Congratulations, Jim and mickeg, on your new tents!
I modified my little Coleman eXponent (sic) Dakota 1 tents (I have four!) to pitch without the inner liner when desired.
I made a ground cloth/footprint from a bit of lightweight tarp/Tyvek, then sewed two strips of lightweight grosgrain webbing across it, terminating in polycarbonate D-rings. These catch the base of the tent's two DAC hoop poles. The same velcro that attaches the fly to the inner at the poles continues to secure the fly to the poles without the inner.
I think a similarly modified footprint could allow pitching of other tents in a like manner.
The irony is that after doing all this, I almost never use my tent that way due to the lack of a mesh inner to keep the bugs out.
On hot summer nights, I am more likely to pitch the mesh inner only and not attach the fly, sort of the opposite approach. The mesh keeps the bugs out and reduces breezy drafts but allows better ventilation than would the inner and fly combined.
Ah well; nice to have options.
On hard soil/asphalt/concrete/gravel, I pitch the tent in any of its configurations without pegs, using my panniers or the bike as deadmen. This has worked well for me in winds up to about 20mph/32kmh.
Best,
Dan.
