> requires a bunch of network calls
Do you have more details on this? It looks like you are saying utreexo nodes make *more* network queries than normal nodes. What additional calls to the network do they make?
> more proofs to verify a block
Utreexo nodes receive slightly more data alongside blocks (i.e. they receive additional merkle inclusion proofs), but (1) not much more (2) the extra data is ephemeral: after validating the proof, they may discard it, as, upon storing the block, they can reconstruct the proofs upon request from other nodes that may ask them for it in the future. To me, that seems worth exploring! Maybe it's *more* efficient