Big Agnes - Spicer Peak 6

Big Agnes spicer 6 is what I got. Tall enough to stand in with a full coverage fly. Any tent that big is going to be way easier to set up with 2 people.

This budget allows for much nicer tents and the big Agnes spicer 4 or 6 would be a way better option.

I have this too but my kids are small. I can set up the 6 person alone and I’m only 5’5 (hard to do the fly if it’s windy though) so I bet OP can do it alone . But it’s easier with my 7 year old helping me. It will be tight with 4 adults and we didn’t bring our gear into the tent because our car is always parked close. You may want bigger, OP.

I have the Big Agnes spicer 6 person. It’s pretty decent and if you watch the sales or find a used one, I think it’ll be in your price range. If you go for the 4 person, it should also be cheaper but also less space.

I’d go with at least a 6 person tent - those kids grow fast. We have the Big Agnes Spicer 6. It can get set up by one adult when needed and my husband (just under 6’) can stand up in the tent.

I have a 3 person Big Agnes ultralight tent. I believe it's called ~~Tiger Wall~~ Copper Spur. With it properly staked using all guy lines it stood up to some very heavy gusts that toppled a few nearby tents and destroyed our canopy. I don't recall the tent even being deformed, it was like the wind just passed right over it. And it weighs next to nothing. Our older car camping tent is a large 6 person Big Agnes that we have used countless times and kept us dry during numerous heavy rain storms and moderate winds. We put it away for a while when we upgraded to a camper. It got brought out recently after sitting for probably 3 years and was as good as ever. I've had a North face tent disintegrate in the stuff sack in a shorter time span. Edit: It is the Copper Spur. Tiger Wall I bought initially but exchanged because I didn't like how it pitched.

Also a Minnesota camper (car camper who prefers cart-in sites). I don’t know what you consider modestly-sized, but since I started camping with 2 dogs, I have grown to love my Columbia Mammoth Creek 8-person, which has a rain fly that doesn’t cover the windows. (I also have a Big Agnes 6-person and an REI Kingdome 4, which are more modestly sized, but each of those has a full length rain fly.) Last summer I took the Columbia tent to Whitewater State Park and there were horrible storms. It rained so hard, I expected to wake up to puddles inside. Surprisingly, everything stayed dry. I really love that tent. They’re hard to find now, but the Coleman Tenaya Lake tent looks kind of similar. https://preview.redd.it/eocaiq3nmcff1.jpeg?width=800&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=900e81b78d8a67ba02e760e016eb7cc424849e99

Big Agnes is selling some tents at 50 to 70% off. I have seven tents, I need one for car camping, so I bought a 6 man tent for a little over $200. High quality. Relatively light weight.

I have a Big Agnes six-person tent. It’s been camping, to many, many festivals, and Burning Man several times over ten years. It also survived a brutal desert windstorm that left its shape with a bit more personality but still 100% functional. That tent is my ride or die. However, I did take the tent down during the first hour of the desert windstorm. The real hero was my friend’s 1960s metal-framed canvas tent that withstood the entire 12 hours. A Kodiak would be its modern equivalent.

I know I’ll get downvoted but I tend to agree with this. I own an x-mid so don’t at me universe. But I think durston is a bit over-hyped. There are lots of quality issues - especially with the x dome series - just peep the gear heads sub.  Durston makes good tents imo, not great ones. They seem to do a lot of r&d with paying customers which I’m not a huge fan of - especially if you’re paying tariffs.  My x mid is fine - suitable for certain trips, while my freestanding tent (big Agnes) is great. Both have great customer service imo. But I’ll take the Xmid when I really have to count ounces and I’ll take my big Agnes into the desert where a trekking pole tent would just be a nightmare to fiddle with - weight penalty be damned.