Marmot Limelight UL 2P

The Marmot Limelight UL is a solid 2p shelter that weighs in at 3.2 lbs. It is sturdy, roomy, and easy to set up. However, the vestibules could be bigger and it is difficult to get a tight pitch on the rainfly

A solid, sturdy, lightweight tent is one of the most essential items for serious backpackers. While I tend to lean towards trekking pole tents because they are much lighter, I also like to have one lightweight freestanding tent for certain backpacking trips. I recently picked up a Marmot Limelight UL 2P tent to check it out. I had an older Marmot 2P Tungsten UL that served me well for many trips, so I figured I'd check out a new Marmot lightweight tent. 

Full disclosure: Since it is the heart of winter where I live, I have not used this tent outside yet. So I can't give a full review.  However, just in case anyone is thinking about purchasing this tent, I thought I'd share a few notes I have from setting it up inside and checking it out in some detail. (You'll obviously see that I set it up in my basement!)

First, the tent is lightweight. It weighs in right around 3.2 lbs on my scale. That was everything except the stakes. 3.2 lbs is not too bad when split between two people each carrying part of the tent.  One unique aspect of this tent is the floor area has two equivalent gear cubby additions—one per side. It's hard to explain, but you can see it in the pics. These little extra gear cubbies do provide quite a bit of extra inside space for gear!

Background

I've used lightweight freestanding tents for many years. For this Marmot Limelight UL 2P, I set it up in my basement and studied it with a lot of scrutiny, comparing it to other tents I've had.