Types of shelter

Yeah, but what puts me off even a minimalist tent is all the bloody guy ropes you've gotta peg out. Have you checked out the Outdoor Research Alpine Bivy? One pole only, to give you head space. Gotten excellent reviews and stacks up well against others. There's a video on youtube of a German guy who does a really comprehensive review; actually using it out in the snow. The way I see it: Tent - good for laying up for a few days due to inclement weather/swollen rivers. Bivy - excellent for getting into the fart-sack quickly; whether that's because the rain just broke, or because you're dog-tired. Awesome set-up/take-down time. Only the absolute minimalist (and most expensive!) tents will compare in weight. It is nice to have a bit of room. Especially to whip up a hot brew in the pissing rain. But really, I think just enough headspace to read for awhile at the end of yet another long, tiring day will be sufficient most of the time. Still though, I'm really enjoying this thread, and hearing everybody's recommendations. I am definitely weighing them all up seriously, so thanks. :)

bro, thats a mint little tent. A bit on the heavy side, but that price is real good. Everyone is right about sandflies down here, unless your in middle of winter, they will kill you. They are getting bigger every year, I swear it, I believe they are gaining mass from feeding on the growth hormones in the blood of foreign tourists... If you can afford it, I would shell out for a Terra nova or something like that... Cuban tent? haha oh man that stuff is for martians

I am interested in a new tent as well. I have an old Fairydown Altimate 2 and it has seen many years of great service. It has been used as a base camp up on the tops and on kayak trips when the weather has been to bad to put out to sea so I like a bit of space. I dont want to do those trips any more but I still want something that has a bit of space and can stand up to NZ rain an west coast sand flies. Some of the new MSR tents seem light weight but are they waterproof enough.

Oh, I won't even consider a tent or bivy that doesn't have a mesh! Tarps are cool, and I've spent my fair share of nights beneath a hootchie, but bugs friggin' LOVE me! And conversely, I bloody HATE them! I can be comfortable with very few luxuries, but being eaten alive absolutely infuriates me, and I never get any sleep. At least there's four-fifths of bugger all mosquitoes here. Hiking in Oz, well, as soon as you get the signal (when the incessant flies disappear) you know it's time to lather up in 80% DEET, get into your burkha, and run for cover. Sandflies are annoying, but they don't eat much. On a normal tramp of a few days, I wouldn't care so much. But doing a 4-month exped, multiple sleepless nights due to little bitey things adds up pretty quick. So yeah, don't even come at me with an option without meshing! :D

@kreig you're right, the guy ropes are a pain (but you soon get used to it). It's little things like being able to get changed inside when it's hosing down that make the weight penalty of a tent worth it for me. Must be getting soft!

Mld duomid or supermid with optional bug inner could work.

the wild country tent floor isnt waterproof. i've heard some complaints about their gear..

Mine is. I wouldn't recommend it if it turned into a bathtub :-)

If you ever find yourself sleeping under a tarp (fly) and are visited by mozzies but it's too hot to wrap up tight in your sleeping bag, try wearing your waterproof shells to bed with the sleeping sheet or partially open bag. And plaster the DEET on thick and shove earplugs in so you can't hear the whining. This did the trick on a hot summer's night by Lake Te Anau (Fiordland). Earplugs are good for mouse-infested huts too but after reading the horror stories on this site about rats chewing on you, you may want to be able to hear them when they come calling for fresh meat.

I always sleep inside a silk sleeping bag liner (why do many kiwis not use these things - many advantages) and if there are little biters around just put my head inside the pillow case part and have no trouble breathing through the silk. Mind you, once in extreme mossie territory in Canada they easily found their way around the edges and at dawn I ran screaming into the sea, my body covered in hundreds of bites!!!! My Canadian friend was snug in her 'no-see-um' bivvy bag. The amazing thing was that we were on a tiny island with no standing water - where did the little b----s come from?