Talk me out of a free standing tent

[camelcluch]

I have a marmot super alloy tent. It’s semi free standing because it does need to be staked to get the floor fully set up. I know I’m overthinking but the idea of not needing stakes is nice for certain situations. Why should I not get a free standing tent?
Then in the opposite direction, the Durston tents look very nice.

 

[Marbles]

I thing everything needs stakes, unless you have zero wind. The idea of my tent and gear blowing away is not appealing.

 

[Trackselk]

I don't carry stakes for my backpacking tents. I just grab some twigs if at a one off camp and install them with a rock. At the camps I go to repeatedly I've spent a few minutes carving nice stakes out of evergreen branches, and then left those stakes under a dry tree. They last for years...
I get your question though, as I've found freestanding to be really handy on exhausted days when you just set it up and jump in with no stakes. That said, I'm going to get [The One], which is 17ish ounces and uses a trekking pole. But like with my hand carved stakes, I'll spend 2 minutes to make pole(s) that sit at camps that I reuse, so my trekking poles aren't tied up. I usually just have a tiny pocket knife in my zippered pocket for this carving work.
I rarely spend just one night, and my knees prefer trekking poles to hike around...
So, if you don't mind an extra pound or two, then go with the freestanding, depending on how many nights you keep it set up, and if you're dealing with lots of wind or precip also changes the game. The gold standard black diamond tent that you set up from inside is amazing for precip and extreme temps. But, then you're talking about twice the weight for a 4 season tent (5 or 6 pounds for 2 person IIRC).

 

[Dioni A]

Depends on the hunt but I really prefer a freestanding tent. There's a lot of situations we're getting steaks in the ground is really tough or impossible. It's also nice to be able to pick it up and shake out moisture if conditions are really bad. I've had quite tents that have to be staked out and have 2 tents similar to the durston. They have their place but I don't like them when the weather gets bad.