Originally Posted by
Slo-go'en
Show me a tarp / bug bivy which isn't DIY for $65. Sounds like your kind of making a tent once netting is sewn in.
My Gatewood cape and serenity net wasn't cheap and I can barely fit into it. OTOH, the Trekker Skyscape has plenty of room, is only 2 oz heavier and cost about the same. I made a mistake buying the serenity net for $125, I should have just stuck with the $50 OR bug bivy which I already had, but is heavier and a little more bulky then the serenity net.
Sure there are other solutions, but one has to weigh all the pros and cons. One consideration is cost, another is functionality and the climate in which it will be used.
I wish I hadn't lost most of the hoop poles to my little cocoon gortex top bivy, that was a sweet deal even though you had to slide in feet first and it was a bit on the heavy side. But at the time it was one of the lower weight solutions.