The Marmot Limelight 3P tent, on its own, is made of two main materials. The top three-thirds of the tent is made of mesh, to allow for great ventilation, and the bottom third is made of a taffeta material to give you privacy and give you some splash protection. The rain fly is made of waterproof material and has been seam-taped to ensure that rain does not slip inside and get you and your equipment wet. Of course, the floor has been seam-taped for the same reasons as the rain fly. This is important, as no one wants to get wet as they’re sleeping or waiting out a small storm.
Of course in the same light, because of all the mesh you can’t use it for colder weather camping and would only want to plan for late spring to early fall. The ventilation is awesome for warm days and cool nights and the spacious interior means you won’t be cramping up on your fellow occupants. During a light to medium rain, you will find protection from the rain fly, but if the wind picks up too much or the rain comes down too hard you may want to pack it up for another time. This isn’t uncommon with most seasonal tents though, so we doubt this will deviate you have already come this far with this tent.

Of course, the Limelight is a three-person tent and ensures that three people can be housed comfortably within. Of course, as with most backpacking tents, you cannot stand up inside of it. It works well, though, for what you’ll need. Having plenty of room for three people and even their gear, one way or another. The box shape of the base of the tent allows for plenty of room and comfort for one, two, or three full-grown people. Of course, if you decide to spend the money on this for use with children, you could probably fit more than three people inside of it, mattering on their height. This is perfect for camping out on special events too!
If you are into the seasonal activities where you get to dress up in costume and meet up with others of like-minded fun, you have enough room ito be the ‘home’ for two occupants beyond yourself. There are always the few who show up and don’t have a tent, but still want to be part of the fun- so why not be that cool person who has a place for them to chill? Not to mention you can probably hold small group meetings and escape the bugs without having to feel cramped up!
Not bad so far, right? There’s more to come.

As we mentioned, the tent itself has been seam-taped to keep the floor and rain fly from allowing water to get inside. Add in the included footprint to keep the floor even drier and to protect your tent from obtaining damage during use, and this tent is definitely waterproofed as much as it can be. The rain fly even has closable vents and guy out points to further protect you from the nastiness that Mother Nature can throw at you. You cannot argue with that, really.
So what does ‘seam taped’ mean? It’s a sealing film made specifically to close off the holes created by sewing fabric together. In other words, a water sealant that is placed over thread holes made by the needle. This is used with any material from tents to coats to prevent the obvious leaks that would otherwise let water into the interior simply by design. Not all tents will use this method, and some seem to have no method at all, so it is good to know this is a tent that can handle a bit of water when it is needed.

While we have mentioned that the base of the tent has a box approach to its shape, the top is still fairly domed. This box shape keeps in mind that space is a needed commodity when setting up sleeping arrangements. Also, we should mention that there are two doors on the Marmot Limelight 3P, one fully unzips and has a pocket to easily secure the door without having to worry about any damage or dirt/mud getting on it. The back door to the Limelight 3 is not as large as the front door and opens more or less to a D shape. Still, with the two doors completely open, you and the other two people inside that tent can easily get in and out of it without any issue. Another thing to keep in mind is the fact that there are points on the inside of the tent for a gear loft and a lampshade pocket. This lampshade pocket is another wonderful addition, as it disburses the light evenly and makes it more ambient. Small perks can make a huge difference, really. Of course, there are other things that really fit into the style of this tent, like the poles. The Limelight 3P comes with poles that are preset to the shape of the tent and do not actually slide inside of the tent like most conventional tents will have you do. Instead, the poles are clipped on the outside of the tent and with the little red tabs at the front ends of the tent itself and the rain fly, you should have absolutely no problem setting this one up on your first try. Now, once the rain fly has been attached, we should point out that there are several guy-out points to further add stability and adds to the style of the tent. The rain fly itself is a great piece to the style of the Marmot Limelight 3, as it seals the tent from the elements, but also adds space in and of itself. Close up the rain fly and there is a fair-sized space between it and the tent proper.

The Marmot Limelight 3 has been made with the idea of backpacking or camping in mind. Thus, the materials that were used in its construction are durable. It would not do to go out into the wilderness in a tent that will fall apart at the first sign of use or inclement weather. As long as you are not being crazy, this tent should last you a good long time and give you plenty of good times.
Beyond the obvious qualities of the cloth material itself, you have the reliability of DAC poles, which any tent user will tell you makes them sleep better at night. Why is it important? Because out of all the aluminum pole materials used, DAC has a reputation for strength, durability, and flexibility which allows their poles to hold better and longer than other competitors. If you want to be sure your tent has the best in this area, check for the DAC markings, because no one wants a snapped pole when they are camping!

Without the rain fly in place, the Limelight 3 will not offer a whole lot of protection. This is because of the fact that most of the tent was made with perfect ventilation in mind, and so wind and rain can easily get inside the tent as long as the rain fly is not placed over the tent. Once the rain fly is in place, though, the Limelight 3 offers plenty of protection from rain and wind, especially when the guy out points are properly set up.
Of course, you need to keep in mind that this tent was not built for heavy storms or cold weather. Stronger winds and rain can end up causing problems and might be a good reason to wait for another time to camp since water could still get in if the material is being hit too much. If it is getting too cold for the seasonal summer camping, no matter how well you set this tent up, it will get cold inside. Once again, this is not a winter tent. This is meant for warmer and calmer weather, so the protection it offers is set for those seasons.

The Marmot Limelight 3 is not all that weather resistant without the rain fly in place. Once that is in place, it should be able to handle almost any weather that can be thrown at it. We wouldn’t suggest taking it into extreme weather conditions, but that is just us erring on the side of caution. Wind and rain should definitely not be much of a problem for the Limelight 3. The included footprint also adds plenty of protection for both the tent and those housed within.
For late spring, summer and early fall this tent will offer all the protection you need as long as you are camping smart and planning alongside the weather forecasts. If you are in need of a winter tent or are planning to camp somewhere that extreme weather patterns are known to be commonplace, you may want to also plan on purchasing an all-season tent rather than this one.

The Marmot Limelight 3P tent is decently priced, with prices starting as low as $298.95 and goes upwards to $561.10 on Amazon.com. Definitely not bad, when you compare the price with this particular piece of equipment. Many tents that offer this much room and this much in the way of camping protection can cost double what this one does easily. If you want a tent that will do its job well and won’t destroy your wallet at the same time, this is likely one of the best deals you will find, and going for less almost seems silly!

-Low price
-Lots of options
-Great design
-Plenty of ventilation

Really, in closing, we want to bring up a few points about this amazing tent. First, we’ve mentioned that it is lightweight, for its size, but we never really spoke of how much it weighs. The Marmot Limelight 3P weighs in, all packed, under seven pounds. This is a point that really should be looked at. Another point that we think should be pointed out is that the rain fly has storm flaps on it, and these storm flaps have 2-way zippers that allow more ventilation when the rain fly is in use. There are also additional vent points on the rain fly that is able to be closed via velcro from the inside of the tent. This tent, with its ease of use, large space, lampshade pocket, and all the other little features it has, is an amazing tent and is more than worth the money it would cost to make one yours. So, if your ready to take to the campgrounds, or just want to enjoy the summer outdoors instead of in, this tent may be just what you are looking for!