I went ahead and ordered that 11'x11' tarp from SportsmansGuide. At $26, it is cheap enough to try and not fret about if it turns out to be junk. I've already got tons of paracord and trekking poles for supports, so now I just need to buy some decent stakes that won't self destruct the first time I pound them into the ground. I already have an excellent tent, although heavy (8lbs total weight - that's why I was considering the REI tent - much lighter). My current tent is a 2-1/2 man Northface 3-4 season convertable. Rock solid, useable for winter mountaineering. Doesn't breath that well in the summer, even when "converted", due to the fully sleeved poles and other 4-season features. I really wouldn't want to backpack with it due to the weight and size, but I'm thinking of putting the tarp in the BOB and having the tent sitting by itself right next to the BOB. If possible, and if I'm going for vehicular travel (as I would normally expect), I can grab the tent and carry it to the truck while wearing the BOB backpack.

Tent. No question.

I'm slowly taking steps into the world of using a tarp for camping instead of a tent. I like the openess of a tarp shelter and combined with the closeness of the campfire, it's quickly becoming my favourite way to camp. I still feel like I have to stay on fire watch all night but do manage to sleep. Since I started trying tarp-style camping, I feel constricted in a tent. I like the privacy but hate having such a huge chunk of my field of vision blocked. Although as the mosquitoes continue to increase in numbers around these parts, I am quite thankful to be able to crawl inside a relatively bug-free zone. (Although a good campfire does help keep the bugs at bay.)

When we camp as a family, we've got a nice 4-man Eureka with a great rain fly. (We will probably try a tarp set-up this year to see how the other half of the troop likes it.) Our bug-out plan is to use my Jeep and, if we have enough advance warning, grab this chalet of a tent too. If something happens to the Jeep though, and we have to move on foot, none of us is going to carry this 10 pound tent.

Our family BOB has GI ponchos, a sportsman's thermal blanket (like the one linked above) and a tube tent. I do however, keep a couple of sets of cheapie 2-man tents + tarp + paracord in the Jeep. My son and I use these on our mom and son trips and we'd definitely grab them if we had to leave the Jeep behind during a bug-out.

My edc GHB has a GI poncho and a tarp, to cover shelter. This pack lives in the Jeep though, so has the same option of grabbing a solo tent if the Jeep had to be abandoned.

So, I guess, I'm completely on the fence and no help at all.

LOL @ Jac. I still say tent. You can find very light ones and the keep the creepie crawlies off you.

For me, bugs make it hard for me to get restful sleep, so when I'm camping on purpose I bring a tent. The tent also keeps the wind off me so I can sleep without having to watch a fire all night long.

Very true Chaos. Not to mention rain and dew. I'd even take my old less tahn one pound Cabellas bivy over a tarp for a BOB or ultra light camping.

I have to admit, I really like the idea of no bugs. A tent does that very well. My son and I tried using a tent like a tarp shelter a few weeks ago and it was a nice compromise, BUT it was still May and the bugs weren't bad yet.

We're currently looking for a new, smaller, lighter, more portagable 2-man or 2 X 1-man.

Hey! Maybe I'm not on the fence after all. We're going for tents! But we're keeping the tarps too so I'll have to get back to you with my vote.

I'm too old and delicate to be crawled on by bugs. I bought a two or three man dome from a department store a few years ago. It wieghs about five pounds, maybe less. I have yet to try it, it's out in a shed. I believe it was $14.99 when I bought it. Have a solo tent that's light but nine feet long. I'm a big guy but not nine feet big, and storing my pack and gear inside makes it inacessible when i'm in with it. After the Night Of The Squirells I hang my gear when i'm in the mountains now, so seven feet would be a better size for Ol' Snake.

I would like to know more about The Night Of The Squirrels!

Sounds horrible.
Probably much worse than my own "Morning of the Porcupine."