if you can afford it and want lightweight, get a Cuben Fibre tarp. They are a tad expensive but they weigh next to nothing. I got mine from Team Io (Morph) and I love it. It only weighs 70g. Add the lightweight poles, dyneema guylines and pegs and it comes in at a whopping 250g total.
I must admit though, i dont use it below the treeline for fear of being eaten. I always use mine above 2000feet where most winged pests are blown away. Its very liberating to use a tarp but you must be prepared for the odd disaster or funny* incident. I love mine
Of course, if one was to take a tart, it would keep one's mind off the midges.....
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NB * funny is relative. Incidents that involve a lot of swearing and manic activity to reposition the tarp, or poles or guylines at the time, quite often become amusing afterwards in the safety of your own home :)

Now for a boring message.

I have spent several nights under a Golite Cave 1 and slept soundly - better than in a tent. Perhaps it's the antifungals added to tent fabrics. Also, there is nothing which can break in a storm. It flaps but the worst that can happen is pegs pulling out.

The trouble with the Golite is pitching it. A right faff and the guys are hard to see around dusk, which is when I tend to end up pitching as ultralight loads just tempt me to keep walking longer. The Cave 1 is big enough for sharing occasionally and the beaks mean you always have a wind break for the stove. A great tarp once it is up. My longest hike with it has been Lancaster to Curbar. The Cave 1 feels reliable and encourages long walks.

The Gossamer Gear Spinnsolo, by contrast, is very easy to pitch but a total wind tunnel. If I could sew, it would now be sporting beaks. Still, Eddy is regularly photographed in tarps of this style so perhaps I should just pitch it lower.

Just one thing. With multi use gear, problems can ramify. I snapped a trekking pole in a fall at Christmas. The Golite is designed for camping with big twigs but the Spinnsolo isn't.

I'm thinking of getting a MLD Serenity Shelter to prolong my tarp season into summer and look forward to Eddy's promised review.

Best wishes, Eric

I love the notion of Funny Incidents!

On a couple occasions now, in storms, I have given up adjusting the damn this and simply pulled it down and wrapped myself underneath it.

Personally, I hate hiking when I'm really tired which is one of the reasons if the weather forecast is pretty bad I'm likely to leave the tarp behind, but them my new MLD Duomid pyramid tent only weighs 300 grams or so!

Maybe the funny incidents would be better with rekrab82's i used a tart and had a -15 sleeping bag I am still in search of a tart with a willingness to snuggle up to a sweaty walker at the end of a long day.