Very light gear has a shorter life than traditional gear that was designed for durablility. Look at the weights of all of the tarp choices at Campmor. At Gossamer Gear, they have good lightweight gear at good prices and are honest about users needing to replace the gear after a while. Cheap-light-durable, you get to choose two. Ultralight gear costs more due to materials. Super ultralight gear is truly expensive. At Campmor, a silnylon poncho is $40 while Mountain Laurel Designs has some $170 ponchos. Life is full of compromises. There will always be stuff you can't afford to buy, so get used to that. Expect to learn from your personal experiences with your gear, you can't gather it all from the internet. Expect to change one major piece of gear per year. Do one night trips until you know what your gear is capable of handling, then escalate. My suggestion is to get light weight gear and use it, instead of staying home to save for something that costs $30 per ounce extra for 3 or 4 ounces less weight. Put the extra money in your gas tank getting to the trailheads more often.