Let me see if I've got these pearls straight, I don't want to miss anything that "they" told you.
1) By waterproof, breathable membrane, are you talking about your skin?
If you are, and it sure sounds that way, that has to be one of the most inane comments I've seen lately. Unless you've found a way to use your skin to keep your base layer and insulation dry. And if your skin makes a waterproof/windproof shell unnecessary, why not just hunt in your birthday suit?
2) I'm not sure what your point is regarding condensation inside a tent. Some backpacking tents are much better than others at either preventing condensation or making it not a problem, like well-ventilated single-walled tarp tents that pitch with the side walls up off the ground, or double-walled tents. And some are big enough (tipis) that it doesn't matter.
But what does all that have to do with whether going without rain gear is a good idea? Besides the fact that without rain gear, you'll be spending more time in the tent? With a decent tent, condensation will not be a problem.
Edited to add: The only reason I'm not dropping this is it's a bad idea to suggest to people, especially inexperienced people who may be reading this, that it's a good idea to go without rain gear on a backpack hunt. It's not.
Last edited by smokepole; 11/25/14.
