Marmot Tungsten 4 Review

The Marmot Tungsten 4 performed well in our review thanks to the easy setup, quality materials, and lightweight design. With 100% polyester and ripstop materials, aluminum poles, and an included footprint, this tent will handle whatever you throw at it. The fully open top and sides allow for great warm weather options, and the white tint on the mesh provides an additional layer of privacy without compromising views. The ability to pitch this tent alone and the comparatively lightweight package make it very versatile both for a family and a solo camper. 

Performance Comparison

Space and Comfort

The Tungsten 4 has a 52.7 square foot main living space and a large 36.6 square foot vestibule providing ample comfort for both beds and gear. The full mesh top and sides make for great warm-weather options, and the dual vents allow for good airflow when the fly is on. But with a max height of only 4' 4", plan on changing clothes being a little difficult, and while there are six pockets throughout, they are pretty small.

The white mesh is a nice change from the typical black, as it provides an additional layer of privacy that is surprisingly good. We also found the vestibule to be large enough for a chair or maybe a kiddo's personal space — both work.

Weather Resistance

As with most well-built tents that sit lower to the ground, weather isn't too much of a concern here. The poles and connections are all high-quality aluminum, and the stakes are well-made and bite into the ground. Unfortunately, Marmot felt like only including enough stakes for the tent and rainfly and didn't include enough to fasten down the guylines. We would recommend bringing four extra stakes so you don't find your tent in the trees should a big gust come through.

The pole system on the Tungsten 4 is very well thought out. Typically hub setups have plastic parts and are cumbersome to set up. But this system is simple, light, and 100% aluminum. Even the connectors for the side poles are made from machined aluminum. The result is a super light structure that can handle a beating.

Ease of Use

Thanks again to the pole system, this tent went up for us in 4:48 minutes and came down in half that. The oversized carry bag means you can be a little lazy in your rolling without worrying about everything fitting back inside. Loading and unloading this tent is also a breeze, weighing, as it weighs in at less than 8 pounds. At that weight, we could see this tent making it on a few short backpacking trips as well.

Color-coded poles and clips add to the ease of use of this tent as well as the hub pole that provides the ability to pitch alone. Needless to say, Marmot nailed ease of use with the Tungsten 4. We can't emphasize enough how great it is to have a 4-person tent that is 7. 9 pounds and a packed size of only 24.8" x 8.3". This tent weighs less than most people's luggage.

Family Friendliness

This is a smaller, lower, 4-person tent. Packing two adults, some kids, and some dogs will be snug. Should the weather cause everyone to be in the tent for an extended period, this will not add to the joy.  Realistically, you can fit three singles or a twin air mattress in here with enough room for some storage — any more is going to be a bit much for this tent. The large size of the vestibule does help, especially if your dogs (or kids) are good at sleeping on the dirt. We were able to fit a small chair and table, but things were snug.  

Quality

From the stakes to the bag, the poles to the snaps, everything used on the Tungsten 4 is quality. Even the clever door tie-downs are high-end. Aluminum poles, an included footprint, smooth zippers, great stakes, and robust materials show that there wasn't a corner cut when designing this tent.

Should You Buy the Marmot Tungsten 4?

If you value quality and ease of use over size, the Tungsten 4 is an amazing choice. The materials mixed with a simple and intuitive setup put it above many. Then add that all this comes in a super lightweight package, and you have the most versatile 4-person tent in our lineup.

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