high end / low end of practically the same design
1+ person - half pyramid with single trekking pole pitch
altaplex (now replaced by plexamid) - dyneema cuban fiber fabric, light guy lines, no stakes/ pole included - with heavier fabric option and carbon fiber stakes weighs 22oz (needs 1 trekking pole) - with the stakes it was 620$
river country: old fashion sturdy coated nylon fabric, taped seems, thick guy lines, nice aluminum stakes - weight with stakes 42oz (needs 1 trekking pole)
- this was 40$ delivered
first impressions: for weatherproof, the river country edges out the zpack, zippered fly and a little more solid fabric
with the zpack heavier material option they should both be durable but the river country still may have double the life
for ventilation / breathability: the zpack looks better - hard to say, because like all single wall tents they will both have significant condensation
ease of set up goes to zpack's adjustable stake out points
wind stability looks adequete (but not great, these are not winter tents) for both
so overall about equal performance
weight is obvious with the river country being near double the zpack - but at 42 oz it would still make sense in a 13 lb base setup
price: you can buy 15 river country tents for the price of 1 zpack - if the durability turns out to be double, so 40$ vs 1100$ then each ounce of saved pack weight would cost 55$
so until the base weight is getting seriously below 10 lbs the weight savings is unlikely worth the money - spending the same $$$ on other gear could save more weight