I never even thought of seperating the tent. and as for the talking down to me no i didnt take it that way i am BRAND NEW. I love hiking so much I figured I would get the gear to stay out for a few day at a time. im afraid of the size of this pack i hope its bigg enough to carry more than just stuff for a one day hike if not looks like itll be getting donated and a larger pack will be purchased and i can start all over on my pack research