Well, granted, my experience with tents is limited to an outfitter's Eureka that was made of heavier grade material than the retail ones, and a couple Swiss Gear tents from Sam's Club... but I am sick of carrying these heavy bags of fabric that turn into saunas in the summer.
My first and foremost concern, however, is how well does a tarp work in mountaintop snow storms? A little sauna action would be a good thing when you're trying to keep from freezing to death, or so I'd think.
I've been experimenting with a cheap 10x10 I got for 7 bucks at a hardware store in the back yard, and I've been pleased with just how configurable it is depending on the weather. The grommets are already starting to tear out, but this is really just for me to experiment with anyway. Had a helluva storm pass by a couple nights ago, set up the tarp beforehand, and when the worst of it had passed I went out with a headlamp to check out how well it had held up. The ground was soaked, but under the tarp it was dry as a bone.
The other issue is bugs. If I'm going to be a blood donor, I'd rather it not be to a parasite. A bivvy isn't a good option for me because I'm camping with my wife and the idea of us enclosed in separate bug proof coffins just doesn't sound appealing. I'm considering getting a UL bug tent and pitching it under the tarp and just bounce boxing it until we need it, but I'm curious what other solutions people have come up with.
Thanks in advance.