Are you guys only going to do car camping? Or do you plan on doing literally any light backpacking with the tent? (Or more specifically, carrying the tent any distance farther than a few feet from a parked car). This way, you're not committed to lugging around a giant tent to every camping event, or if not everyone in the group goes.
For me, I prefer to really only sleep with a maximum of 2 people per tent, so I'd say get two 3-person tents. Maybe two different kinds to maximize flexibility for different environments. General rule is you want a tent that advertises one extra person for the amount you want to sleep. So, if you want to sleep 2 people, grab a 3 person tent. I know that this would be literally double your budget, but I think it might be the way to go for the most comfort and longterm. If you really insist on sticking to a single large tent, the Alps Mountaineering Lynx 6 sits just within your budget on Amazon right now.
For budget tents, I really have been impressed with Alps Mountaineering. I've used their gear for a while now, and it's held up just as well (sometimes better!) in foul weather than my super high-end MSR gear.
To address some of your points:
\--Buying a tent with an included footprint isn't necessary. None of my old boy scout tents that we used and abused had a footprint, and they lasted just fine for many years.
\--Aluminum poles is definitely something you'll want. I've camped on enough beaches and windy days where the weak fiberglass poles snap, and then you'll be getting fiberglass fragments all in your hands. Good aluminum poles are easily field repairable with a splint, and much more durable longterm.
Kelty and Alps Mountaineering have both been good to me. Quality gear at excellent prices. I often reach for my alps gear more than my expensive MSR gear sometimes. Anecdotally, my Kelty Grand Mesa has lasted me almost 20 years. Still waterproof. My Alps Mountaineering tent has withstood several Pacific Northwest storms and many nights of absolutely frigid temps. Hasn’t let me down either.
Check out discount websites like Sierra.com and Steep&Cheap for good sales.
Third on the ALPS Mountaineering tents. My family has used a 6P for car camping for several years. We use an orange plastic tarp for a groundsheet. It has aluminum poles.
Alps Mountaineering has bomb proof tents, but they tend to be a little heavy. Not sure why Luke on YT wouldn't like Alps Mountaineering tents, unless he was using it for backpacking. The Alps Taurus is going to be hot, it doesn't have a lot of mesh. There's the Alps Acropolis that has mostly mesh with a full rainfly and two vestibules. Another that's almost all mesh with a full rainfly and two vestibules is the Klymit Cross Canyon. I have this and it's been through some major rain, wind and thunderstorms. I bought it on Costco Next. Both of these tents have lots of headroom. I do guy out the Klymit if there's going to be inclement weather. Both of these tents have aluminum poles and clips. I'm not a fan of the sleeves like on the Nature Hike Kota 4. I have sleeves on a Eureka Space Camp 4 and I'd much rather have all clips, I find them faster to set up. The Space Camp 4 has really good headroom, but Eureka has stopped selling tents. Sometimes you can find old "new" stock pretty cheap. The Eureka Space Camp also has big vestibules. For what it's worth, I'm not a fan of the pole style on the NH Kota, I like two poles that cross each other, then possibly a brow pole, and that's it.
My Scout troop uses ALPS Mountaineering Taurus tents with aluminum poles. They're great and do not break the bank.
We used to use Eurekas with fiberglass poles and were constantly replacing poles or complete tents when the poles eventually split. I think I've only replaced 2 or 3 poles since we switched.
MacksBomblee
