I hate mesh. If I was hiking the Appalachian trail in mid July maybe I'd use a mesh tent. But in the Rockies I prefer to hold the heat in--mesh doesn't do that.
Companies today are infatuated with telling us we need bodacious ventilation or we're all gonna drown in the condensation in our tents. Not in the mountains where I hunt nor the time I spent hunting in Alaska during September where it rained 15 out of 17 days have I had much of a problem controlling condensation with tents where the mesh can be covered.
Plus, I've been in well regarded mesh tents when we get those afternoon monsoons during archery season at 10k+ ft and it rains so hard the runoff from the fly pools up, and the raindrops hitting that pool of water splash up between fly and tent, and before long water is dripping through the mesh INTO the tent. I've also had the wind blow water between the fly and tent with the same effect.
AND, when it snows I've experienced spindrift filter through the mesh, or collect on the mesh and melt......again with the same drip, drip, drip.
AND, when backpacking in Utah with a group of people with those well ventilated mesh tents, they discovered mesh does a GREAT job of filtering out the larger grains of sand blowing around and only allow the very finest (sic) of sand to coat everything inside.......
I'm in the market for a new lightweight backpacking tent too, and I have pretty much narrowed my choice(s) to the Big Agnes Slater SL, or the Foidel Canyon. I have not used these tents. But last year we backcountry skied and the other pair of guys had the Foidel Canyon which I liked a lot. I've also had the opportunity to compare the Foidel Canyon and Slater SL at Big Agnes in Steamboat when they had them set up side by side. They also have a Slater UL which is lighter than the SL, but I don't know what the differences between the SL vs UL are.
All three have the ability to zip nylon covers over the mesh.
Casey
