Borah Gear Borah Bivy vs X-Mid

A Borah tarp and bivy will be as low as $150 total, and will be under a pound. And this isn't even a comprmise really, this is the gold standard of UL shelters without jumping to DCF prices

just throw a Borah bivy inside it for way less weight and bulk.

A 6 oz DCF 7x9 tarp + a 4 oz Borah bivy is 10 oz, still lighter than any tent

I think a floorless pyramid shelter and breathable bivy (like Borah) is the most versatile if you also like to cowboy camp.

Some tarp users like the roughly 5 oz borah bivy (breathable/non-waterproof bivy bag) or similar bug bivy, which you can treat with permethrin as desired, to protect against ticks, splashes/mud, and provide ground cloth. Plus, some people appreciate a bivy bag against Appalachian Trail shelter mice.

I've done plenty of cowboy camping, I've slept rolled up *in* a tarp, I've hammock camped, and I mostly sleep in a x-mid nowadays.

my friend's Lunar Solo generally handles it worse than my standard xmid.

Xmid also had peak guy lines. Pct I lost a pole down a gully and tied the peak guy line to a tree. Worked well enough for two days

Ive taken my xmid in violent lighting storms with carbon fiber poles. You’re packing your fears