Tarp for the desert, then tent for the rest?

[Miner]

So the ~9 nights of the PCT you set up a tarp because of rain? I thru'd the AT with a sil-nylon tent. Recently bought a Duplex (frankly with the PCT in mind) that I've taken on a few trips already. But it sounds like I should consider leaving the Duplex at home and start looking into tarps.

Tarp was setup for privacy sake at Lake Morena near the Mexican border at the now defunct ADZPCTKO gathering where I camped for 2 days. 3 nights in on and off snow at the Canadian Border to finish the PCT. And the rest for rain or the threat of rain. I did dodge one big storm in central Washington where I beat it to a hotel and zero'd the next day to avoid hiking in it. Otherwise, I mostly hiked in a perfect weather bubble that people ahead of or behind me had worse weather.

I will note that there were 2 or 3 other times in Oregon where most people would have set their shelter up, but I didn't as I really really hate camp chores like setting a shelter up so really push my luck with weather. I was awakened before 5am to light rain that after 5 minutes didn't stop so I decided it was better to pack up then get up and setup the shelter for another hour or so of sleep. So I hiked in the dark for an hour before the sun come up. Another time, a midnight shower happened, so I moved my bivy over under a nearby large spruce tree which kept most of the rain off (as it wasn't hard), relying on the water resistence of my bivy sack to keep me dry from whatever penetrated through the tree and it did.

Nothing wrong with the Duplex other than the high price and a bit more weight. Plenty of people have used them on the PCT. Some people prefer the illusion of a thin fabric protecting them from their fears at night and from the more realistic threat of mosquitoes and ants. In my case, I decided that since I'm going to cowboy camp most of the time, a bivy sack made the most sense and thus I added a solo sized tarp for rain protection. I basically picked the best shelter system that worked with how I wanted to hike and camp. Not everyone will arrive at the same solution as their goals and desires are a bit different.

Back at the end/beginning of the year, I spent 2 weekends in Joshua Tree hiking the Cal Riding and Hiking Trail in both directions. I heard bad stories of the shut down there, but away from the campgrounds and the road, I barely saw anyone during the day. First trip was great weather temperature wise whle the 2nd had a very cold strong wind where I never stripped off the warm layers.
Another advantage to cowboy camping. High Winds. I've seen tents damaged in 40-50mph winds at night from the fabric flapping hard. I've seen more than 1 pct hiker collapse their tent during the night to protect it. Being able to place a bivy sack in a small depression or in between brush where a tent would never fit, can keep you out of most of the wind.