Marmot Tungsten 1P

Light, hard-wearing, fully waterproof, ultra low condensation, two-layer, one-person tent with lots of internal room and very quick and simple to set up.

Bought mine online from Campsaver in the States to get one in 'Shadow/Moss' colour scheme (which is a sort of camoflage green, which blends well into the countryside). I saved about £87 by doing this, so it was worth the inconvenience of having to wait several weeks for it to arrive.

While waiting for it to arrive I watched some YouTube videos showing how to put up the Tungsten 1P, so when it finally came, I didn't even need to read the instructions on how to set it up...I could instinctively set it up from scratch in about a minute! My previous single layer tent took at least five times longer to set up!

As other reviewers have stated, the original pack size is too big for backpacking. The easy solution, I discovered, is to store the poles seperately, and stuff the footprint, inner, fly and pegs (the pegs are in a seperate storage pouch), into an 8 litre Trekmates Compression sack, which weighs 58g. This cinches the lot down to a much more backpack friendly 10" x 7" (about 25cm x 17cm), with a weight of 1.4kg (without the poles). The poles weigh just over 400g, and in a custom made tent pole pouch, weigh 439g. Bringing the total weight, including the compression sack and tent pole carry pouch, to about 1.8kg (3.96lbs).

Bear in mind, this is including the custom footprint, which comes with the Tungsten 1P as standard. It is an optional extra on most other tents and at an additional cost, so credit is due to Marmot for providing it, effectively for free. You can save at least a hundred grams by leaving the footprint at home. Of course if you do, much more care will be needed to ensure to set the tent up on a smooth surface with no sharp objects, like twigs, sticking up which might pierce the bottom of the tent. 

Having said that, the "bathtub" floor is made from heavy-duty 30D material, with a 2000mm Head waterproofing. Some ultralight tents only have an extremely flimsy 7D material floor (!), so whilst the Tungsten 1P is obviously built to last, it's always best to exercise caution when finding the perfect site, and use the supplied footprint, just in case. 

The heavy-duty Polyester fabric may not be quite as light as Sil-Nylon, but it is stronger, and fully waterproof. All seams are fulled taped and the design raises the front and back edges of the bath tub floor, where the seams are located, slightly off the ground using something called a catenary cut, ensuring ground water cannot get in. A neat touch.   

The fly is made from 20D material, with a 1500mm Head waterproofing. Unlike tents made of Nylon, Polyester does not absorb water, so the fly of the Tungsten 1p does not sag when wet. This means once you have set up your guy lines, they will stay taut the whole night, even if it rains (providing, of course, that they are not made of Nylon too...I use ultralight, ultra-strong Dyneema guy lines, which do not stretch when wet), and it stops the fly touching the mesh inner, preventing any condensation on the inside of the fly getting onto the inner, so you stay dry.  

The six tent pegs supplied are made of anodised, hexagonal profile, Aluminium bar, which is strong, but not that light. They weigh at least 16g each (101g for all six), and the supplied tent peg bag weighs a further 7g. So I quickly replaced the pegs with ultralight Titanium alternatives (a mixture of 'shephard hooks' and V profile pegs), and replaced the bag with an ultralight version made by Z-Packs out of Cuben Fiber/DCM. This roughly halves the original weight of the pegs and bag.

The Tungsten 1P is a joy to use, not just because of its ease of setup, but because of its ultra low condensation level. Even during and after a heavy rainstorm at night, I stayed completely cozy and dry inside the whole night.

There is a handy pocket inside to the bottom left of the door, which is large enough to hold various items you want to keep close by, like keys, a torch, snacks, or a mobile phone say. Above your head is a translucent pocket for holding a headlamp. The translucent fabric helps to diffuse the light so it is less dazzling at night.

There is plenty of floor area inside (20 square feet) and the headroom is generous too. I'm 6'1" and even sitting fully upright up I still have several inches above my head inside. The single vestibule is big enough for both my pack and a fully assembled Helinox Chair Zero!

In the UK the normal price is between £268 and £299, but you are limited to a single colour choice...a bright yellow colour, which stands out like a sore thumb in the countryside, which is why I bought one online from the States.

Yes, there are lighter tents available, but they are probably not as dry inside, won't last as long as the Tungsten 1P, or offer such good value for money.

Lightweight (3 1/2 lbs), roomy, well made one-person tent. Perfect compromise between weight and cost.

I purchased this to drop some weight after carrying a Kelty Gunnison 1.3 for years. The Tungsten has a great design, and two color choices. I went with Green Shadow/Moss, also available in Blaze/Steel (orange and dark grey). It weighs in at around 3,5 lbs; I upgraded to lighter stakes and made ultralight guy lines. I carry the poles and stakes in the sacks provided, the fly and body in a Kelty compression sack (color: curry, size: small).

Below tent on Saranac Islands

Basic crisscrossing pole design; poles are high quality DAC. The poles that attach to the front of the tent are pre-bent and their ends are different colors to add space to the lower tent. Pole attachments on body and fly are color coded and the clips for both poles all face the front of the tent, which makes setup easy.

It's vestibule allows for pack and gear storage.

Tungsten 1

The tent comes with j stakes and 4 guy lines (you'll need to carry 5). I replaced the stakes with MSR Groundhogs for the guy lines and MSR Mini Groundhogs for the tent body. I bought Zephyr guy line tensioners and 1.8 mm Paracord Planet reflective guy line cord on Amazon and made lightweight reflective guy lines. The tent has 4 guy line attachment loops for the poles and 1 for the back. The tent could use guy line loops at it's ends.

Homemade guylines and MSR stakes I carry with the Tungsten

The tent is made with reflective guy line attachments, line loops at the pole attachments, and lights up in the beam of a headlamp.

Tungsten 1p lit up by headlamp light

It comes with the footprint ($35 retail), so you can go fast and light.

There is a plastic J loop on the tent ceiling that allows you to hang a lantern. Also, to provide ambient light, the tent has a lampshade pocket at it's head that holds a headlamp. 

I have used the tent in heavy rain, strong winds, and light snow. With the tent guyed out, it withstands weather.

Its only flaw, is the lack of guy line loops at the Tungsten's ends that could allow condensation to dampen the tent body at the head and foot where the mesh touches the fly. To prevent this, guy out the tent fly's back wall, tighten the fly attachment buckles, and open the top vent.

Overall, I am very happy with the tent.

Not a backpacking tent...if you're considering this tent, be forewarned that is does not pack down compact and is not super light. However, it is a good quality, spacious 1-person tent with nice features.

OK, I haven't used this tent but looked at one in the store...just wanted to save people some frustration if trying to order online as I found the manufacturer's description misleading. I was shocked at how big it was in the stuff sack, and wouldn't say that it's very light.

The Tungsten 1 had lots of great features and would be fine when light and compact isn't necessary. Probably best used for kayak trips, car camping, maybe hunting (the green color is very camo). It comes with a footprint which is great, is very roomy and had a good size vestibule. The fly is particularly nice, and goes on easy.  

I think the materials are more durable than "ultralight" tents; the mesh is good no-see-um and the fly and tub floor are clearly built for the long haul. Just too bad the poles don't break down into shorter sections to facilitate compactness.