I'm having trouble making a decision on a new tent. When the REI Quarterdome ultralight 2-person tent came out a few years ago I was really eyeballing it, but at $220.00 before tax I held off.

I'm on a budget and I usually wait until I can find a sale or the item on clearance. REI has redesigned this tent and now the "old" QD UL is on sale at REI outlet for $159.00. I'm thinking very strongly of ordering it. I have always used an 8x10 ID Siltarp for most of my backpacking, and I really prefer sleeping under the stars when I can. The tarp has worked very well for this, but there are times when a real tent is nice to have. I've encountered rough wind/rainstorms in the Cascades and wished I had a decent tent. I do have a conventional tent which I use in l lieu of the tarp, but it's getting pretty old and it's pretty confining. It's a Eureka Zephyr one-person tent, which I bought used right here on TLB, many years ago. It's very narrow and spartan, and it weighs around 4 lbs. It has worked fairly well but it's time has come and gone.

In the past couple of years, however, while waiting for this tent to go on sale, I've taken a very close look at Henry Shires Tarptents and I've come to think of the Tarptent Contrail as a great compromise between the tarp and a conventional tent. It's 25oz vrs. 4 lbs for the REI QD, and it takes up less space in the pack. The Contrail is $204.00, shipped, and the QD $175.00, shipped.

My idea has always been to have the siltarp for most summer backpacking, and the tent for nastier conditions. I really, really like the Contrail, but the QD is pretty attractive because of it's free-standing simplicity and quick pitch, with what appears to be a minimum of adjusting. I know it's really a matter of personal preference, but I'm just curious as to which tent what other lightweight backpackers would choose, and why.

Thanks so much,

Cliff