What Are the Advantages of tent mesh fabric？

Polyester, Silnylon, DCF or Cuben fiber, Polycotton canvas and PE? Understanding more about tent fabrics will help you make the right choice when looking at tents for sale. It can be confusing with so many different fabrics, coatings and specs. Below are some pros and cons of the most common tent fabrics and what they are most suitable for. Or check out our article for more on tent fabric specs and coatings 

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Polyester

• Pros – good strength, stretch, and tear resistance, easily maintained, reasonable weight, reasonable cost, good pack size, good mildew resistance, waterproof with applied coatings
• Cons – not great UV resistance or heat resistance, low breathability leads to condensation, has a limited lifespan
• Great for – small and large dome tents, family camping tents and shelters, camping tarps

Polyester is the most common fabric used in tents. It’s a popular choice as it does well in various weather conditions and is affordable. Polyester doesn’t change shape when wet, is waterproof when coated, performs ok in sunlight, is more durable than nylon, is of a reasonable weight and can pack down fairly small.

Nylon

• Pros – very light weight, good strength, waterproof with applied coatings, easily maintained, low packed volume
• Cons – higher cost, stretches when wet, susceptible to UV damage, not breathable, can tear
• Great for – ultralight and light weight tents, tarps

Nylon is generally stronger and lighter than polyester but can also tear easily (be sure to get Ripstop fabric) so suitable for smaller ultralight and light weight tents and not bigger family sized tents. The fabric must be coated with Silicone (hence silnylon) and/or PU to make nylon waterproof. Nylon can be weakened by UV exposure so limit time in direct sunlight if possible.

Dyneema Composite Fiber (DCF) / formerly Cuben Fiber

• Pros – extremely light, extremely strong, waterproof, great UV, tear and chemical resistance
• Cons – very expensive, doesn’t stuff (needs to be folded), does not stretch, low heat resistance
• Great for - ultralight tents, tarps

DCF is the ultimate light weight tent fabric, Dyneema fibres (15x stronger than steel of same weight) enclosed in a polyester film. It’s the lightest, strongest, and most durable material but unfortunately also by far the most expensive. Weighs less than half of silnylon but costs four times as much, is waterproof and doesn’t absorb water. But there is no ‘give’ in DCF and care is needed when pitching as it won’t stretch into shape and may puncture. Not heat resistant so don’t cook under it. The ‘miracle fabric’ of ultralight lovers – at a price.

Cotton Canvas

• Pros – breathable, moisture absorbent, less condensation, good insulation - cool in summer, warm in winter, long lasting, high UV resistance
• Cons – expensive, heavy, bulky, mildew susceptibility, needs to be weathered first, requires maintenance   
• Great for – cabin family style tents, glamping, bell tents, longer term camping, swags

Cotton canvas is the original tent fabric your grandad probably used - thick, durable, breathable, expands and swells when wet to seal off any holes. May leak the first time in rain as the swelling process takes place so needs to be weathered/seasoned before being used. Canvas is heavy and bulky and requires a lot of effort pitching and transporting.

Polycotton Canvas

• Pros – better strength and mildew resistance than cotton canvas, better resistance to UV and heat than polyester, breathable – less moisture and condensation, longer lifespan and better weight than cotton canvas
• Cons – high cost, care needed for maintenance, mildew susceptibility, bulky
• Great for – family tents, cabins, roof top tents, swags, glamping tents 

Polycotton is a blend of cotton canvas and polyester that makes a lighter, stronger canvas. It can be uncoated but is usually treated with coatings to repel water and improve mould and mildew resistance. Its durability, breathability and weather resistance make it great for family camping tents, swags and roof top tents.

PE (Polyethelene)

If you want to learn more, please visit our website tent mesh fabric.

• Pros – tough, durable, waterproof, inexpensive
• Cons – bulky, noisy, non-breathable
• Great for – dome and family tent floors, tarps.

Usually black or grey, a thick, tough, durable plastic-like material used for tarps and tent floors. Ideal for floors as its affordable, hard-wearing, waterproof and easily cleaned.

PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride)

• Pros – strong and durable, good UV resistance
• Cons – heavy and bulky
• Great for – heavy duty tent floors, heavy duty tarps, awnings and tent roof covers

Heavy duty PVC is used to meet the most rugged demands of the elements and environment with people constantly walking on it. Tough and durable but heavy and bulky. Commonly used in conjunction with canvas tents.

Mesh

Mesh netting of varying strengths, thicknesses for inner tent walls to keep insects out. Windows and doors often have a mesh layer that is light weight and offers protection from bugs, better ventilation and reduces internal condensation.

Tent with Mesh or Solid Fabric?

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Post by ainmsuil » February 9th, , 2:25 pm

For a wet climate like Olympic National Park in spring, summer, or fall (or the Pacific Northwest in general), is there any particular benefit to a tent with (mostly) mesh walls vs one with solid walls?

I ask because someone suggested that a wet climate might produce interior condensation on a tent with solid walls.
I have not camped in a wet climate like this before.

I have always had a solid walled tent before (my current solid walled tent is 11 lbs, not good for real, overnight backbacking), but I would not be averse to a mesh-walled tent (obviously with a solid "bathtub" floor), if there is a real benefit to it vis a vis water not dripping down the inside wall from condensation.

I guess a mesh tent would have better ventilation (even with a rain fly on), and might be cooler in summer.

My young son and I will be going car camping this summer, and possibly doing some overnight backpacking away from the car. So, weight would matter.

I would not be camping in winter.

Thanks.

Mac

Re: Tent with Mesh or Solid Fabric?

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Post by raven » February 12th, , 12:03 pm

In my experience, on a well-pitched tent the condensation is on the fly. As long as the fly is separated from the body of the tent, neither kind of interior is wet from condensation. The fly, becoming wet, may sag more than the body of the tent; so beware.

The greatest source of condensation can be below where the fly covers -- on the walls of what can be called the bathtub floor. (Also on the floor when pitched on snow.) Touching a sleeping bag to the lower walls of the tent is not an uncommon source of wetting, particularly in small tents. Netting does not help with this.

In general net tents are cooler. Important when hiking in the hot and humid eastern US in summer, not so much in the drier, higher and cooler western ranges. Netting is not good in blowing snow, sand or dust, but that should not affect you.

The Olympics, may be quite wet, but they seem more western than eastern in terms of temperature and humidity; even along the valleys on approaches to the higher core where one starts low. Usually when the humidity is high, in my experience the temperature has not been. Also, the pattern of rain is western, with summers being relatively dry.

Re: Tent with Mesh or Solid Fabric?

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Post by ainmsuil » February 13th, , 5:01 am

Thanks for the comments.

I appreciate them.

Mac

Re: Tent with Mesh or Solid Fabric?

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Post by texasbb » February 13th, , 7:04 am

And don't forget the views. Why bottle yourself up to see nothing just because the bugs are out?

Re: Tent with Mesh or Solid Fabric?

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Post by retired jerry » February 13th, , 7:26 am

If it's not raining don't use a tent at all. In my experience.

PNW usually doesn't have a huge number of bugs so you can ignore them. Sometimes a headnet and DEET are good.

Re: Tent with Mesh or Solid Fabric?

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Post by Bosterson » February 14th, , 1:43 pm

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ainmsuil wrote: I guess a mesh tent would have better ventilation (even with a rain fly on), and might be cooler in summer.

If your current tent is 11 lbs, it sounds like you may be in the market for a new tent anyway!

Good backpacking tents are generally either double wall (eg, mesh walls + fly) or single wall waterproof/breathable (more $$, usually for mountaineering). Modern double wall tents are much lighter (though smaller) than they used to be, and the tent body is mostly mesh with a waterproof bathtub floor. These days the pole designs allow there to be vents in the top of the fly to let warm moist air out when the fly is on. In my experience, you don't need the fly on unless you expect bad weather, and you won't get much condensation unless the overnight air temperatures drop into the 40s and below. The mesh used in tent walls is actually so fine (to keep out bugs) that most drips stay on top of the mesh and don't continue into the tent. These days, there is no reason to get a new tent that's not mostly mesh unless you expect to be somewhere cold and/or need wind/snow resilience (like for mountaineering). REI makes some decent double wall backpacking tents at reasonable prices. There's a nice balance between weight at price at around 4 lbs for a 2 person three season tent. (Be sure to scout sales - I know there are some going on right now.) #pnw #bestlife #bitingflies #favoriteyellowcap #neverdispleased