User Review: Black Diamond Mesa

Black Diamond Mesa
Above: The current Mesa, which may differ slightly from the version reviewed.

Reviewed June 12, 2007 by ZekeandJesse

Rating:
Design: Three-season freestanding
Sleeps: 2
Ease of Setup: Easy
Weight: 4lbs 9oz
Price Paid: $250

I bought my Mesa tent with hopes to solve an issue. I am 6'2 and most lightweight tents have skimped on longer lengths. I usually backpack with someone my height so that means we need good room. In the past I have done a lot of trekking in the Pacific Northwest, including mountaineering, so I leaned towards sturdy tents that can ride out foul weather. My 4-season tent is a Moss Thunderdome which I ridden out days of blizzards on Rainier and that is still going strong! So needless to say, I am used to a solid tent.

I have never owned a BD tent so I was excited to see how it performed. First thing is there's plenty of legroom! Woohoo! The width is good too. Lots of good living space. It has a trapeziod shape that tapers down on the leg end that actually works great. It has two doors that are large enough to get in and out of on either side. The mesh canopy provides very good ventilation - not a drop of condensation. Setup is a snap. The hooks are good construction and make the tent nice and tight. The star hub pole design is unique and very sturdy. The rainfly locks down nicely and provides a solid weather system.

The vestibules are a little small, but hey, you have two. One is large enough to stack your packs and use the other as your entry/exit. It packs up nice and small - smaller than I would have thought.

For the first trip I chose Colorado's Lost Creek area. I had a small bit of rain and for that the tent worked great, and I would expect it to perform well in a nasty downpour. It was fairly windy (30-40mph) and the Mesa shed wind like a bullet. I worked great.

Overall I am impressed with this tent. I highly recommend it and I think it combines geed space with light weight without sacrificing stability. I do a lot of snowshoeing and I would consider this tent for a light 4-season trip.