Thanks for the mention and complements on my article.

On the Spitfire tents... I love the Spitfire 1. It is inexpensive and very light especially for the price. If you ditch the heavy stakes that come with it and use the minimum number of MSR needle stakes the weight gets down to 2 pounds 9 ounces and is competitive with much more expensive tents. Some taller people find it confining. The space inside is pretty long if you don't mind your head and feet being in the narrow tapering ends. I personally find it roomy enough and have even backpacked sharing it with a 55 pound dog. I don't tend to take much gear inside though.

The Spitfire 2 is much longer and roomier, but heavier as well. People who need extra space and/or length may prefer it. I prefer the smaller lighter solo one.

I have actually gone a step further and use a bivy or bug bivy and tarp on most trips.

Personally I skip the footprints. I see no reason to buy an expensive footprint. I used to use a piece of plastic or tyvek for a ground sheet, but decided that even they were not necessary. I have toured and backpacked over a good portion of the US in many different locales and conditions with no ground sheet and have not been sorry I left it home.

On the sleeping bags with no insulation on the bottom. I did not find that they work especially well for me. The ones I have seen or tried wind up actually being colder and heavier than a slimmer cut bag with insulation all around. If there is no insulation on the bottom either you have to stay on your back or the bag needs to stay put and you need to roll inside it. That may work well for some, but I found that I much prefer a bag that rolls with me. It can be slimmer cut and thus weigh less IME. My approach isn't for everyone though.