Mountain Laurel Designs - TrailStar

I disagree with the people saying that your question isn't suitable for the UL sub. Ultralight isn't about being below five kilos in pack weight. It's about removing any needless weight for the job you are doing. If you're in 17 miles an hour of course you're going to need a stronger tent than if you're in five miles an hour. And if it's -30 C then your clothes are going to be heavier than if you're in 10C in order to keep you warm. On the topic of the tent question the only genuinely lightweight tent that you will find for four season will be a pyramid or tarp style tent. The MLD Trailstar is exceptional against wind but awful against snow so you need a more classical pyramid shape like the MLD Supermid. A classic pyramid shape will be very good against snow loading as they are so steep the snow can't reach thick enough to cause a collapse and they are still pretty good in wind provided you have a strong enough pole in the center and they came with enough guidelines because some like the hyperlite ultra-mid apparently underperform quite a bit in wind compared to something like the super mid (please will everyone stop calling their tents something mid). Quite a few people sleep on the pyramid 10 ignoring how strong they can be if designed for strength. Designed puts all of the force onto the pole but through compression instead of bending which is the force a pole will be strongest in and so they can survive lots of pressure put on that pole which comes from the wind and due to their fairly aerodynamic shape the wind will also not be applying that much force onto the pole to begin with. But pyramid tents do still have an upper limit, morso in wind than anything else. If you need a stronger tent then you need to ask what exactly you will be camping in to determine what type of tent. A geodesic dome like the Soulo or abisko dome will perform best under snow loading and wind particularly from any direction so if you're in places where wind speed might change often they are very good choice. Tunnel tents however are more weight efficient for the amount of strength and space they give. In the lengthway they might even be slightly stronger than 4 geodesic Dome as they are that little bit more streamline although from the side they will be worse but still pretty strong. The biggest factor of a tunnel 10 however is that the snow loading will be less than a dome tent. But there is a reason tunnel tents are the favorite for expeditions. But also what is your pack size because if you are cross-country skiing because the snow is that deep and pulling everything on a pulk to make it a lot easier to carry the weight you need then having the extra space in a tunnel tent will be very helpful. If the snow isn't all that deep and so you're able to just walk with boots or snowshoes and stick everything in a pack then a dome will probably be the best as for the same way you can get a lot stronger and so take it out in even worse conditions then you are planning. And lastly if there's just going to be high wind instead of very high wind then a pyramid tent will be more than adequate. The scarp is a strong tent, I'm not really sure how you're getting it to double the price unless hillerberg offers Swedish discounts because in most places they are half the price of a hillberg. The Xmid2 isn't really cut out for Swedish winters. It's fine under snow loading because of the steep angles and can reach surprisingly high winds for a two pole tracking pole tent particularly with all the guidelines but is ok up to 45mph (reports of higher but even Dan himself said he doubted those reports). For through hikes and what most people will be doing in ultralight that is more than strong enough but Scandinavia and the UK receive very high winds in winter and you will normally assume you will experience at least a 40mph and if the weather becomes worse than expected it won't be unrealistic to say that you might experience 60mph on any large hill or mountain at least once a week and quite often not all that predictable for when it will happen. A couple other brands you should look at are Fjallraven, Nortent and the Nordisk Seiland. All are Scandinavian manufacturers. Terranova makes some strong four season tents such as the Southern cross which might be the lightest weight four season tent you will be able to find that is a classic tent instead of a pyramid tent. But you really need to ask yourself what you will actually be doing on these hikes. If you are summit camping then you will need something like a nallo, Seiland or abisko dome because nothing else could be strong enough for the wins that you might get. If you are camping in the forest however the trees will massively reduce the wind you receive and so even an X-mid could be strong enough and a pyramid tent will definitely be strong enough.

Price point? The only types of tents that really fit all of those are a tunnel tent or the Trailstar. A regular pyramid tent can be pretty strong as well but not as much. The Scrap 2 fits well, though if you use the additional poles it will go above the weight limit, Trailstar is the lightest and very good in wind.

Don't all the people on that island love the MLD Trailstar? It's nowhere near freestanding but it'll shrug off wind way better than anything anywhere near it's price or weight.

When/where what weather in the UK?  Getting miles in day after day or just "wild camping" ?  Ease of pitch and small  footprint size is good for long days. For long solo trips I still prefer and mostly use my Silnylon Tarptent Notch .  I have also owned the Durston Drop Xmid 1P since 2019 which is also good but has a larger footprint.  I had a Gatewood Cape find it too small and poor build quality I needed to repair it after just a few trips. Stitching failed undertention on tie outs and one of the main zip seams. Newer batches may be better built.  If you want something very good in the wind and don't mind the footprint size,  a Trailstar is a good choice. Can get a separate inner or use a splashbivi. The Alpkit Tarpstar isn't too bad for as budget.   I would avoid the DD Tarps pyramid as it's not big and poor build.

The Tarptent Scarp 1+ is a good fit for your requirements and often seen on more adventurous pitches in the Scottish Highlands and other European ranges. Fly first, freestanding pitch with good ventilation options and a solid inner available, which is two-thirds solid, one-third mesh. The 1+ is a large one person (you can squeeze in 2) or there is a dedicated 2 person Scarp also. For three season use it comes in around 1.1 - 1.3 kg, so we'll within your target. And a bonus for you: rather than look for another winter tent, you can add optional crossing poles to the Scarp in winter to make it an even more bomber 4 season, snow loaded fortress! It is within budget I reckon. Tarptent have the Scarp on sale at the moment with a stunning 35% off! (Not affiliated BTW) And just to add an alternative viewpoint, my personal choice and go-to shelter for the type of conditions you describe is the MLD Trailstar with a breathable or bug bivvy (but inners are available). Not freestanding, but palatial space and just the most beautiful, aerodynamic mountain-hugging limpet of a tarp you will find, and only half a kilo.

You are from the UK and want to camp in the Scottish Highlands, so why on earth are you looking at tents designed so obviously just for the North American market? Save perhaps the Tarptent Scarp, they are not up to the job. You could look at bomber Scandinavian manufacturers (Hilleberg, Fjallraven etc) but this is an ultralight sub, so that won't work. The obvious answer is to get an MLD TrailStar. Just half a kilo of indestructible silpoly beauty. Palatial for two. Get a lightweight breathable bivvy or two for periods of bug pressure. Mine has withstood storms on tops of mountains I had no right to expect it to survive, leading to such confidence that I can now sleep when no one else dares. It is that good. I think it might be magic.