Johndavid:

It's hard to fathom your responses here. In fact I would dare say that your comments are foolish and you come across as someone who doesn't really have the experience you are trying to convince us of. I also get the sense that some of your comments border on irresponsibility.

Whenever we go into the backcountry we assume some risks. There are some who take this to the extreme and, hopefully, understand that the more chances they take, the greater the possibility of them not returning home. Your proposal of taking a $20 Wenzel to any serious backcountry destination is at best foolish and at worst dangerous. Sure you might be lucky to experience perfect weather with no wind or rain, but that can never be assumed (again, were talking a serious backcountry location). The fact that you believe that "most" people's experience mirrors your own tells me you really haven't gone into the depths of the backcountry (I've read every entry here and don't agree that you have all that much experience, sorry). All it takes is one very wet miserable night at the verge of hypothermia to help you realize the need for decent shelter.

There are so many excellent options in tents today. You buy quality and take care if it, it will last you a lifetime, keep you protected from the elements, be easy to set up, be light, well-designed, and give you a relative sense of comfort. This is what's known as value. The manufacturers go to incredible lengths to bring these products to market. You might think they are making an exorbitant profit, but those of us in the outdoor industry know that is simply not true and, in fact, laughable. Most of these guys have experienced a very bad day backpacking or camping and are passionate enough to start their own company in making sure that doesn't happen again. The founder and owner of Cascade Designs is still hard at work and is employed by the company even though he is almost 80 years old. Retirement isn't even in the picture.

One of the interesting details in regards to MSR's dedication to quality is the effort they made to find the best manufacturer in the world for their tents. The challenge was given to a very select group of factories all around the world. This included some from the US, Portugal, Taiwan, China, South Africa, etc. They had 6 months to complete the model of tent they were required to finish. The best tent would win the contract. Once all of them were submitted, they were gone over with a fine tooth comb. Only the best factory was selected to make MSR tents. The factory that won happened to be in China. It had nothing to do with economics as far as Cascade Designs was concerned, but everything to do with quality.

You are free to buy whatever product you want. We all have our reasons and our motivations. Your arguments in this thread are elementary and come across as foolish by someone who lacks experience in recommending a tent to any one. You might want to check out the BACKCOUNTRY BEGINNERS area on this forum.