True 4-season tents are typically heavy, think 5kg geodesic tents. Hilleberg tents are not heavy, they are in fact light. You're getting geodesic strength tents at 1/2-3/4 the weight. The compromise is often larger material to pole areas resulting in more flapping/more noise in the wind.
For 4-season summit camping, I chose Hilleberg, an Akto for solo camping and a Nammatj 2 for when there's two of us.
Msr do not make a true 4-season tent.
I think you need to work out what you actually want, or maybe you're looking for a do-it-all tent which does not exist without compromises. Two tents is probably the best solution.
If I was looking for a 2-person, 4-season tent that's a reasonable weight, I would probably go for the Hilleberg Nallo 2. If having two tents was an option, I would probably go for something like an X-Mid or Lanshan and a Hilleberg Nammatj 2.
Would go Hilleberg. The Soulo has poor ventilation. The Akto has way better ventilation and also much lighter. The downside being head space.
The Nammatj 2 I just awesome, and it too has very good ventilation, the downside being it's much heavier at 3kg.
Multiple tents is the only sensible option but honestly if it had to be one tent I think the Hilleberg Nammatj is up there. It has really big vents both front and back and full mesh convertible door. You could probably makeshift something to lift the outer fly off of the ground for the hottest months.
I have a Hilleberg Nammatj and a Storm Star. I would 100% save the extra and get a Hilleberg, I know they are a lot of money but I've not owned another tent that matches Hilleberg in quality and easy of use.
The Nallo is a fine tent too, and lighter, but the Nammatj has better ventilation and slightly more room.
I really like the look of the Vern, I think it's one of the best looking tents. The Storm Star is a great tent, but I don't know, it doesn't really excite me. Super taught which means it's very quiet in the wind, though. The only thing I would consider with the Storm Star is that it uses the thinner DAC poles meant for weight saving, which I don't think are appropriate for a 4-season tent, and there has been a number of people with broken Storm Star poles, and it is very difficult to get a new set of poles for the Storm Star. I believe there is someone making sets and selling them on eBay for the SS, but I don't know what the quality is like, I don't think they are DAC poles.
It’s a bit small for sitting up in but the Hilleberg Nammatj2 is a fantastic winter tent. It feels bombproof, holds up amazingly in the wind, and is (just) light enough to backpack with.
If you’ve got to carry it yourself, a Hilleberg Unna will take you and a dog comfortably. Failing that a Namatj 2 as suggested elsewhere (I swapped to the Unna for a weight saving).
BUT when you say 4 season that recommendation is based on real 4 season, say Cairngorms or windy/wet peaks. If it’s just for cold weather, a Durston X-Dome or X-Mid solid would work - way cheaper and way lighter.
Are you planning very regular hikes to areas where there are REALLY high winds or HUGE amounts of snow? If so, a black label or double poled red might be what you need, but in over 40 years of hiking in the UK I’ve never found myself thinking a black lable Hilli is a must (it got close a couple of times!). I had a second set of 9mm poles for my Namadj 2 and never found the need to use them.
I’ve used 3 season tents in 30-40mph winds with extra guy lines. Something like the X-Ddome might be in your budget as you can brace the existing poles with walking poles plus there’s a DAC pole version coming soon.
Hilleberg Soulo, Namatj, Storm Star or Vern - but I would trust the latter less due to most reviews I've seen being from fairweather campers and the quality of materials/construction. I've had the Hillebergs out in Iceland and North America. The Storm Star is also known as a tank. I'm also not sure on the snow loading of the Nortent.
Any good 4-season tent will have no issue holding up to strong winds on exposed beaches. I recommend a sealed 4-season model not just for the stronger poles, but because it will keep blowing sand out of the tent, which can become a huge issue in big storms. I once endured a 20hr, 80km/h+ wind storm on the Nahanni River in my 3 season Mountain Hardwear Aspect 2 tent, and while the poles miraculously didn’t break, the entire inside of my tent was full of sand when it finally let up. Like, a quarter inch of sand everywhere, and I’d been breathing it all night. With every gust the tent would fold down onto my chest, and I’d get peppered with a fistful of sand at my face. It was probably one of the most intense, miserable nights I’ve ever had in the backcountry.
Several of my friends had heavier 4 season tents and slept through most of the ordeal, and had zero sand in their tents.
Something like a Mountain Hardwear Trango, Marmot Thor or Hilleberg style tunnel tent would be your best choice if you’re expecting serious wind. They’re not cheap, but they’ll take whatever you can throw at them.
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