Not a fair weather shelter. I want something freestanding. A trekking pole tent does not work for me, and I don’t really like the idea of a semi-freestanding like a Nemo hornet or BA fly creek. I am undecided between a 1p and 2p.
I’ve personally ran the Kuiu Summit Refuge on multiple hunts, Used in Alaska twice and in Colorado a fair amount. Two pole design, and for the weight it was roomy. I decided to go with the Summit Star 1p from Kuiu for my ultralight setup and will take it spring bear hunting. Sold my Summit Refuge and bought a peax solitude tipi with a stove to hopefully have a better option for drying clothes this year. I hope this helps!
If you want freestanding I would say BA Copper Spur or Nemo Dragonfly, which are true freestanding. The TarpTent Double Rainbow can also be made freestanding but you need trekking poles.
I'm on the hunt for my new shelter this year as well. I've been trying little bit of everything over the last few years. All I hunt is Alaska. The only thing I would say is definitely get the 2 man. I ran the solo person Hilleberg Akto last year and it was fantastic. The only downside I had was I wanted more space to get into my tent and be away from my sleeping area while being soaking wet. Granted I tend to run my tents floorless if it isn't a winter hunt. The 2 man also gives you the space in case something happens and you need to give shelter to a hunting partner in an emergency
Tarptent has some good lightweight options. I’ve used the MomentDW 1p tent for the past 3-4 years. It takes some learning to get it just right but it’s super lightweight, packs down small, and has a very small footprint. An elk bed or the uphill side of a tree is often plenty of room. Plus Tarptent has been really helpful on customer service stuff. Highly recommend.