I "forgot" the best thing I learned from Fletcher, probably because it's become second nature: sleeping under the stars.

When I read the original Complete Walker, I was totally taken with the simplicity and aesthetics of just tossing down a groundcloth, spreading out my sleeping bag, and going to sleep (not to mention eating in my sleeping bag.) Of course, doing that in the summer in the eastern US makes the mosquitoes very, very happy. I willingly offered up the smorgasbord, because the pleasure I got from sleeping roofless was worth it.

However, as my style developed and matured (along with my gear budget), my shelter choice was always driven by getting as close as possible to sleeping under the stars. That eventually led to bivy sacks (and not always light ones: my favorite was the 2-pound Integral Designs Salathe) and solo tents with mesh roofs, like the MSR Hubba/Carbon Reflex and Big Agnes Seedhouse/Fly Creek - and was a major factor in my not choosing the otherwise-superior Tarptent Rainbow.

My desire for sleeping under the stars often means that I'm the only one in the group who doesn't put the fly on his tent if there's no threat of rain - the first night. By the end of the trip, I've converted pretty much everyone.