Basic, High-Tech, maybe Low-Tech: different tents / tent types

[vicky_molokh]

Originally Posted by The Colonel

Mind you, these days a lot of smally military tentage is used to roof a trench of some kind, giving you at least a bit more vertical space...

Hmm. I imagined that such an option is very, very situational: it takes time and effort to dig a trench large enough for a person. Let's say 2 ft × 6 ft × 1 ft, a very minimalistic deepness in the ground, will take half an hour in loose soil, an hour in ordinary, and can't meaningfully be done without a pick or an improvised equivalent in hard soil. It also might have the problem of getting flooded if there's a rain. How are these issues solved?