For a first backpacking tent, weight matters less than you think and floor space matters more. A tent you can sit up in at the end of a wet day is worth the extra 300g, and almost nobody regrets that trade on their second trip.
Start with how many nights, not how many grams
Two nights out a year is a different tent from twenty. Occasional trips are better served by a roomy three-season double-wall that dries out fast and forgives a badly chosen pitch; the ultralight single-wall shelters that dominate the reviews are built for people optimising a route they already know.
The specification that decides most of it is the one nobody leads with: the pitched floor area per person. Anything under 1.2m² each is a tent you will only ever sleep in, not sit out a storm in.
What the weight figure on the box is not telling you
Packed weight and trail weight are different numbers, and manufacturers quote whichever flatters. Trail weight leaves out the stuff sacks, the spare pegs and often the guylines — all of which you will carry.
