As much as I want to drop a few Benjamin’s on a Hilleberg tent, that’s a lot of other equipment I could get being dropped on a tent. Are they worth it? Any other advice for alternatives that don’t break the bank?
I've used standard backpacking gear versus the name brand hunting gear very effectively. Of note, a Mountainsmith Morrison II tent I own held up through several Arctic blizzards with 30+ MPH sustained winds on the North Slope of the Brooks range recently. For this year, I picked up a Nemo Hornet 1P. Less than two pounds, and super solid looking tent so far. We'll see in August how she really does.