hey thanks for all the feedback. im gonna do a section of the AT in may starting in damascus. my friend has that tent and has been using it for several years so far and loves it. i know its not lightweight.. but my pack, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, and that tent together weigh 10 pounds. i already bought it but i can always return it. the biggest thing im intersted in other than how much it weighs is how small it packs.
I set the tent up in my yard the other day and it seems nice. it has a nice vestibule where i can keep my pack/cook when its raining. and yeah it was only like $60.
this is my first year hiking and i would love to just use my poncho as a shelter, but i have to do some test runs first.