Tungsten 4P

My girlfriend and I recently bought a marmot tungsten 4p tent and love it. It weighs around 9lbs which is the heaviest tent we would like to carry up there. The walls are pretty vertical and at 6ft tall I can stand up enough to change clothes. We used to use a Nemo aurora 3p which was fantastic and lightweight too, 6lbs ish, but we still felt a bit cramped in it, and I could not stand up in it, not even close. We definitely noticed it was harder to find a good tent pad going from 3p to 4p, but we like the space and would never bring anything up there that is bigger than a 4p tent. A lot of people, including some outfitters, recommend two 3p tents for 4 people before ever suggesting a 6p tent because it gets very hard to find a good spot to pitch it. Finding the that much flat ground in one chunk is almost impossible out there, and is almost always easier to find two flat spots for two smaller tents. If you plan on eventually getting a second tent anyways, you should really consider just going for two 3p tents that weigh 6-8 lbs each. Another plus is two 3p tents is more flexible for different group sizes, even if you go solo. If you get a 4p right now I love my marmot tungsten 4p. My only negative about it is not a ton of pockets inside, but that’s far from a dealbreaker. The marmot tungsten also is made in a 3person. Check it out! I personally would never bring a 6p tent up there. Good luck!!! Happy tent hunting

Go with a 4-person for two people (you + a 4 year old). A 6-person is overkill for your setup and harder to set up solo. The extra floor space sounds nice in theory but you'll just end up with a bigger tent that's heavier, takes longer to pitch, and catches more wind. The Marmot Tungsten 4P is solid at your budget. Good rain fly, freestanding, and one person can set it up in about 10 minutes. It handles northeast rain well. The vestibule gives you somewhere to stash muddy boots and gear without bringing it inside. The Mountainsmith Conifer 5 is decent but it's a cabin-style tent, which means vertical walls that act like sails in wind. For spring/fall in NY/PA/New England where you'll get storms rolling through, a dome or semi-dome design is going to be more stable. At $300 also look at the Kelty Wireless 4. Easy color-coded setup, good ventilation, and the stargazing fly is fun for a kid. Skip Coleman. You're not wrong there. The build quality just isn't comparable at any price point.

Marmot makes a good tent. I just camped in one for 5 weeks and in some serious storms. No problem.

I have the 4p. Good quality/design. They aren't the lightest tents, but comparable with other stuff in their class and to go lighter is the next price point up, which can be significant. It seems like a decent buy.

nah man i'd go with something middle ground between coleman and those expensive ones you mentioned. used to work security at campsites and seen plenty coleman tents getting destroyed after one windy night, especially the cheaper models for 3-4 times per year the marmot or north face might be overkill but coleman skydome is asking for trouble if weather gets rough. maybe look at REI co-op or kelty - they make decent tents in 200-300 range that won't fall apart but won't break the bank either my dog and i camp probably 6-8 times a year and learned the hard way that going too cheap on shelter is never worth it when you're sitting in puddle at 3am