Quote Originally Posted by DebW View Post
The tarptents are very nice. But pay attention to pole options. Most of the tarptents expect you to have trekking poles along to use as tent poles. So add poles to the weight and and make sure the pole length fits in your panniers.
yep, you gotta have poles. they have optional poles that break down to 15- 20 inch lengths and weigh just a couple ounces. I had the same hesitation but for hiking I wouldn't want to go any distance without poles and for biking a few more ounces won't hold you back. The two person tent with optional poles is still lighter than other tents.