REI Half Dome 2+ fits in your budget when on sale and is big enough to fit 2 wide long pads. Recommend stretching for the 3 person version if you can; more room for activities.
Most tents in your budget won’t be 4 season at least in terms of snow load. Maybe fair winter weather if your sleep system is up to the temps.
for reference, the Nature Hike Star River 2 is
53in x 84.5in
134.5cm x 214.5cm
The REI Half Dome 2+ is
56in x 92in
142.2cm x 233.6 cm
and the REI Half Dome 3 is
70in x 90in
177.8cm x 228.6cm
EDIT
Cloud 3 is
68.9in x 84.6in
175cm x 215cm
I'm not a big fan of the Y style tent poles, as I feel like they don't hold up as well to winds compared to more traditional double pole designs, though they are lighter for obvious reasons.
I do recommend measuring your sleeping pads and make sure there is enough room if you go with a 2 person tent. It does look like the Star River is pretty decently sized though in this regard if you're both using wide pads.
I do personally like having extra room in the event of a weather event. I would highly recommend getting a larger 3 person tent for 2 people to have extra room for gear, or just moving around comfortably if you're stuck 'indoors' due to weather. Having extra floorspace as well as headroom can be amazing in those situations.
I'd recommend a 3p tent.
Not a BIG weight penalty from a 2p, still almost identical setup, but gives a pretty good bump to interior floorspace.
I use a REI Halfdome 2+ (but wish I had gotten the 3p) and it's solid for both car camping and backpacking.
Big Agnes has some good options as does MSR.
Depending on time frame, I'd recommend seeing what models fit your need/use case and keep an eye on sales/discounts/used market.
Note on buying used, can be great for price, but 100% make sure to fully setup and inspect.
Depending on budget, a coleman would be fine and they have several options.
I'd look for something with a fly that goes low to the ground and has decent mesh for ventilation. I'd also prefer aluminum poles over fiberglass.
I use an REI Half Dome 2+ and it's great but can be a little spendy. MSR, Big Agnes, Nemo, are also very good brands, and can be bought on sale for a decent price.
It’s not bad. That’s comparable to the one I take (REI HALFDOME2+) and Plenty of people will say it’s too heavy. I take a coffee percolator too which plenty of people think is insane but I just think it’s neat. As long as you can carry your pack for the distances you want, I see nothing wrong with it.
I have the REI half dome 2+ and it has treated me very well. Held up perfectly in the rain. Very spacious with it being a 2+ and it comes with the footprint.
We’ve had the REI Half Dome 2+ for 10 years with heavy use (backpacking and car camping). The only thing it’s losing is its waterproofing on the rain fly. Everything else has held up really well.
Oh yeah 2nd the 3 person if you can swing it and will have the room setting it up. I used a half dome 2+ for several seasons and upgraded to the 3p version a few years ago. We only sleep two in there but that extra room sure is nice. I don’t know about the current half dome 3p but at least ours, the fly can also roll up to the top of the tent so you can get really good ventilation but still be able to redeploy the fly if needed.
I also have this tent and would highly recommend it. I’ll say though I have two friends I camp with that both have 2p Stormbreaks and they seem great and they both like them a lot. I don’t think you could go wrong with either option.
Agerak
