The purpose of a tent is to give guarenteed protection in really bad weather. If you backpack in an area with good weather, low wind, only afternoon storms that allow you to easily dry out after the deluge - you do not need a tent at all! Forget the cheap tent and go with a small tarp that is even lighter.

When a tent is truely needed, it better be bombproof. Tent failure and getting soaked in truely poor conditions is not an option. Think of a 4-day storm at 12,000 feet, above timber.

When I need real protection, I use a Mountain Hardware 2-man, 3-season mountaineering tent at 4# 14 oz. It was about $300 and has withstood many continuous days of horrid weather. It sets up tight as a drum, is very wind worth and offers enough room to sit out several days of weather and has never leaked.

I am quite willing to put my dollars into what I consider a piece of true survival equipment.

For other conditions, I go with my bivy - it is light and still very weather resistent but kind of miserable to be in for continous storms. The bivy is not cheap either - $150.

There are some poor high dollar tents too. I think the issue is quality regardless of price or weight. The materials the tent and poles are made of do matter, as does the design and quality of construction.