Here's a video of Katie and I setting up our new tent, the Marmot Limelight 3p, for the first time! We found it a pretty easy set-up, albeit rather cramped in my small dorm, but no doubt something any inexperienced tent-builder can figure out with little to no help.
View the video at:
http://mudsweatmountaineers.wordpress.com/2012/02/19/katie-and-colin-build-a-tent-2/

The Marmot Limelight packs a bit long (22") because of the poles. But, they could be rolled up in your sleeping pad. It's easy and fast to set up and spacious for two - roughly the size of a queen sized bed. Three could fit, but I'd opt for head to feet for the middle person. At 6'2" I fit very nicely. It has somewhat less mesh netting than some of the other tents I looked at and this gives the overall impression of being "sturdier" while still being very well vented. There are two zipped entrances, two vestibules and four interior mesh gear pockets. The vestibules each have a clear silicone-like window. I'm wondering how that will hold up over time. I like the two entrances and look forward to not being stepped over in the middle of the night. It comes with a footprint and an additional gear loft. There are two main aluminum poles that set up the dome and an additional short "spreader" pole which makes the tent seem much "roomier". There are no sleeves for the poles - it uses all clips. The floor has one seam in the middle but it appears to be well taped.

It can be set up using just the footprint and fly, leaving the tent body behind for a significant weight savings. Though I'm not sure how you would use the "spreader" pole in that configuration as the spreader pole fits into pockets in the tent body. The footprint has it's own adjustable fastclips (as does the tent body) for attaching the corners of the fly. The two main poles were attached to each other with a rubber piece where they cross. The rubber piece reminded me of silicone. Not sure how well this will hold up but it seems easy to replace with a bit of paracord or even a heavy rubber band.

The color is not bad, being a combination of red and "pumpkin" - the colors are somewhat "muted" and not as bright as I first thought they would be.

Included were tent, footprint, fly, poles, 10 stakes, 1 short aluminum tube that I think is a stake puller, 4 fly tiedown lines and tensioners, 1 gear loft and 3 stuff sacks.

Not much instructions included but setup was pretty intuitive. I love that the footprint is included.

I love this tent. I've literally been waiting years to break down and buy it. And after using the Limelight 2 this past summer, I was sold on the 3. Luckily, this year I got a Marmot pro-form and pulled the trigger. This is the perfect tent for two plus gear, or a dog. Three is totally do-able if you're all good friends. For the packed size and weight, it’s comparable to 2 person tents! The packed length is a little long, but not bad when you look at other similar sized tents. One of the biggest selling points are the two doors. No crawling over someone to get out. Though I wish they were D shaped... Next to the doors are the included accessories, foot print and gear loft. The loft isn't much, and it hugs the ceiling a little closer than I would have thought, but the foot print is a must have. I haven’t been able to go camping with it yet, but I did set it up in my living room and I’m pretty excited about it. I’ll update after some real world testing.

I went up to the BWCA, MN last summer (July) for the first time in this tent with some friends. It rained for 5 days straight and was COLD! The tent was awesome though! No rain inside, no condensation, plenty of room to keep all the gear dry (2 Duluthpacks) below the fly! It was roomy for two and a little too cozy for three. This tent really breathes and is awsome for drying and airing out! I can't wait to go again! Great Buy Overall! Worth every penny! It can be compressed pretty small and fits nicely in my Osprey Talon 44 pack with plenty of room for other gear...you just have to work a little harder to get it smaller! :)

What a tent this is very roomy for two, three can work around. First time out was a thunderstorm that made my hair stand out on my arms this tent got no water in in it no sand or mud.The wind was 50mph it never really moved or became unstaked. A little cool in cold weather 10 deg or colder but vents very well (no condesation) go get you one and sleep like your @ home!

Sherwood

Great tent. Good for spring, summer, fall. Rain cover works well, doesn't come completely come to the ground, but keeps the rain out.

Would have given it 5 stars, but the size is a little small for my tastes.

While it is a 3 person tent, my wife 6', 140lb, and myself 6'1'', 160lb along with sleeping pads and bags, fit just right. So while I was hoping to be able to stuff my baby girl in the tent as well, it just isn't feasible.

I've used this tent in rain and shine, and it showed it's virtue across the board. As for the rain (and I mean RAIN!), we stayed completely dry, and the fly didn't rattle in the wind. When it hasn't been raining, I've really appreciated sleeping without the fly and stargazing through all that mesh. As a side note, I appreciate the fact that the dome is not entirely mesh, as I like a little privacy. I know the less mesh, the more weight, but it's not a heavy tent for it's size.

While this is a three-person tent, I bought it with the intention of it being two-person-plus-gear tent. With that said, I haven't tried to fit three people in there, but I think it would be a tight fit. I find this the case with most three-person tents, though, so I won't dock it a star. It fits two people plus a couple of small packs quite well.

The set-up is extremely quick and easy, and I have not had the concerns expressed by other reviewers (e.g., trouble finding stake slits).

Overall, I really like this tent. Last summer, I used it while camping in the Northern Cascades, and through all kinds of weather, it never let me down. I've also taken it out multiple times on weekend trips through the Appalachians. So far, it's held up remarkably well.

Great quality but Marmot has to be kidding to call this 3 person. It is far too small for three people unless your 3rd person is a teddy bear.

My wife and I have used this tent for a few years now and we've both been very impressed. It has been on the Kalalau trail in HI, floats in Canada, and spent lots of time in nasty Alaska weather where we live. So far it has not leaked, broken, or failed in any way I am aware of. I am 6'5" and weigh about 250 and the tent fits me nicely, which is not something I can often say. My wife is about 5'5" and between the two of us we fill up most of the floor space, I wouldn't want to try a third person. The vestibules are great and getting in and out is comfortable and simple.

I was at first concerend about the tent not having bathtub floors but so far this has not caused any leaking problems and the tent has seen some serious rain. It is sturdy in the wind and does not flap about. The color is not as bright as one might think and the little windows have held up well so far. The little stakes which come with the tent are a bit chinsy and we replaced them with stronger ones which are still very light. Setting it up is very simple and, more importantly, very fast. A couple minutes is all it takes. It's not an untra-light but the weight is not at all oppressive, even for long, hard trails.

We're very happy with it, especially for the price, and can comfortably recommend it.

Great tent. It lived up to my expectations and then some. We had two adults and one child on a weekend trip and had no space problems. On a minor note, we had a main zipper that caught in one spot. Backcountry was out of stock, so I had to return my tent to Marmot. Backcountry gave me a 10% credit and sent me shipping free labels. I received a quick turnaround from Marmot; they replaced the complete zipper.

Small snag - but a great tent

I love this tent. Easy set up. I divide between two for packing and it's perfect. I like to keep my backpack in my tent with me, so you can't really fit more than two people with backpacks. Even without I wouldn't want to squish three. There's a plastic window on the fly over each door that allows you to see out - i REALLY love this feature. Not sure how it will hold up - seems strong - but you never know with plastic. Either way - i really like it. Nice to be able to glance out when you need to. Two big vestibules, and I love that there are 2 big doors as well. Tight design, doesn't blow and billow in higher winds. Included footprint and gearloft are a big plus. I obsessed and did a ton of research when picking my tent - I really think this is one of the best for price and design. I would recommend it.

Best tent out there in my opinion. I've used it in balmy weather, and the ventilation was great! I've used it in below freezing weather, and the ventilation was great. Little to no moisture on the inside upon waking, even with three people slumbering in it. The vestibules are great for your gear, or for housing your wet/muddy dog. Easy setup and takedown. The tent stakes secure themselves well. Nice height of the peak. You cant go wrong with this tent.
Its great that the footprint was included. I also appreciate the small window in the vestibule, to peak at how gnarly it is outside.
This tent has slept 3 6'0"+ dudes and 40 lb border collie. It was a tight fit, but with the vestibules, there was plenty of room for the gear. Great tent.

I bought the 3 person version because it went on sale for cheaper than the 2 person. Plenty of space for 2 but 3 is pushing it. 2 vestibule set up is great if your sharing. Kept shoes outside after it rained and didn't get any worse. This tent is lightweight and very easy to set up even for a novice like myself. It rained heavy for a full day and this beauty not only stayed dry it didn't even collect condensation inside. Gear loft is a great little bonus for small things.

Been on the road for 2 weeks camping in Colorado and Utah moving almost every day. The tent takes less than 3 minutes to set up. Lots of room for 2 persons.

I got this to use for just my husband and I and it's a great tent, more than enough room for us and our packs. Decent weight, easy to set up, lots of ventilation. Would definitely recommend!

The tent sets up very quickly and best of all, it includes a footprint. It also seems to stand high winds very well. Will use it shortly in the Tuolumne of Yosemite.

Okay...When I was shopping for a tent I was very picky! I figured if I was going to be spending a good bit of money (at least in my standards) I wanted to get my money's worth! I was looking for a tent that I could take backpacking (such as through Europe) and simple car camping. Also not to expensive but also good quality.

After reading all the positive reviews i finally decided on the Marmot Limelight 3...

So I am a large guy that needed plenty of room but still packed small and light!

I took this tent to Europe for 2.5 weeks and it couldnt have worked out better! While backpacking in Europe we camped in Ireland which is known for rain and this tent held up wonderful. I was traveling with another guy that was just as large as me and we slept very comfortable. Both of us had 80 L packs that we kept in the tent with us and we still had enough room!

There is just one small con....
While inside trying to exit the zipper on the rainfly is a bit annoying to get to it is very low.

All in all this tent is wonderful! I am very happy with my choice! And thank you to everyone that wrote a review that helped me make my decision!

I took my first trip in my Limelight 3 a few weeks ago and I loved it. This is my first tent from Marmot and I was not let down. We camped for three days and my friends were giving me a hard time because my tent was the smallest. After a stormy night with about 2 inches of rain, there were no leaks or condensation in my tent. No one was laughing the next morning when they were trying to dry sleeping bags. The tent is easy to set up and has plenty of room for one and lots of gear (or two with some gear). I would not recommend this one for three adults. I had a 2x3 foot storage box under one vestibule and my stove and lantern under the other with plenty of room. The inside is roomy thanks to the spreader bar and had plenty of room for two sleeping bags, large duffel, and large backpack. There are lots of pockets in the side of the tent and the gear loft adds space at the top.

Overall VERY easy to set up and only took about 10-15 minutes total. The clip system works great and the rain fly was easy to attach and pull tight with the quick attachments. The rain fly had plenty of anchor points to stake to for pulling it tight. The free footprint was easy to setup and stayed under the tent even with water flowing underneath. The windows are great to see out of and are not that easy to see into from the outside.

There really isn't any downsides, but here are my concerns: I am not sure I like the small hub that connects the polls. I would recommend getting different tent stakes. The door folds down on to the floor and you have to make sure it is out of the way as you enter/leave the tent. The pull for the rain fly is a long way from the tent so you have to open to door and then stretch way out to reach it.

For the price I don't think you could beat this tent. The free footprint and gear loft are great because you don't have to worry about purchasing the separately. I would recommend this tent for anyone.

I just returned from a four-day, three-night hiking/camping trip in North Georgia, where 10 friends and I did the approach trail to Springer Mountain, which is the start of the Appalachian Trail. I like a lot of room for my gear, so I used my Limelight 3 just for myself. The weather was clear for the first two nights and rained pretty hard on the third night. The tent had good ventilation, even with the rain fly on, and was very easy to set up.
This was only the second trip I've used the tent, so I don't know yet how durable it will be long-term, but it appears to be pretty solid. It has a very nice design, with two doors on the tent and the vestibule on each side of the rain fly. If I needed to share it with someone, it would not be a problem. The height of the tent is very good, as I am 6'1" and can maneuver in the tent quite easily.
All in all, I'm very pleased with the tent thus far.

Quality construction as usual from Marmot...however I was disppointed in the design. The fly does not fold back easily. The ground tarp is nice but an unusual setup to connect to the body of tent. The zipper broke on the first night of use, which I assume is a freak accident. Good tent, but the design could be improved for cheap. Keep at it Marmot. BC made the return as easy as possible. Nice work

I spent a lot of time looking for something packable but that would also accomodate my 6'4" frame. The first night I put a full size air bed in here and slept like a baby. The next nights we schleping in. A little heavier than some but light enough that the extra space was worth it. Love the two entrances. Lots of ventilation. Packs up nice and easy!

It's a very roomy tent, plenty of head room and well ventilation (even with the fly on). I like the fact that you have doors and vestibules on both sides. I primarily use the tent by myself but I'm sure it would be great for two/three.

Back in May, I used the tent for a week long trip in Michigan's UP. The weather ranged from the low thirties to the high fifties. During the trip I encountered heavy rain, high winds and frost. The tent withstood the elements and I was really pleased with it's performance. I was also impressed with how quickly the exterior fabric dried out so you don't have to pack it up wet.