Congratulations on getting out! I'm glad you plan to try again!

Your insistence on using shelters seems a little strange to me because we don't have such things out here in the west. There actually are a few around (there are two left on Mt. Hood) but they are rarely used--mainly historical curiosities. They also appear to be extremely attractive to rodents! We westerners carry our own shelters. There are plenty of lightweight tents around: check tarptent.com, sixmoondesigns.com, gossamergear.com. These are fully-enclosed, 3-season tents, very lightweight. For a pound more, there are lightweight (though a bit cramped) double-wall tents from several manufacturers (MSR, Sierra Designs, Big Agnes). Or there are hammocks, as Bearpaw suggests. Since I take 80 lbs. of dog with me (see avatar), I carry a 2-person shelter from Tarptent.

I, too, always take fresh fruit on dayhikes or overnighters. It's only for the longer trips that I switch to dried fruit. Look for the unsulphured kind in health food stores.

Have you read the articles and gear lists in the left-hand column on the home page ("TLB Home") of this site?