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I restore from tape all the time at work (both full and partial restores) from a variety of systems (Windows, Linux, Solaris) using both Retrospect and BackupExec. Tape is probably the most reliable form of backup available ... with the proper backup software and the proper hardware. So I don't just rely on them ... I've used them ...
Unfortunately, hardware vendors know that we "need" backups so both the modern tape drives and the tapes are outrageously expensive. Unless you want to use old technology and backup a 200GB drive to 100(+/-) 1MB DAT tapes.
Your best option has already been stated: another hard drive. How you do your backup is up to you. You can use a backup utility or do something as simple as copying the data over. I'd go with a backup utility because it can verify the backup after it's done.
Remember that your backup is only as good if you can do a reliable restore. You'll need to periodically check the backup and make SURE that it's good. How? Well, if you're just doing a straight copy all you have to do is pick several files at random and make sure they're OK. If you're using backup software you'll need to do a partial restore of several files and make sure they're OK.
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