TENTS: in my opinion, The North Face makes the best tents, though they tend to be spendy. Be sure that your choice of tents has enough floorspace for two sleeping bags side by side. This will usually be a 2-man tent. This will usually have enough room for two people comfortably, and will also grant you the extra flexibility (if you are alone) of storing your pack inside, in case of adverse weather, and for general utility in the night. It's so irritating if you need something from your pack to have to get out of your nice warm tent. Try, also, to find a tent with a vestibule. These are invaluable, for use to remove boots and socks without making tracks on the tent floor, or for heating food when it's raining outside, and things like that. Make sure the fly doesn't open completely to the side of the vestibule, or you will be crawling over whoever or whatever is on the side that opens to get in. It would be better to try and find one that has an opening near the middle. Pole clips are better than sleeves, for setting them up and suspending the tent from the frame. Even split sleeves, like that yellow Mountain 25, would be better than tubes, especially in the rain. It can be a real pain in the butt to try and get those dang poles through the longer sleeves for setups. With clips you stick the poles in the grommets, and clip the tent up. The yellow tent is a Mountain, the green's a Starfire. These are $450/9# and $350/8# respectively. Too heavy for beginners, and too expensive for the casual backpacker, but nice tents for serious people. My tent is a Starfire style. If you are looking at 1-man tents, then consider the Slumberjack Predator. It was originally designed for hunters, but is extremely small, packing at 6" diameter by 17 inches long, and it weighs around 5 pounds. Not bad, eh? You'll find them at Cabela's (linked at the bottom) for about $180.

GROUND CLOTH: If you are hiking anywhere where there could be rain. Canvas is inferior all around. A regular cheap blue tarp is okay, but they don't fold well unless you fold them exactly as they came, and they are extremely noisy with their constant flapping. They fall into the same category as Goretex and nylon rain gear. For something that is immensely quieter, easier to pack, lighter, and more durable, try Tyvek. I discovered this stuff while working for a contracting company in Portland that specialized in cedar siding. They put up this stuff by the yards beneath the siding to help keep the house protected from moisture. It's great stuff, and you can find it at any good home improvement types of places. If you have a little more patience, you can get them by the sheet (about 2 by 3 feet) at a good art store. Another option is an old shower curtain. They are more durable than a tarp, and since the seams are heat sealed instead of stitched (unless you have a wierd shower curtain) they are even more waterproof. The downside is that they have a bunch of dumb geese designs, or flowers, or something dumb like that, and they look kinda gimpy in the middle of the woods.