Big Agnes Slater Ul 2+

[Ryan S.]

I'm extremely interested in this tent but I'm wondering how well a tent without any mesh performs as far as ventilation/condensation goes. I look at the tent and think about using it in the White Mountains in the summer and it just looks, well, HOT. Anyone have experience in mesh-less tents?

https://www.bigagnes.com/Products/Detail/Tent/slaterul2%2B

[David Ure]

It is a breathable fabric. You can blow air through it.

[Raymond Estrella]

It is highly breathable, but not as much as mesh. I would love that for shoulder season or in sandy/windy places to keep out dirt and spindrift. I would rather see some upper mesh though in wetter humid areas.

It looks like a Fly Creek with full walls. It doesn't look like it has any high venting except the door which will let rain fall on the inner.

[Mike W]

I like the look of the full solid inner. My biggest complaint about my Fly Creek is that the high mesh sides weren't extended to the door (the door is all mesh on the FC) which left it a bit drafty. If they have used the same solid material in the Slater that they have in the Fly Creek it will be very breathable.

Since the Slater Series is a bit wider than the Fly Creek Series it will have a bit more overhead room as well which would be really nice. I notice that they used the same (stupid) design for the inner on the Slater as they did for the Fly Creek series where the inner doesn't extend up to the overhead pole section after the first set of clips (it drops away from the ridge pole which loses a lot of overhead space). The Seedhouse series is attached to the overhead ridge pole by evenly spaced clips and it provides much more head space. I wish they'd change the design of the inner in the FC and Slater series to be like the Seedhouse tents but I guess they are shaving grams where ever they can… but in this case, I don't think it's worth the weight savings for the loss of head room.

I'd really like to try the Slater with the solid mesh inner but it's 6 oz heavier than my Fly Creek so I really can't see myself going that route even with the extra space it provides.

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