I've been looking at so many tents lately it's making my head spin. Right now I'm leaning towards the Cabela's XPG Ridgelight XST 3. It's not a 4 season but it is a tough tent that the reviews claim are pretty storm proof and good in cold weather. A friend if mine is going to Chicago in May so I wouldn't even have to pay to ship it. It's not perfect but it's close and it's not insanely expensive for what you get.

Another update:

I think the tent I'm going to get is the NEMO Morpho AR. Looking back at what I originally decided I needed, this tent fits or exceeds just about every requirement except price.

Luckily that's a non issue since the DW likes the color LOL.

Hacksaw,

I have a Kelty Gunnison 2, and it works great for me. It has a full fly with 2 vestibules, 2 doors and it is relatively light weight. Oh yeah, aluminum poles as well.

Hear is a link with reviews

Gunnison 2

Shop around; I got mine for $104.00

Blitz

An update for anybody who cares...I ordered the Morpho AR from NEMO today. I found a place in Utah clearing their stock of tents out so it came in at $75 less than retail AFTER shipping to Canada.

I'll post a review once I have the chance to put it up against what an Alberta spring has to offer it.

Still followig [got a cold] with interest.

Thanks.

I'd be interested in how that tents works out.

Reviews by users we know are always welcome...

The variety of opinions expressed here is interesting. I believe we are overlooking an important factor, which is careful selection of a sheltered campsite. A cheap tent in a sheltered location will outperform a quality tent pitched in a bad spot.

I was working with a crew in a notoriously windy location some years ago. Everyone had North Face VE 25s, a really quality, bomb proof tent. One of us really liked the view from an exposed bluff and pitched his tent there. He did fine until we were hit with really high winds that struck in the early evening. His tent was shredded and he spent the night in our cook shack. I was really surprised to see him there the next morning. I had placed my tent about 100 yards from his, but in a bare spot surrounded by thick brush. I slept through the whole thing, completely undisturbed.

Mountaineering tents are tough and overbuilt because there are often few options on a climb as to where you can put your camp. It is very different from most normal camping.

That's a very good point. I put a lot of thought into site location because when I'm solo, I'm a tarp + bivy man. My experience with road trips however has taught me that you can't always find such a spot when you're in unfamiliar lands.

campsites which look great in a book or online can turn out to be a gravel pit or urban parking lot (with a nice view for the brochures). Areas which are supposedly prime for back country camping can require more hiking than is advertised and you end up pitching camp within view of the interstate in what equates to an open field...lots of variables and it's impossible to cover them all.

When I'm in the middle of Alaska and my time table gets screwed up (it always does despite my best planning), AND my wife wants her beauty sleep to start 10 minutes ago, I'm going to need a sturdy tent that's quick to set up and can be set up in such a way that the inside stays dry when pitching...the Morpho AR is the ideal tent for those requirements.

The fact that it's light enough to throw in a backpack for short hiking hauls is a definite bonus.