>>548723Sleeping under a tarp or even without any shelter is awesome if you know the weather is going to be clear but for piece of mind and protection from the elements and bugs etc, there is simply nothing better than a tent. There are reliable tents out there that weigh under 2kg, pack down small and are relatively cheap but of course if you spend big $$$ you can get tents that weigh around the 1kg mark. A popular tarp is the DD 3X3 which weighs in at over 800g with lines and pegs...my 2 man tent weighs 2kg but I feel the extra weight is worth the added protection a tent gives you. Plus, my tent opens up on both sides so I can sleep with them both open if I want to feel more like i'm sleeping "outdoors" kind of thing, especially on hot summer nights. If the rain and/or high winds appear I can zip it up and rest easy knowing I will stay perfectly dry and warm.
You have to consider how you will pitch your tarp too. If there's no trees to tie off to then you have to carry hiking poles to use as a support structure and now you may be encroaching into affordable tent weight territory (depending on your tarp of choice). If you do pitch a tarp like pic related for instance, there's no groundsheet which would be a royal pain in the arse if you're pitching in the wet or on wet ground. You could carry a piece of tyek or small groundsheet for this eventuality of course but now everything has got overcomplicated when compared to the simplicity of a small, single pole tent.
I enjoy tarp camping, especially in the summer. But when i've been out doing a lot of walking and I want to have an assured good nights rest, i'll choose a tent every time.
