versatility in a shelter choice?

You could also combine the MLD(or other brand) Mid with a bug bivy instead of a full bug net.

Maybe consider a GG Spinnshelter(or the heavier Golite Shangri-la) with a bug bivy.

I use the GG Spinnshelter with an SMD Meteor bivy. Just over 1.0 lb and better than four season flexibility.

In the summer the the Spinnshelter can be pitched with 3 open sides for a cool sunshade and drizzle protection. The Meteor used wide open as a drop cloth and also some spray protection.

"To me, the most versatile shelter is a double wall with mesh/fabric inner"

Ever seen a lightweight one that would fit my 6'5" frame?

"you can't use the tarp and bug net on hard surfaces and you will probably have to have a bivy also."

Sez you. Not my experience. I hammock in California. We were at 10,000+ feet….

If you are expecting to be subalpine or alpine, you take a pad instead of an underquilt. You pitch the tarp with a trekking pole and put rocks on the edges.

Brett:

We've gone around and around over this for 2 years now? There're lots of advantages to being tall — but unfortunately fitting UL gear isn't one of them. Can't win them all. So suck it in and get the lightest that will fit you — or get the Moment (assuming it fits you)?? Sorry…

Hammocks can be ultralight as tents. It's entirely a preference thing… I'm just more comfortable side sleeping in a hammock than I am on the ground and the foam pad will only work for me in a hammock. Trying to sleep on the ground all the time is going to mean no enjoyment of the trip – if I only sleep on the ground once or twice, versus for a week or more at a stretch, it's a better deal overall.

A seven ounce hammock, seven oz foam pad, 13 oz tarp is not going to break the back.

Brett,
I haven’t tracked the thread history on this, but how close is the Sierra Designs Vapor Light XL?

I still have to ask though. Things change out there and I am not privy to all the information.

As for the other post, how does one set up a trekking pole on a hard surface?

The SD tent looks nice but weighs too much.

Tho I have been a little concerned about abrading the cork, the wide end of the Lightrek works fine on granite. The tip goes through the tie out.

Everyone always mentions cold as a problem with hammocks… it's no more of a problem than it is for ground sleepers. I've actually found I'm warmer in a hammock. Something about being so comfortable I don't roll off the pad….

okay, so it is a whole tension thing. how do hammocks hold up in really hot conditions and still keep the bugs off?

Lori,
I have had the same concerns regarding trekking pole handles.

Joe Velasko does this on his tent-

For my tarps made 'pole pockets' that look more like a tube and have LineLocks.

They keep handles out of the mud, away from the critters, and intact.

"But consider the case of someone who mostly camps where they can hang their hammock above the ground — from trees, rocks, whatever. Fortunately, for those comparatively few times they are where there are no trees — grassy meadow, above treeline, whatever, they have a sane fallback way to use their hammock."

That makes sense when you put it in that context. Just a totally different world than mine. Thanks for expanding my consciousness, Bob. :)