Reviews > Shelters > Tarps and Bivys > Tarptent Cloudburst > Graham Blamey > Field Report

Personal Information

• Name : Graham Blamey
• Age : 60
• Height : 1.82 m (6' 0")
• Weight : 75 kg (165 lb)
• Email : gg@higray.fsnet.co.uk
• County : Essex
• Country : UK
• Date : 14 January 2005
  

Product  Information:

Some general features of Tarptents, taken from the manufacturer's website.
"Tarptents are ultralight, mobile shelters that shed everything from flying bugs to summer snow. Elegant and airy, Tarptents set up virtually anywhere. Designed by and for the outdoor enthusiast, Tarptents keep you dry and sane no matter the elements. Made in the U.S.A and constructed of the lightest and highest quality materials available, Tarptents let you focus on the joy of the journey, not on the pain of getting there."

Ultralight – as low as 18.5 ounces with trekking pole Fast setup – 2 minutes from sack to pitched Only 4 stakes – titanium for strength Reflective spectra cord guylines True catenary ridgeline for wind, sag, and storms Abundant netting for views, airflow, and bug resistance

Quick drying – inside and out in minutes Flexible setup – raise/lower sides and front Large floor space Small packed size Front/rear beaks shield windblown rain Floorless design saves weight Tyvek groundsheets or sewn-in flooring available.

Manufacturer : Tarptent
Manufacturer's website : www.tarptent.com
Model : Cloudburst (with extended beak and sewn-in, clip-up 'bathtub' type floor)
Year of manufacture : 2004

Technical details

Stated weight : 1120 g (39.5 oz) (as this is a new version of the Cloudburst a weight is not given. I have added together the weights of a standard Cloudburst, an extended beak and a sewn-in Ripstop floor).
Stated packed size : 50.8 cm x 10.1 cm x 7.6 cm (21 in x 4 in x 3 in)
Stated pitched size : L 236.2 cm x W 177.8/129.5 cm x H 104 cm  (93 in x 70/51 in x 41 in)

Measured weight : 1160 g (41 oz)
Measured packed size : 58.5 cm x 10.1 cm x 10.1 cm (23 in x 4 in x 4 in)
Measured pitched size : L 238.8 cm x W 190/141 cm x H 102.9 cm (94 in x 74.75/55.5 in x 40.5 in)

For a more detailed description of the Cloudburst, see my INITIAL REPORT

Field use and conditions so far

Up to mid-December, I've used the Cloudburst on a number of solo trips and on one trip with my wife.  All of these trips have been low-level outings in the south-east of the UK and altitudes haven't been above about 200 m (650 ft).  Weather on all of the trips has been fairly tame, dry on a couple of trips, damp and drizzly without any significant rain on others.  Temperatures have also been fairly stable without any real extremes.  The lowest overnight temperature I've used the Cloudburst in so far has been 0 C (32 F) but on most of the other nights it's been in the region of 5 to 12 C (41 to 53 F).
The terrain where the Cloudburst has been pitched has been mainly grassy field edges and in deciduous woodland.

Using the Cloudburst

The first thing I have to say is that I really like the Cloudburst and enjoy using it.  My first night out with the Cloudburst was an overnighter, just me and my little dog.  I'd spotted a really attractive spot on the edge of a wood when on a day-walk a month or so previously.  Having sorted out a secure parking place in a small village, I set out at about 4 pm on the 10 km (6 mi) hike over and around fields and woods.  Although it was the end of October, the weather was unseasonably warm and I was in t-shirt and shorts.  The advantage was that I was able to take a very light sleeping bag and few additional clothes which lightened my load considerably, however, some of this liberated space was taken up with a bigger than usual blanket for my dog; I wasn't taking any chances with his claws on the silnylon groundsheet. 

When we arrived at dusk at the chosen camp spot, the next job was to find a suitable place to pitch the Cloudburst.  What I'd seen from a distance as a fairly open area on the edge of the wood, turned out to be wet and tussocky with lots of ground bramble; totally unsuitable.  I spent the next thirty minutes strolling up and down and in and out of the wood until I finally decided on a space under some trees and set about clearing the area of twigs and small branches.  By this time I needed to use my headtorch, but (thanks to my practising in my garden) the Cloudburst was up in about 3-4 minutes.  It's so straightforward to insert the rear pole and anchor out the rear guys with the single rear stake.  It's then an easy matter to move to the front, insert the front pole, turn the Cloudburst to exactly the required position (by sort of swivelling it on the rear stake) and then insert the three front stakes.   Because the stake-lines are a fixed length with no adjusters on them, this sometimes means that the stakes have to be moved and the rear one has to be re-fixed a couple of times to take up any slack, but all-in-all it's a very simple process really, as one is only dealing with four stakes.  I was extra careful to get the single rear stake in firmly as I'm acutely conscious that the whole of the tent relies on the security of this stake.

Fastening the beak in the open position and unzipping and fixing back the mesh inner doors I found a little fiddly, due to the small size of the hook and loop tabs, but once this was done I spread my dog's blanket out and arranged my 3/4 Therm-a-Rest and sleeping bag.  I'd brought a 700 g (24 oz) synthetic bag, as I'd decided I wanted to see what condensation levels were like in the Cloudburst and how this might affect a down bag.  There was also room enough to bring my 35 L (2100 cu in) pack inside and to spread out most of my kit and cooking gear. 

After cooking a meal in the open front area and listening to the night sounds in the wood (Tawny and Little Owls, a fox barking and various unidentified squawks and squeaks) I decided to settle down to sleep.  It's even more fiddly to close the front beak from the inside as it's difficult to get the hook and loop tape that runs down the centre of the beak to fasten exactly and there's not enough of it to be hit-and-miss.  I think a zipper might be quicker and easier in this location.  Lying in my bag drinking a last cup of tea, I was aware of something small moving down by my elbow which was near the centre of the mesh inner doors.  Closer inspection revealed a small procession of bugs (ok, 3 or 4) coming in through the 25 mm (1") gap where the zippers meet.  This is not really a problem in the UK as there aren't any dangerous crawling insects or snakes, but in some parts of the world I think this could be of some concern.

Once in the sleeping position and below the level of the front and rear beaks, it's a real bonus to be able to see out of the front and rear of the Cloudburst, or so I thought!  At about 3 am, I was rudely awakened when my dog leapt up and shot to the front of the tent.  He'd obviously seen something outside (a fox, badger, rodent?) and decided it was necessary to rise to our defence.  I scanned the area with my headtorch but there was nothing in evidence, so I settled back to sleep.

Waking up just before dawn, it was an easy matter to unzip the mesh doors, fasten back half of the front beak and get a brew on and eat breakfast from the comfort of my bag.  It had been a very windless, mild night and I couldn't see any condensation on the inside of the Cloudburst but running my hand over the inside surface revealed a very fine coating of moisture droplets.  This didn't present any problems until I started to move about and get in and out of the tent while packing up.  As I brushed against the roof and the beak I began to get damp on my head and shoulders so it was better to keep low and scramble out rather than crouch. 

As soon as I got out, I had a look round the Cloudburst to see how it looked.  There was a coating of water droplets on the outside (although there had been no rain in the night) and it looked a little 'slack'. 
                          
From reading the manufacturer's literature, I was expecting something of this nature as silnylon expands a little when damp, but I was also a bit concerned to see that the rear stake was barely anchored in the ground and this contributed to the slackness.  I suspect that I will have to find a longer stake for the rear stake-out point.

Packing the Cloudburst is a reversal of pitching.  Once I'd packed all of my other gear it was a simple matter to unpeg the three front guys, push (not pull) out the front pole, push out the rear pole and take out the rear stake.   Stuffing the Cloudburst into the supplied stuffsack starts off well but becomes a bit of a struggle, due to the long, narrow shape of the sack.  I've tried putting the poles in first but this seems to make it more of a squash, so now I slide these in after I've stuffed the tent.  The little bag of stakes slides in last.

Seam-sealing

After using the Cloudburst for the first time in dry weather, I decided to seal the seams in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions.  I had a tube of clear silicone sealer and after I'd found the right paint thinners to mix with it, it was an easy job to hang the Cloudburst in my conservatory and work my way round the seams.  It wasn't the neatest of jobs but it was thorough!  The thinned silicone dried quickly and I was able to complete the whole job in a couple of hours.  I left the Cloudburst hanging for a couple of days, mainly to ensure the silicone had cured properly, but also to disperse the fumes completely.  NOT something to be done in a confined space!  In addition, I took the time to paint some lines on the floor of the tent, as I had noticed that my mat did slide about a bit on the silnylon floor.
   
While I was carrying out the seam sealing, I gave the Cloudburst a good inspection.  I took the precaution of sealing the seams of the stuff sack and noticed a split seam which I repaired first.  I also fixed some elastic tie outs to each side, more as a thought to the future than anything else.

Cloudburst for two

All-in-all, the first trip with the Cloudburst was a resounding success and I've recounted it here in detail because all the subsequent trips have more or less followed the same pattern and the only difference has been when used to shelter two people.  As a two person shelter, although there is adequate room for two three-quarter length Therm-a-Rests side by side and we were never uncomfortable, there is little room for much else, and all of our cooking gear and packs had to stay outside.  We were careful, when two of us were using the Cloudburst, to remember not to stray too far to one side and flatten the side walls of the groundsheet.  If the ground was wet then any part of our sleeping bags that came off the groundsheet would have got wet.  We didn't take our little dog on this trip either, as can be seen from the photo, there would have been little room for him.  I should probably add at this point, that we normally do leave our packs outside the tent so in this respect it's nothing unusual.  Once we've removed anything we need, we pull the rain covers on and stack them alongside the tent, sometimes linking the hipbelts to a stakeline if we feel it's necessary.

Summary

So far, there's very little I dislike about the Cloudburst and on all the occasions I've used it I can honestly say there hasn't been one time when I'd have rather been in a conventional double skin tent.  It's been easy and quick to pitch and take down, it's been comfortable and roomy for solo use and I've not had any real condensation problems.  When used for two it's more than adequate in terms of sleeping space as long as one is comfortable with leaving packs outside overnight.  When in the Cloudburst it's not really possible for two adults to sit up at the same time so one has to lie to one side while the other is dressing or preparing food and cooking.

Answers to some of the questions I asked in my INITIAL REPORT

How easy (or not) is it to set up and take down?  So far I've only done this in the sheltered conditions in my garden.  What will it be like in an exposed site?
# So far, very easy but I've yet to carry this out in exposed or difficult conditions.

How well does it resist gusting, windy conditions?  Tarptent say "try to camp where you get a breeze".  I can appreciate that this is necessary for good ventilation and to reduce condensation, but what if that "breeze" strengthens?
# Again, so far I've managed to pitch the Cloudburst in fairly sheltered conditions.

How comfortable will it be for two people?
# For sleeping, the Cloudburst is a perfectly adequate, comfortable space.

How comfortable will it be if 'sitting out' a storm, maybe for a whole day or more?
# I think this could be less comfortable for a prolonged period as it's not really possible for two adults to sit upright at the same time.

In heavy rain, will there be a fine mist coming through the silnylon material?  I've noticed this on the occasions when I've used only the outer fly of a tent.  If a fine mist does come through, how damp is this going to make things inside?  Should I use a synthetic sleeping bag instead of a down one?
# Although I've used a synthetic bag on all the occasions I've used the Cloudburst, it has been pitched in heavy rain and there has been no evidence of any water penetration.

Is the ventilation level of the Cloudburst going to mean that the interior of the tent doesn't warm up like it does with a conventional double-skin tent and will I need to use a warmer rated sleeping bag?
# As I haven't used it below 0 C (32 F) yet this is a difficult one to assess. Certainly, It did seem 'breezier' on occasions while sitting in the tent, but I did notice that when I got out of the Cloudburst in the night, it was noticeably colder outside.

Will I be able to cook under the beak, especially when camping in rain and/or windy conditions?
# It's perfectly practical to cook under the beak with half of it rolled back. I've yet to try this while it's raining heavily and I'm very cautious about using a stove with all the beak closed.

In the Field testing period I'll also be looking at how the materials of the Cloudburst are standing up to repeated use.
# The main body of the tent, the mesh panels and the sewn in groundsheet are all in perfect condition.  I was a little concerned about my dog's claws puncturing the groundsheet and also when I've pitched under trees with lots of twigs about, but a close inspection of the material didn't reveal any evidence of damage.  The only problem in this respect has been the blown seam on the stuff sack.

How easy (or not) is it to operate the front beak closure and roll-up, the zippers, the side-wall roll-up, all the hook and loop tapes?

# The small size of the hook and loop fastenings used and the gap where the mesh door zippers meet are the only two annoying features of the Cloudburst but, realistically, these are not major faults just slight annoyances.

Likes:
Light weight
Small pack size
Spacious interior
Un-fussy
Bathtub floor
Ease of pitching and taking down

Dislikes:
Fiddly hook and loop fasteners
Narrow beak fastening hook and loop
Gap where zippers meet

Reservations:
Shape of stuff sack
Stake bag

Future testing

Although it is winter here in the UK, conditions have been pretty mild so far and we often get our harshest weather in January and February.  I'm looking forward to using the Cloudburst over the next few months (and beyond) in a greater variety of conditions.  As well as some short trips of a couple of nights we have still to do a winter backpack on the South Downs Way and the Mortimer Trail in the English/Welsh border region.  In March, by contrast, we will be doing a lightweight backpack through the Tramuntana mountains on the Mediterranean island of Majorca, a south to north route that we've done a couple of times, both times with bivvy bags.  It'll be interesting to use the Cloudburst there.  In April we'll take part in the UK Backpackers Club annual Lake District Mountain Marathon type event.
                           
I'd like to thank BackpackGearTest and Henry Shires/Tarptent for the opportunity of taking part in this test.

Reviews > Shelters > Tarps and Bivys > Tarptent Cloudburst > Graham Blamey > Field Report