Can tents and ultralight backpacking mix?
Definitely! Just because many ultralight travelers (myself included) end up using bivy sacks, tarps and/or sleeping bag covers doesn’t mean that’s the only way to travel ultralight. In addition to personal preference some have for a proper tent (which is perfectly fine), you can approach the problem from a “pounds per person sheltered” perspective. In general, a solo backpacker won’t be able to beat a bivy or tarp/bag cover combinations for weight (and I prefer the convenience as well). Once you can start sharing the load, however, the numbers can change to make a tent start looking very reasonable. Again, if you shop carefully. Believe it or not, if you’re traveling in a group a carefully selected shared tent is not particularly heavier (per person sheltered) than a solo bivy/tarp setup. Using a single large (8’x10′) Siltarp to share (and perhaps an additional bug bivy or similar for those who don’t want to try sewing in their own bug screen), you’re probably looking at around 1 lb pe
