StratoSpire 2

Look at tarptent Stratospire 1 or 2  and buy some Durston poles for it if you dont use trekking poles. You can get a "sidecar" mesh that fits in the vestibule, so your dog has room in the huge vestibule, even in the 1P.

How did they make it weigh 1.5kg with 15 denier flysheet and probably 20d bathtub floor and 10d inner?  This weighs more than my Stratospire 2 including the 2 tarp poles I bring along for it. Do the poles of it really add that much weight? 

Durston X-Mid 2 ticks most boxes, dual vestibules, fly to ground, strong in wind/rain, light. Tarptent Stratospire 2 is weather proof with real vestibules but heavier. Terra Nova Pioneer 2 is solid and lighter than your current tent. Naturehike or 3F are okay if you accept durability tradeoffs. For wet and wind, structure beats ultralight every time.

Tarptent stratospire 2 Relatively light and enormous, with dual doors and dual large vestibules. We've had it for 10+ years and just replaced the zippers (free!) as our first repair. It slept me 5"5" f + 15yo & 8yo on oregon PCT; currently sleeps me, husband, dog, no problem. Have never used footprint and setup with hiking poles.

My concern is that a) You've selected a relatively low volume (50 L ) pack for a beginner. and then you're looking at some budget options for tents, thinking you'll have enough room to fit everything in that 50L pack. 1) You should have bought all your other gear first and THEN decided on a pack with a volume and max weight carrying capacity that fits your other gear. 2) You admit this is your first backpacking trip ever, and based on your budget comments, I have a suspicion your other gear items like your sleeping bag, sleeping pad, cook system, etc are very middle of the road or even low tier systems. (i.e. not ultralight. Perhaps average when it comes to weight as well as packed volume.) Refer back to point number 1. By the time you fit all the aforementioned gear plus clothing, food, water, filter, and miscellanous stuff, is that 50L pack going to be enough, or are you going to be uncomfortable with a pack that maybe isn't designed to carry all the other gear you have? 50L is definitely doable. In this video [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZGG1IvuLDs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZGG1IvuLDs), Justin carried a Durston Wapta 30 pack with all his gear for 4 days in the Canadian Rockies. But Justin had his gear DIALED. It's worth a watch. Both Justin and Erik go through every item they've brought along for the trip and neither of them has brought anything extraneous. There's[ a separate video](https://youtu.be/krnIT2xVmWw) that documents the trip itself and honestly it looked like a fantastic 4 days. I help with a beginner backpacking workshop in the spring every year thru my local outdoors club. Our participants struggle to fit 2 nights worth of food and gear into a 60-70L pack, which is why I'm expressing some concern. I like and agree with many of the other comments on here. The Bryce 2 isn't bad until you have to climb in and out of it while it's raining. And I'm not a fan of front entry tents. I feel like I'm crawling into a dog house, and I MUCH prefer a side entry tent. The Tungsten 2P is a decent tent but it's heavy and it's gonna be pretty bulky for a 50L pack. I've had a Durston Xmid 1P for years and love it for solo trips. I have a TarpTent Stratospire 2 which has a very similar design to the XMid 2, and it's my favorite tent when my wife and I go backpacking together. If you already have all your other gear, have you made a full packing list on [lighterpack.com](http://lighterpack.com) ? Have you tried putting all your gear, minus the tent into your backpack, including a decently large stuff sack to represent your food bag? How has that worked out for you?

Xmid 2 (or Tarptent Stratospire2 if got at a good price). We've used both extensively in the Pyrenees. They do well and you get a little more ground space and sitting up height than a heavier tent like the Hubba Hubba, though a little less volume at the ends. Lanshan 2 is a good lightweight cheaper option, but not as quick to erect or as protective from wind . My friend has one, and I've had to help her erect it in windy conditions recently, and it's definitely more faff to set up than Xmid or Strat.

First off, I don’t think many pieces of reasonably light (or possibly any weight) gear is likely to last a lifetime. 10-15 years is probably more realistic. $900 is crazy in my opinion. I’m guessing it’s because they’re made of DCF, which is a lighter and much more expensive material to work with. For some weight penalty (but also better pack ability and durability), look instead at shelters made of silnylon or silpoly. I would recommend looking at the offerings of Tarptent and Dan Durston for excellent tents in a much more reasonable price range, at least to give you an alternative. I’ve had the stratospire 2 for years now, and it’s pretty well bombproof by light tent standards. Dan Durston’s Xmid consistently gets great reviews, and he even answers many questions himself still.

I also have the Stratospire 2 and I use lightweight adjustable walking poles. Do tarp poles give you the same adjustability for uneven ground? Are they as strong? Do you get them from Tarptent? Thanks