I don't understand certain objections and am slightly suprised at the argumentum ad hominem..

Other than to suggest that it's best to assume minimal good faith in these forums, I don't see how to make a rational, helpful answer to this question of whether I'm a liar about my experience, nor why it's been suggested.

But it's actually not relevant to the point that a well-designed cheap tent can indeed be highly efficient shelter in summer conditions. I think I've made a number of specific, rational arguments to that effect above, and certainly cannot add to them.

Some people say that the assertions of Colin Fletcher and Ray Jardine that plastic sheeting can make an effective shelther in places like alpine settings in Colorado is irrelevant as a demonstration of the idea that high-quality materials aren't essential to serious backpacking equipment. The point seems so obvious to me, that I'm at a complete loss to elaborate.

There's a big emphasis on "stuff" when it comes to backpacking., inescapable overemphasized. Somehow a legacy of 1970s "gormet" cooking craze...buy only the finest cookware...."consumerism".....Yeah you can get slightly damp sometimes for a little while, in a tent when it rains hard, or maybe if there's a lot of dew. Whether one tent or another leaves you 10% more damp or not... dunno......is that a critical matter?. But I currently own five different tarps and tents. NOW THAT'S STUPID.

Actually my peeve is not people who falsify their outdoor experience, but rather people who like to harp on the risks of hiking & backpacking -- which last I checked boils down to mainly sleeping and walking. I think some people attempt to manipulate the topic of risk in a condescending manner to gain what they perceive as some obscure status advantage over other people.

Yeah there's risk -- whatever. It's also good to check the brakes on your car and also have a good concept of what auto wrecks are, and how they occur....