to be very reliable but cramped. I found a Marmot Asylum without poles and made poles to fit, all at the right price, free!

I just finished a winter tour of the Sonora desert and the tent was great. In 50mph winds on a mountain pass my only complaint was the noise, sounded like a mob beating on the sides of the tent. A lesser tent would not hold up.

I haven't used it in pouring rain yet but almost 2,000 miles of cycle touring with it and it has proved to be the best tent I've used. I really like the way it breathes in the heat, 90 degree nights last summer were bearable. If this is a two-man tent you'd better be close friends.

The tent is made of quality stuff and is not so difficult to set up -- thought the ventilator pole does not stay up so easily. Another problem is that unless one pitches the window awning carefully, one can easily suffocate as it covers the window completely. During somewhat extreme weather (-15 Centigrade, which curiously was in summer in India!) a lot of condensation did take place, though the tent remained quite warm. Finally, unless one seals the base, quite a bit of water leaks in.

I picked this tent up on my AT thru hike.

The tent performed very well. I was nervous about using a single wall in the summer, but condensation was no problem.

The tent is similar to a Bibler Eldorado, but includes the removable vestibule and has a rear window.

This is a great tent from a manufacturer that builds bomber gear.

Don't believe Backpacker's so-so rating of this product. Testing tents in a backyard with a sprinkler setup is, in my opinion, a poor testing method.

This tent is bomber. I have had it in severe winter conditions in high winds and never a single problem. Never a leak. Never a rip. The set up is easy once you know what you are doing (and it only took 1 set up to know that), it is light and the vestible is large enough to cook in and store extra gear. Venting worked very well. Recommended.