Apex 2XT

Maybe in their final years? but Eureka! was famously known for tents that don’t die. I still have my Apex 2XT from Boy Scouts 17 years later. Not a single issue and it’s been through a lot of rough terrain.

My wife and I shared a eureka apex xt 2 with our daughter until she was 12. It was tight but doable. Definitely fine for 2. Don’t get a bigger tent than you need for backpacking you gotta carry it. Most tents have dimensions on their website. Lay down next to each other and see how much space you think you need. Don’t worry about keeping your gear in the tent most have awnings for that.

Okay, kind of weird, but I used to backpack with my Eureka 2 person. Loved it. Still have it just in case I need it. But now I also have kids and dogs and a wife so I needed to make an upgrade. I went from my 2 person - 3 season Eureka backpacking tent to the North Face Wawona 6 and I love it. It's an amazing tent. Used to have 2 small areas on the sides of my Eureka tent for gear/boots - now I have a massive vestibule that fits everything under the sun. Amazing (size) upgrade.

I was going to suggest eureka but they stopped production last year. My first backpacking tent. Very affordable, weight was fine split between 2 people. And my goodness, it lasted waterproof and zippers a very long time. Like most, I have bought and resold a few tents over the years but the eureka one remained in my loaner gear through it all. If you see a 2 person eureka, used, for a very low price, grab it and try it out for your first couple of trips

It depends on if you want to sleep closely to them. I would buy the tent I want for solo, then a cheap second tent just for the friend. I actually kept my first backpacking tent, a eureka!, just for friends.

That will be so easy to drop a ton of base weight when you get a good tent. I was at 6 lb 2 person eureka. Got a 3.75 lb MSR Hubba Hubba in 2020. Last 2-3 years I have had the extreme pleasure of carrying the just over 1 lb Durston xmid pro 2. It’s pricy but the regular xmid is much more affordable. And double wall vs single wall of the pro. Nemo Hornet and any of the BA tents are great too.