The purpose of this post is to maybe demonstrate to beginners that ultralight gear is not better gear and to consider what you actually need in a piece of gear as being more important than what it weighs.

I chose not to put this in the "light weight" forum because those people have a separate reality that is more important to them than an objective reality. shocked I chose to put it in the beginners group because maybe is not too late to explain to those not yet committed, why the ultralight crowd and their warped ideas are forcing manufacturers to produce inferior products. You are much better off with a heavier set of gear that works and is durable and warm and dry, than by meeting any body else's weight considerations. crazy

Finally after 30 years my LLbean down coat which weighs 25 ounces has had zipper problems. I decided to spend the bucks and get a modern jacket with 850 down and ultralight shell material, but no zipper cover or snaps anywhere. So my new 14.9 ounce super jacket is just an under stuffed sweater. I would need two of them to be as warm as the $60 jacket they replaced. With tents, modern tents have given up on many extras to produce tents that are an ounce lighter than the competitors. They now put super thin bottoms on tents so they weigh less, then sell you a tent footprint. "Foot print" you NEVER heard such a thing back when tents were made to be warm, windproof, water proof and they weighed 5-8 pounds. The point is not whether you want to carry an 8 pound tent, but whether you accept that the 4 pound tent will not function as well nor be as durable or water tight as the old heavy tent.
They're not BETTER because they are lighter, in fact they are inferior because they are lighter.
Don't shoot for a 12 pound or 5 pound pack unless you are prepared to have a bunch of flimsy delicate gear with no zipper covers and is only really functional in the warmer parts of the country during the warmer months. I would much rather carry a 16 pound pack with durable gear than a 12 pound pack that was at the limit of function during good weather.

Tents vs tarps. A tarp is a non breathable single walled tent with no doors no floor nor mosquito nets. You need a ground cloth to put your stuff on and many people use a bivy sack to protect their ultralight sleeping bag with a porous , but light weight shell, from the elements, because it seems lighter to buy a sleeping bag without a water proof shell and if manufacturers did put durable waterproof shells on them they would be too heavy to sell to the UL crowd, again, you get less because it weighs less, not more.

The purpose of this post is to maybe demonstrate to beginners that ultralight gear is not better gear and to consider what you actually need in a piece of gear as being more important than what it weighs.
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These are my own opinions based on wisdom earned through many wrong decisions. Your mileage may vary.