Marmot Crane Creek 2 Review (Bought & Tested!)
This is my review of my Marmot Crane Creek 2-Person Tent.
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Quick Summary
The Marmot Crane Creek 2 isn’t the absolute best budget tent I’ve tested, but it’s a perfectly functional tent that’s worth the money whenever it goes on sale.
However, I wouldn’t pay more than $150. Read on to find out why.
RELATED: Best Budget Backpacking Tents
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Check out the Marmot Crane Creek 2:
1. In the Box
I got the Marmot Crane Creek from Amazon, and out of the box, this is what I got:
- Carry bag
- Rainfly
- Tent body
- Poles x 2
- Pole repair splint
- Guylines x 4
- Tensioners x 4
- Stakes x 6
2. Set Up & Pack Away
The entire setup is pretty straight-forward, here’s how:
- Secure X-pole into the 4 corner grommets.
- Secure the 12 pole clips.
- Secure brow pole on top of the X-pole.
- Secure color-coded rainfly with buckles.
- Stake down entire tent (2 vestibules, 2 widths, 4 guylines, 4 corners).
Pro-Tip: Only 4 guylines and 6 stakes were provided, but 6 guylines and 12 stakes were needed.
For more details, I have a separate video with loads of instructions and tips to help you set up your tent more easily.
Altogether, the entire setup takes only about 6.5 minutes. The pack away takes the same amount of time – 6.5 minutes as well.
3. Peak Height
The peak height inside the Crane Creek 2 is 43 inches.
The right and left widths of the tent also came in at about 43 inches.
This means you get the peak height throughout the entire width of the tent, thanks to the brow pole that goes on top of the X-pole.
4. Base Area
Here are all the base area dimensions you might need:
- Length: 86 inches
- Width: 49 inches
- Base area: 29.3 square feet
5. Pad Sizing
Now, here’s my Exped MegaMat Duo – it fit quite nicely, with quite a bit of leftover space.
Pro-Tip: If you want to fit wider 25-inch pads, it will not fit well, because the width of the tent (~49in) is the limitation.
6. Vestibules
The Crane Creek 2 comes with 2 vestibules with exactly the same size, and here are all the dimensions:
- Width: 34 inches
- Length: 86 inches
- Area of 1 vestibule: 10.15 sq. ft.
- Area of 2 vestibules: 20.3 sq. ft.
Each vestibule has 2 zippers, not branded, but they’re pretty smooth.
7. Doors
Under each vestibule, you’ll find one door each, so 2 doors altogether.
To keep the doors opened, you can use the provided toggles. Each door has 2 zippers as well (non-branded, but snag-free).
8. Storage
Here are the storage options in the Marmot Crane Creek 2:
- Pockets: 2 (rectangle, 10 x 4.5 inches)
- Loops: 5
9. Seam Taping
Here are all the seams that are taped:
- All rainfly seams
- All flooring seams (corners, etc.)
- Anything that isn’t covered by rainfly
10. Guylines
The Crane Creek 2 comes with 4 main guylines for wind protection and you can also add 2 extra guylines for the widths of the tent.
11. Rain Test
I put the Marmot Crane Creek 2 through several rain tests:
- 1 hour moderate rain: No leaks
- 1 hour heavy rain: No leaks
12. Mesh
This is what the Marmot Crane Creek 2 looks like without its rainfly:
13. Materials
Here are all the materials of Marmot Crane Creek 2:
- Flooring: 68D Polyester (2,000mm)
- Rainfly: 68D Polyester
- Tent body/canopy: 68D Polyester (1,500mm)
- Poles: HD Velocity 7000-series aluminum
- Mesh: Micro mesh
- Guylines: Shockcord (tensioner separated)
- Stakes: Shepherd-hook stakes
14. Portability
Here are the packed dimensions of the 2-person Marmot Crane Creek:
- Packed size: 21 x 9 x 6.5 in
- Pole length: 21 inches
As for weight, here’s a breakdown of all the components:
- Poles: 21oz
- Stakes: 3.9oz (for 6)
- Rainfly: 29.4oz
- Tent body: 31.9oz
- Carry bag: 1.7oz
- Total: 89.6oz/5.6lbs/2.54kg
15. Pros, Cons, Recommendation
Now, what are the pros and cons, and would I recommend the Marmot Crane Creek 2?
Pro #1 – Crazy value for money
I bought this tent because it was on sale for less than $150 during Amazon Prime Day, which is crazy value for money for a Marmot tent.
Pro #2 – Limited lifetime warranty
And of course, it comes with Marmot’s limited lifetime warranty.
Pro #3 – Good waterproofing
Waterproofing is also incredible for the price, complete with thorough seam taping, a full coverage rainfly, and it survived an hour of heavy rain no problem at all.
Pro #4 – Overall a good tent with decent number of pros
- Comfortable peak height
- 2 vertical side walls
- Decently sized vestibules
- 2 vestibules, 2 doors
Overall, there’s not a lot to complain about, especially for the price I bought this Marmot Crane Creek 2 for (~$150).
Con #1 – Don’t like the X-pole
When the X-pole isn’t broken in yet, it pops out of the grommets when setting up.
Also, the rotating swivel in the middle is prone to breaking – typically, more moving parts, more breaking.
Con #2 – Needs more vents
There’s only 1 vent in the Marmot Crane Creek 2, while the average good quality 2-person tent will have anywhere between 2 to 4 vents instead.
Con #3 – Not enough guylines and stakes
Not enough guylines were provided, so you’d need 2 more guylines for the 2 widths.
Also, only 6 stakes were provided only for the tent base and the vestibules, so I’m short 4 stakes for the 4 guylines, and another 2 for the widths. Altogether, I’m short about 6 stakes.
Con #4 – No footprint
There’s also no footprint as well. That’s a little bit concerning because the flooring isn’t very thick at all.
Overall Recommendation
Overall, if you can pick this Marmot Crane Creek 2 up for a great price, I would 100% recommend it. I think anywhere between $100 to $150 is fantastic value for money.
I wouldn’t pay close to $200 cos you will have other options on the market.
16. Bonus – MUST Read!
I know this because I tested the Marmot against other similar tents, check out my best budget backpacking tents article to find out.
Or, check out the Marmot Crane Creek 2:
