It's good to have several inches of fabric around the bottom to keep out wind-blown debris.
But I've camped close to zero in a mostly mesh tent (the Kelty Trail Ridge 2). I rely entirely on the sleeping bag and mattress for warmth. Even a mostly mesh tent does a good job of protecting you from the wind in the winter. The temperature inside the tent in the winter is about 10 degrees warmer than the outside.
These days the northeastern United States is blazing hot and humid all summer. You really need mostly mesh in that climate. I camp mostly in the spring and fall, with nighttime temperatures around 25 to 30. At that temperature I find a mesh tent with a correctly rated 20-degree down sleeping bag and insulated mattress wholly adequate.
Hammock I switched to using hammocks about 2 years ago. Unlikely to return to tents anytime soon. I’ve stayed out in my hammock with a tarp in temps well below freezing and so there should be no problem making this work with any weather you’d be out paddling in. Best part is you don’t need level ground.
I agree with Kayamedic - My feeling is that if you are paddling only in the warm summer months a so called “three season” tent is fine. But if you are paddling/camping in the spring, fall or winter, a so called “winter tent” is best. Basically my feeling is that winter tents should really be thought of as three season tents (fall spring and winter) and the more common mesh wall tents should be thought of as “summer” tents. My perspective is based on the fact that I do my tripping in the North - mostly Maine and Canada. Mesh tents are way too cold for my taste except in the heat of summer and I rarely trip in the heat of summer.
So you’re gaining 6 extra degrees by transporting a heavier tent with inferior ventilation. I think a sleeping bag would do a better job of providing those 6 extra degrees of warmth if you need it.
Don’t forget that solid winter tents are made for dry conditions. In the other three seasons you need good condensation management.
“Spring” and “fall” don’t mean much by themselves. What’s important is the nighttime temperature and the ratings of your sleeping bag and mattress. In my experience a tent that is about 3/4 mesh is plenty adequate down to the temperatures that lake and river paddlers in the continental US are likely to paddle at, meaning about 25F.
If you can’t afford a separate winter tent for the few days of the year when you’re in winter temperatures, you should have no fear of using a three-season mesh tent.
There is a discontinued Alps Mountaineering tent, the Jagged Peak, that has zippable solid panels on the doors and end vents, providing adequate mesh in the summer and closing up completely in cold weather. You do pay a weight and bulk penalty for such a tent. http://www.backcountry.com/alps-mountaineering-jagged-peak-2-tent-2-person-4-season
That has been my experience in northern New England from early April (as soon as the lakes thaw) through the middle of November. Ideal setup for kayak camping:
Since you aren't carrying it on your back I agree with the idea of going bigger. Two person if you're solo, three if there are two of you. You'll appreciate the extra room, especially on a rainy day.
For a two or more person tent I like double doors so you don't have to crawl over each other to get out. Double vestibiles are a bonus. Side entry is also easier to get in and out of than entries at the head.
REI makes some pretty good tents for the money. The Half Dome is a good choice.
And don't rule out hammocks. I bought a Warbonnet Blackbird 3 years ago and haven't spent a night in a tent since. So easy to set up, so comfortable. I've never slept better outdoors.
That's well and good, but when there's a good breeze, there's really no warmth at all provided by a mesh tent, so the temperature-difference comparison becomes greater. Also, even adding a candle lantern or two will boost the warmth factor of a closed tent, but won't do a thing with a mesh tent. Sure, your sleeping bag can make up the difference, but I find that to save bulk I'm often near the bottom end of my bag's comfort range as it is, so not having the cold night air constantly streaming through the tent helps a lot. And it's so nice to have a cozy environment within the tent itself when you go in there for various reasons besides sleeping, and when changing clothes.
I've never had a condensation problem in solid-wall tents. In those situations that encourage condensation, a tiny bit of venting is all it ever took to control it.
I have a mesh tent that I love in summer, but it's been a huge mistake sometimes to use it on river sandbars. If the wind blows, the inside of the tent will get pretty messy with blown sand, and in that situation the vents of a solid-wall tent are more than adequate.
As with everything else, no comparison that can be summed up in a few words closes the argument for all situations.
"But I've camped close to zero in a mostly mesh tent (the Kelty Trail Ridge 2). I rely entirely on the sleeping bag and mattress for warmth. Even a mostly mesh tent does a good job of protecting you from the wind in the winter. The temperature inside the tent in the winter is about 10 degrees warmer than the outside."
I agree with this. I have slept in a Eureka Spitfire 1 in the teens and was in a Cabela's 8-man Alaskan Guide series tent on Wyoming hunting trip during a blizzard where outside temps went to -5*F. It's all about the sleeping bag, sleeping mat, and base layering.
I am a huge fan of Eureka tents and we just got a Taron 3 for kayak camping. As with all my tents, I use a lightweight poly tarp cut to the dimension's of the tent floor to protect the tent floor from the rough ground.
Tent A tent for base camp and a kayak trip? That’s a pretty tall order. I use a canoe and Duluth packs so tent size and weight is not as big a deal as with a kayak. Yes, for one person use a 2 man and for 2 people a 3 man and 3 people a 4 man. I used a Eureka Apex 3 man and Eureka Mountain Pass 4 man for years. For a kayak I would assume that you need to consider the packed size of the tent more than the weight since I doubt you will be portaging. You can certainly get a nice tent for under $300 from the major manufactures. Pick out a model you like and can afford then check for sales online or at stores. I just picked up a 3 man Marmot Marmot Tungston ($249) for 30% off. For base camp I would also get r a small tarp to increase your living and storage space.
is a Kelty mesh tent’s solid wall…and a solid wall breathing with ventilation options unthinkable around a true solid wall tent esp. an A shaped wall tent.
So when you think mesh, think fly wall.
I have a year+ into a mesh Gunnison needing minor repairs to nylon and mesh. Nylon repair patching glued with Weldwood Red. No zipper damage with lubricated and toothbrush cleaned zippers. Repairing mesh lay mesh on nylon red coated strio, roll then roll out 2nd strip on your side n roll on. Repaired mesh no problem.
On the bag…bag ratings are known unknowns. 2 @$150 synthetic semimummy bags I’m using at 20 and 0 are not warm for an hour…or more. BUT ! adding a Campmor synthetic camp blanket liner…instant warmth. A super blankie for all seasons esp. the GNE.
Rainfly The rainfly on a mesh tent provides considerable protection from wind, hence conserves warmth. The fly on many tents reaches to within a couple of inches of the ground. Clearly an all-mesh tent is warmer than no tent at all, proving that the fly provides warmth. In the summer the mesh itself keeps heat in (when you don’t want it) and the fly can be unbearably hot.
The mesh tent that I use has a fly that goes down to within a couple inches of the ground. Sure, when the wind blows, the breeze going through the tent is much slower than the wind outside, but the breeze is very apparent and the rate of air exchange is too fast for the air moving through the tent to gain heat before it's gone out the other side.
I'm not speaking in speculative context here, and it stands up to logic too. During a light breeze it may be possible to get slight heating inside, especially during a sunny day. But in my other post I was talking about during a brisk wind and assuming a night-time situation, and in that case, forget about it. There won't be enough heating to notice. But you'll sure notice the cold breeze.
Oh, and don't attempt to confuse the issue by introducing the effects of blocking most of the wind and reducing the rate of heat loss from your body. I didn't and wouldn't say that blocking the wind with the fly doesn't help your body stay warmer than it would if directly exposed to the wind. What I am saying is that the actual temperature of the air inside your tent won't be any warmer than that of the air outside if it's gone from your tent a couple of seconds after it enters.
I camp in the Northeast from April through November, plus at least one night each winter just to say I did it. I camp many times each year in the 20s. I haven't owned a solid-wall tent since mesh tents were invented. Several inches of solid fabric around the bottom of the tent is a good idea for wind and to compensate for the space between the bottom of the fly and the ground. As Datakoll said, the fly is a solid wall.
In the end this is a personal question. Your choice will depend on what you can afford and how cold you sleep. If you've got the money and sleep cold, a winter tent might be what you need. If you can't afford a winter tent, don't sleep cold, or don't want to carry extra weight, a mesh or partly mesh tent will work for three-season camping.
Personal question, yes I’m just shedding some perspective on the idea that you can count on such a temperature difference as provided in that article you cited. Constant air-exchange will nullify that, no matter what. When a mesh tent heats up in summer (and they can get quite hot), it’s because there’s not enough air exchange, but strong wind eliminates that problem, or even creates another. None of this has anything to do with what tent a person should choose, but everything to do with being careful about blanket statements.
Trust me A good no mesh four or five pole tent is worth every penny. Warmer, stronger and dryer than any mesh tent you might buy. If you take care of it it will last a long long time.
The right answer is it depends on you and your other gear.
I am big on hammock camping and that is my go to trip sleep system because I sleep better and my back likes me more in the morning. I dont like them in a frog choker, but I can get by.
As to tents. I have a Eureka http://www.amazon.com/Eureka-Forte-SQ-2XT-sleeps/dp/B002PB0H82 It does everything I want it to do and I have been in it from hot to where it looked like a frozen turtle shell when I broke my way out in the AM. I have a zero degree Cabelas fat tall guy bag, over a pad and wool blanket to keep the ground away. The coldest has been about 10f and windy.
I have never had to but the easiest way to make a 3 season tent into a 4 season tent is a cheap blue tarp. Toss it over the rainfly, stake it down, and you have a wall tent for a couple bucks the once a year that it might come in handy.
I like Big Agnes. I have a Copper Spur 2 and a Jack Rabbit 4. They are easy put up, work well in the winter, and don't weigh a ton. I was able to get both tents brand new under $300 each by watching for sales. Have you checked out Steepandcheap.com?
Field damage control for pole assembly Take a good look at your tent and ask what you may need to improvise in the field if a key pole or connector is damaged or lost. Can you make a pole section from wood? Can you improvise a connector tube for a Eureka Timberline? What happens when one of the long tubes from a Kelty loses a section?
In the worst case, if the pole assembly becomes unworkable, some tents might be hung with lines from trees. I would think our old Timberline 4 could be so hung more easily than our newer Kelty Vortex 4, the latter being a dome shape with more support points.
Anyone have any field experience and improvisation tales to tell? We had a Timberline pole section bend in a windstorm, but Eureka’s mild aluminum temper allowed me to bend it nearly straight.