I've been thinking about this post (and the various replies it has gotten) quite a while, trying to figure out how I feel about this issue. (In the interest of full disclosure I'm strictly a tarp guy, either with a bivy or with a hammock -- I don't even own a tent, except a Walmat tent we've used for car camping once or twice.)

Then yesterday I came across something interesting. Francis Tapon did a yo-yo of the continental divide trail last year and I was listening to a podcast of him talking about what he did. I was curious about his gear. He took a super light cuben fiber tarp from MLD (very pricy if they aren't sponsoring your hike) but he said that he rarely used it. He cowboy camped almost every night. When it got late he looked for a somewhat sheltered spot and laid down his pad and quilt and slept.

Really makes you think about how much (and how nice/expensive) gear is really needed for backpacking.

A few observations are in order

1. He's a very experienced hiker and no amount of gear compensates for lack of experience

2. The continental divide trail is a high mountain trail, often above tree line, and can be quite cold so it's definitely a trail that most people would think calls for a super tent.

3. His standards for comfort are pretty low -- he only used a 1/8th inch Gossamer Gear thinlight pad under him at night.

So I guess my current thinking is this:

We all lack a little of the experience/toughness of a world-class hiker like Francis Tapon so we must compensate with more gear than he uses, for safety and/or comfort. If you have a lot of experience in a certain area or can stand a lot of a certain kind of discomfort then you can get by with very little of a certain kind of gear.

On the question of tents I think that the right amount to spend on a tent depends on how much you are going to rely on it. If it's just a glorified bug/rain shelter then a cheap tent is probably fine. But occasionally you will have to pay the consequences -- which may not be too bad if you have the experience/toughness.

As an example, one day on his yo-yo Francis Tapon was in high in the Colorado mountains early in the spring. It was windy and cold and he woke up in the middle of the night shivering. He was paying the price for his bare-bones set up. He knew what to do though. He got up and hiked all through the night. That kept him warm and he was able to make up the sleep later.

If you are that tough and experienced then even a $20 tent is overkill.