Marmot Turret 2P

[shoulder-season]

If you like hitting the trails after the fair-weather crowd goes home, you need a tent that can handle the rougher edges of spring and fall. This tough-built shelter stands up to wintry weather, but it weighs and costs less than a full-on mountaineering model. “In Alaska, I got pummeled with 40-mph winds, but the tent held—and kept me dry in insanely wet conditions,” reports one tester. The hard-duty materials stand up to rough conditions—40-denier polyester for the tent body and a 70-denier nylon floor coated with a thick layer of polyurethane waterproofing.

The double-wall dome pitches with three color-coded poles, and two doors offer both occupants easy entrances (though the third pole encroaches on the door space). The roomy interior makes the Turret a comfy refuge in a storm: The 90-inch length and 34-square-foot floor offered ample space for our 6’1” tester to stretch out. Its pair of nine-square-foot vestibules provide adequate—but not excess—storage: Bisected by the third pole, the vestibule couldn’t stash our tester’s 85-liter pack without it crowding the door.

The limited mesh makes it warm on wintry nights, but also compromises ventilation: Condensation accumulated with just one occupant in subfreezing temps. And testers wished for a simpler, faster setup. Until the third arched pole is fully clipped into place, the other two tend to fall over—making it awkward to attach them to the tent body. $379; 5 lbs. 9 oz.