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While I was an army grunt the only shelter we used was a shallow grave fighting position, poncho over our heads, space blanket on the ground, poncho liner to keep us warm. We did use camo bungee's and 550 cord to secure our hooches as needed.
 
Yeah, I think a blend of the versa shelter and a poncho hooch is about all a guy needs out in the brush. Im going to start doing that this summer when backpacking.
 
Doesn't do you much good in the desert...Unless you pack in some end poles.

When I was watching the youtube videos that this guy made, I found one of a different guy that made a video about using the Versa Shelters in the desert. I dont have a link for it, but it wouldnt be that hard to find on youtube. From what I remember, the guy said it was difficult to use them in sand, but had come up with a solution to the problems related with it.
 
I camped like that when I was in boy scouts. You don't get the dew build up like you do in a tent, and you do stay dry. I used a poncho and a hammock.
 
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Yeah, I think a blend of the versa shelter and a poncho hooch is about all a guy needs out in the brush. Im going to start doing that this summer when backpacking.

I dont know what its like down there but you pull that kind of a setup in the alpine lakes in WA and you will get eaten alive by the bugs. Not a big deal to pack a net, but a bad deal if you forget it.
 
Having spent the night outdoors in everything from improvised lean to during snap snowstorm in the Wallowas to palatial wall tents at hunting camps, to a period where I thought a bivy sack was great until I rolled into a creek in the middle of the night, my thought is this:

Absolutely nothing substitutes for a bomb proof tent that is competently designed. You won't find one of those at most sporting goods stores or at Sears. You have to find a shop that sells to serious mountaineers and backpackers. A four season mountaineering tent that will stand up to high winds and episodic snow loading for weeks on end with out condensing gallons of water vapor is not going to be cheap nor cheaply constructed. A three season tent that can be comfortably humped by one person with the nylon and the other with the poles is going to be in the $250-$500 range easily depending on its size and features.

The problem with tarps and ponchos and hammocks is actually their lack of versatility when it comes to picking a camp site. Sometimes, the weather or failing light due to a lack of expected progress means that the campsite chooses you. Nothing beats a self supporting tent that will not collapse under gusts or moderate snow loading and can be up in under the time it takes your water to come to a boil.

A high quality backpacking tent like a Sierra Designs XT4 costs about the same as four nights at the coast in a very average hotel room, but with care will last for years, with the periodic changing of the fly due to UV and stretching damage, more if you have the body periodically mended at any stress points.

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Even if the entire tent goes tango uniform for some reason, the carcass is still high quality for improvising something useful out of its remains.
 
I tried this out on a five day solo backpacking trip going around the Three Sisters mountains in Central Oregon Cascades a couple of years ago. For a one person shelter it was surprisingly stable in high winds due to its low profile.It was pretty simple to set up. It can be a little cramped inside if you're a big guy but it worked well for me. www.alpharubicon.com/prepinfo/ponchotent.htm
 

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