If you're going somewhere warm and dry, you don't need much of a shelter.
Look up how to make a simple debris shelter. It works and is simple. It's not very fancy.
If you are somewhere that's warm, dry, and has trees, just get a cheap hammock. Woot has them on sale today for an excellent double hammock, or single with mosquito netting. If it's dry and warm with no rain, you don't need a tarp. If you don't buy from woor, get a $20 grand trunk ultralight. Very small, comfortable, and for $20 (sometimes less) how can you go wrong?
If you want a simple shelter/tarp combo, look at the base tube tarp 1.0 by UST. It can be a hammock tarp, lean to shelter, or make a simple tube tent.
If you're making a debris shelter and skipping all the commercial stuff, you're won't be very comfortable, but can be fun to build shelters. With a debris shelter I'd want a sleeping roll and good sleeping bag, but you could forgo the sleeping roll if you made bedding out of pine boughs or something.
Just a word of advice, most everyone uses commercial tents or hammocks. There's a reason why were not all making our own shelter. It's hard work, and a pain yo make weather resistant. It also leaves a bunch of stuff laying around that doesn't exact go with the whole leave no trace philosophy. Building your own shelter has another draw back, bugs. Bugs are on everything, your nice pine bough bedding might be comfy enough, but there's always creepy crawlies everywhere.
