Marmot Fortress 2P tent

The Marmot Fortress 2P is way too heavy for backpacking use (for me) but has proven very nice for the “front country” – a.k.a. car camping.  The package includes 12 stakes, 6 line tensioners, 6 guy lines, 1 pole splice, and no footprint.  The advertised package weight is 5 lbs 5.5 oz but I measure it at 1 lb heavier.  The tent has a vestibule on each side but one is slightly smaller.  The full-fabric canopy with 3 zippered ventilation panels is probably a great thing in cold windy conditions but may be stifling in an Arkansas summer with little or no breeze.  We’ll see.

Left side

Head end

Right side

Interior head end.  Note the ventilation panel at the bottom.  The zippered opening at the top is for access to the fly vent.  There are 2 small triangular gear pockets at mid-height.

Interior right side.  Only the upper half of the door can be unzipped for ventilation.

Gear pockets – one on each side at the head end.

Interior left side.  The fabric on this door can be fully unzipped for ventilation.

The bend in each end pole segment makes for a more-vertical wall at the head and feet.

The poles breakdown to a bundle 21″ in length. The 2 main poles are permanently connected in the center by a swivel thingamajig.

The fly has one vent, in the head end, that can be propped open or zipped closed.

There are several guy line attachment points to keep the tent in place during high winds.

There is an (optional) additional tie-down at each corner.

Mar 28 2018

Dec 2018 update: The ability to zip the fabric panels over the mesh was very helpful in staying warm during a couple cold and very windy nights.

 

The product was purchased with my own money.  I have no material connection with any companies, products or services mentioned in this post.

2 Responses to Marmot Fortress 2P tent

  1. charlie's avatar charlie says:

    The tent pole for this tent are ridiculous. I use the singular because the two poles are connected by the thingamajig in the review above. They are over-engineered and hard to deploy, especially in a tight spot. The flimsy shock cord stretched after less than 10 uses, and now has to be replaced or spliced to make it shorter.

    Older A-frame or parabolic tents I’ve had in the past set up in a fraction of the time it takes to set this up. Would NOT buy this tent again.

    • Michael R's avatar Michael R says:

      The poles are a bit cumbersome, and I recently had to replace the shock cord (for the first time on any tent). I’m still pretty happy with it though, or at least I’m not considering a replacement. When I use it, I am typically setting it up once for 5-10 days of camping so any inconvienence becomes pretty trivial. I would definitely not consider this for backpacking – the TarpTent Notch is still my top choice there.

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