How light can I reasonably get in a solo shelter?

If you typically take a rain jacket with you, a poncho tarp may be a good option for you; essentially rendering your shelter as zero weight since you'd have rain gear with you regardless. I like/use the golite one, but the mld one may be more desirable for you since it has such massive coverage in tarp mode.

My .34 cuben tarp was about 4 ounces.
I used it on the JMT, loved it, did fine.

You have to decide on

1) Integrity – Can you find a sheltered place to pitch?
2) Coverage – OK with a little bit of splash?
3) Durability – How much abuse will it see?
4) Cost – How much per year are you willing to pay?
5) Ease of Setup – Able to deal with futzing around when hungry and cold?

…and other factors.

Of these "Integrity" is probably the most important. I was told explicitly "camp in the trees, not on the ridges". If the weather is bad, you'd better be able to find shelter from the wind.

My solo sized CF tarp with lines and stakes comes in about 7.5oz but it doesn't have a beak.

Rather then a true tarp, a Zpacks Hexamid tarp shelter without any of the extras only weighs 6.2oz with the lines + 6" titanium stakes. Joe hiked the entire CDT with the prototype without a bivy and stayed dry.

A Hexamid Solo-Plus with a beak and no netting is around 7 oz.

You could save quite a bit on your sleeping bag, more than on your shelter. A Katabatic Alsek would save you 8 ounces. In my opinion (I've owned and used both many nights) it's equivalent in warmth to a WM Ultralite and is half a pound lighter.

You've got a very light load for a Circuit. An Ohm would save half a pound and still be very comfortable, but at 20 pounds a very light <16oz frameless pack starts to be usable, at least for me, and if you save 24 or more ounces on your pack, then your total load is 18.5 pounds or less.

Thanks, all, for your suggestions.

@Matt, I've never quite understood the poncho tarp strategy. I picture myself waking up in the middle of a rainy night and having to go outside for some reason… what do you do then?

@Greg, "integrity" would probably be a problem for the hikes I have in mind. Very few trees and wouldn't be able to count on sheltered camps. But how about the .51oz cuben?

@Andrew, I've tried quilts and they're not for me below about 50 degrees. I have a summer quilt for really warm nights but, otherwise, it has to be a bag. I've been sleeping colder lately and I think the Ultralite is about as light as I can get under the circumstances.

@Ken, yes, I agree, and as mentioned, I have a GoLite Peak that weighs 26oz that I know I can comfortably use at 18-19 lb. I'm counting on that to give me the first 8oz of the pound I'm trying to shave.

@Sean, thanks for the ZPacks Hexamid suggestion. Looks like 4oz for the Hexamid Solo. I don't think I need the full extended beak and the 'Solo' is probably big enough for me since I'm only 5'2".

Sumi,
I don't think a .34 cuben tarp in the wind is an automatic fail. I know I pushed it bit and never saw any damage (elongated stitch holes, for instance). I was using a cat cut flat tarp with tie-outs along the edges.

A Zpack Hex has more tie-outs, with some being on the body, all of which spreads the loading. My current Hex Solo-Plus is .51 cuben and I don't ever think about it. I exercise a little common sense (amazingly), get down off the ridge and behind rocks, and sleep without worry.

That's not to say a .34 version is to light – It's probably fine, but only you know what that weight difference versus concern is worth. I'd email Joe. He's been there and he will know.

I have not heard of any Hexamid loosing a tie-out.

YMMV.

Edit: On two occasions I been in straight down rain (no wind) pounding hard enough to wet the top of my Ohm leaning against the pole holding up my Solo Plus, with extended Beak. IMHO, the Beak is worth the weight. I would have been damp a little more often without it.

Hi Sumi,
Your title says shelter, but I think you can probably save around 10oz with a 20* Zpacks sleeping bag similar in specs (size and length)to the Ultralight.

>> I think you can probably save around 10oz with a 20* Zpacks sleeping bag similar in specs (size and length)to the Ultralight.

Yes, you're right. I switched from a Feathered Friends Grouse (30*) to the Ultralite last year and seriously considered the ZPacks bag at that time, but the bag dimensions don't work for me. I exchanged an email with Joe and pinned up a blanket to the dimensions to try it. The footbox is too narrow for me, especially with a 3/4 zipper, and going a lot wider would make the rest of the bag big and inefficient.

I have the 5'6" Ultralite and really love it, especially the fit. I realize that 27oz sounds heavy but for a 20deg bag with 15oz of fill, it's pretty darn good. I'll just have to find the 10oz savings elsewhere… :)

Agree with Brian – Your shelter is already so light, perhaps you can loose more weight with your bag. There is that ZPacks bag, or you could look at quilts.
Katabatic Gear is conservatively rated and would loose you a similar amount (you could even take a warmer quilt like the Sawatch (15F) and still loose weight).

edit – didn't see the reply above, must have cross-posted.

Already addressed the quilt thing above. Just don't like them.

I'm sure I can shed more weight, if that was simply the goal. But I sort of *like* most of my gear and I'm finding that my backpacking trips are really comfortable and pretty much angst-free, which I really appreciate. I'm looking at my solo no-bugs shelter because it's one of the only things I haven't really tweaked. For $200, I can get a better tarp and shave 6-7oz… that's pretty good, I think.

So… am I only looking at a ZPacks Hexamid Solo? Any other tarps in that 4-5oz range that would provide sufficient protection without a bivy?