Best economical two man tent?

I'm in about the same boat as the op minus the guides salary (I'm worse off being a Cowman ) I've seriously been considering a mtn hardware supermega ultra lite 2 man tent. Used ones appear in the 2-300 dollar range 2lb 4oz listed weight. Reviews are good. Lots of options out there to sort through.
 
I have a Big Agnes Seedhouse SL2. They are a great tent for the money. The only real dislike I have for mine is the vestibule design. It's a pain in the ass if you have to store gear in the vestibule and it's raining. One of two things will happen. You'll either dump water on your gear when you unzip the vestibule or you'll be shoving it in your tent before you crawl out to pee at 0200 hours.

I would much prefer a side vestibule over the front style.
 
Have a look at the REI Quarter Dome 2 as well. Well regarded tent with a great warranty.

I bought a copper spur while my folks bought a REI Dome. Side by side, can't hardly tell any different. $100 price difference. 7 oz more for REI.
 
I recently researched a ton of back country 2 man tents and narrowed my search to 3: Hilleberg Nallo 2GT (expensive), Kelty Gunnison 2.3 and REI HalfDome 2 Plus. The Hilleberg, well, lets just say that I'm going to save some coins for that one; but I bought both the Gunnison 2.3 and Rei Halfdome 2 plus and tried both side by side. Both are well made; Gunnison a little more beefy fabric, not by much; Half Dome was 14 inches longer in the floor, but not nearly as wide & was a little lighter than the Gunnison; both had great vestibules. The 2015 HalfDome plus 2 was upgraded by REI with some issues from the previous models, like full zipper for both tent doors, not 2 zippers; and opening the vestibules. I sent back the Gunnison simply because its length was 84" for the floor and the Halfdome was 98". I'm only 5'10", but I don't like my sleeping bag touching the walls; The REI half-dome 2 plus allowed my sleeping pad and bag enough room; the Gunnison was crowded for my liking. I really liked both tents, but decided with the Half-dome 2 plus; Comparing the two side-by-side helped me to make the decision;also the Half-Dome upper portion of the tent allowed more head room with the brow pole pulling out the side walls. I used my REI points and their offer in March for additional 20% off, so I got the tent for around $150.00. The Kelty Gunnison was bought from BackCountryEdge.com and I received a 20% off discount for first time purchaser. Both REI and backcountyedge.com great companies with no hassle return policy. I always research a lot before making backcountry equip purchases and learn a lot from RokSlide. Hope this helps; good luck
 
Ive been using the Eureka Midori 2, it is great for my first backpacking tent, at 4lbs 7oz it is pretty good and for $110 it got me into the field right away
 
Ive been using the Eureka Midori 2, it is great for my first backpacking tent, at 4lbs 7oz it is pretty good and for $110 it got me into the field right away

I was looking at the Midori 2 at Sportsmans earlier today. Looks like a pretty good tent, nice vestibule. Where did you get one for $110?
 
I recently scored a brand new Black Diamond Mega Light off the big auction site for $120 shipped! It's 2# 3oz w/o stakes and is called a 4 man...which means 2 man plus gear or a real palace for 1 man. It's the easiest tent I've ever pitched also.

BP
 
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