Let me guess: it was snowing the whole time the bear was chasing you uphill, right?

SilentStone, it does sound like a pretty good plan - but, since you'll be using some untested gear, you might pick a nice night. Don't forget a ground cloth. If you don't have a sleeping pad, you might get cold just lying on the ground. A closed cell pad (are they still $10 at Walmart?) prevents that.

If you do find you're into making your own gear, see the separate section MYOG on these forums. I think Gossamer Gear used to post free patterns to make their G4 pack, and I think Henry Shires might have made his original tarptent pattern available on the TarpTent website at one time. I haven't checked recently, though.

Enjoy your first trip!