4 years later I am still on world tour and have just put an order in for another Gossamer. I have a few tricks for reducing the pack weight to under 2 pounds. If your interested, just ask...

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I have been using a Eureka Gossamer for 2 years of motorcycle touring and have found it a great tent. Durable - It still looks like new after considerable usage. No signs of weather wear, no tears, no broken seams, no defects. Minimal - It is just big enough for a 5''6 150 pounder and a Gregory Forester backpack with 20 pounds. I have on occasion managed to fit in a small girl too ;) Don''t plan on sitting straight up however. It isn''t a home, just a place to sleep. Easy - The Good - It takes me about 5 minutes to setup and 2 to take down. The Bad - It comes with some 9 stakes, adding considerable weight and setup time. The Fix - With a few mods. I have managed to drop the requirement to 3 stakes and still handle heavy winds and rain. This seems to be a big issue for some, so if you got one of these tents and want to know how to modify it just ask (crap@onebox.com). Actually today I just bought a sierra designs ultra light year for comparison but think I will be keeping with my eureka. Seems to be lighter and smaller and easier. -Daryl

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Love the wieght in the pack,about 3 lbs very easy to set up even in the wind. It handles condensation fairly well handles wind very well, Ive used this tent in the summer fall and even winter. has handled moderate rain well . Have yet to tackle a WI spring rainstorm yet. Once again what you save in wieght you lose in headroom and roll around space. If your a restless thrasher dont buy this tent but if you want to put on some miles and just sleep then this ones for you.

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heve no complaints

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Perfect for solo w/dog trips. Fast, small, and inexpensive. Been through some pretty good wind and rain tests. Will stay with this manufacturer unless something really special comes along.

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this tent takes up very little space in my bag, and weighs less than 3 lbs. i requires 7 stakes minimum, so setup in rocky areas requires some crafty guying. and the fly does get condensation, but it is EASY to shake off in the morning. excellent for the solo hiker who wants to cover some ground.

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I have used this tent nearly 10 years now. If I remember correctly, it was only $90, and has paid for itself many times over. This is the tent I choose to take whenever I will be camping above timberline. This is due to the fact that it holds up to wind very well, and its low, slim profile makes it easy to hide next to shrubs or rock. At the time, it was also the lightest tent in its category, especially since a kid like me couldn't afford much then.

On the drawbacks: The design requires a lot of stakes, though many can be left out in calm weather. Also, the vestibule is no more than just a fly. If tensioned slightly off, the zipper tends to snag in the zipper flap very frequently. As for space, what you save in weight and space in the pack, you pay for in the tent. But it is better than a bivy sack or poled bivy sack.

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North Face Tadpole; REI sololite

Good bivouac tent, mine is dark green (rip-stop) and its low profile makes it excellent for concealed camping on places where you're not allowed to camp. This low profile forces you to (un)dress outside (preferable) or inside while lying on your back. On one trip my sleeping bag was infested with biting red ants, getting out of the tent while it was pouring outside was not one of my most pleasant experiences. If you can't stand close quarters, get a bigger tent.
Used it on numerous summer trips and winter trips in the Dolomite Mountains (Italy) with heavy snow (1-2m), you'll have to find a place underneath a needle tree but it is manageable.

I got the gossamer at a very good price so decided to try out the "bivy"-syle tent. Among its strong points are its obvious low-weight and packed size. As a petit woman, I found tons of length -- 'could fit my pack into the foot end with only a teeny bit of crowding! (But try to burrow in that deeply to get something out of the pack! -- Hint: get everything that you will need out first, then stow it!) It seems to be well made --I applied seamsealer and sprayed with water repellent treatment. I like the fact that it has a retractible rainfly -- the ventilation is good without the fly; with the fly condensation can be very bad. It is very cramped and definitely is NOT the tent for the claustrophobic. Getting in and out (especially when you haven't yet worked out the morning kinks and it's c-o-l-d out)is a real challenge. I use it only if I need to cut pack weight WAY down for a trip, as I really prefer a tent to a tarp -- even this little coccoon is preferable to me. Major drawback in design are the tiny vestibule(its angle lets rain in when you exit and enter) and the zipper gets stuck on the fabric constantly ('once got stuck inside -- but that's another story!)

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similar? The Walrus Tunnel Vision (great tent, but sometimes a bit big for solo)