shelter - tent
Getting into your tent at the end of a long day’s effort. Bliss. Finally, into your cocoon.
There are some lightweight options: tarps, hammocks, etc. Forget it. Try to find a tree out there.
There are considerations other than weight that should take precedence when you are spending time on the road.
Size for one. Having it bigger than the absolute minimum will pay off if you ever get trapped inside on a rainy day. The ability to store your food inside can be handy to avoid those relentless ants.
With many hot, dry evenings, the ability to put up just the lightweight inner layer is required. Then lie back and watch the shooting stars. The greatest show on earth. With no city lights around and clear skies, the stars are bright even on the horizon. In what’s essentially a mozzie net with a sealed-in floor, even slight movement to sultry air brings some relief. You can camp for months like this in the far north during the Dry Season.
Putting it up and taking it down every day needs speed and simplicity in the tent’s design.
Having a triangulated pole system keeps it up in strong winds. That suggests a minimum of 3 poles.
Avoiding the necessity to use pegs might not be obvious, but the usual Australian campsites don’t allow peg penetration of more than a centimetre. Sproinnngggg. Even the caravan park sites. Specially the caravan park sites.
Look after those zips. They are the only thing between you and those critters out there, large and tiny. If they start to wear out, it’s usually because the metal slider is worn. You can get a few months more life from a zip by squeezing the metal wings carefully with your Leatherman pliers.
So, not convinced? Look at the blogs of happy travellers on long-distance treks, and the only point of agreement about equipment is that they all rejoice in having a big enough tent.