Reviews > Shelters > Tarps and Bivys > Tarptent Cloudburst > Rebecca Sowards-Emmerd > Field Report

Tarptent Cloudburst Field Report August 6, 2005

Contents:      Tester Information      Product Information      Report

Tester Information

Name: Rebecca Sowards-Emmerd Location: Los Altos, CA Age/Sex: 27/Female Height: 5'5" (1.65 m) Weight: 125 lb (57 kg) Email: rebecca@backpackgeartest.org Website: http://www.calipidder.com

I began backpacking in the summer of 2000 after moving to California. Although I started off carrying everything but the kitchen sink, my style has shifted to lightweight gear and techniques, though I am known to carry a few luxury items (mmm...pillow). First in my heart is summer backpacking, but I also enjoy snowshoeing, skiing, and snowcamping, as well as long dayhikes and peak climbing. I spend time outside during weekends year-round in the deserts and mountains of California. My weekend hikes are often 'spur-of-the-moment', and usually occur in and around Yosemite National Park, Desolation Wilderness (near Lake Tahoe), and Sonora Pass in the Sierra Nevada mountains, as well as Lassen National Park and Mt. Shasta area in the Southern Cascades.

Product Information
Name: Tarptent Cloudburst Manufacturer: Tarptent Manufacturer website: www.tarptent.com Year of Manufacture: 2004 Listed Weight:  32 ounces (907 g) (shelter) plus 6.5 ounces (184 g) for sewn in floor. Measured weight:  36.4 oz (1032 g) Dimensions: 41 in (104 cm) high x 70/51 inches (178/130 cm) wide (front to back) Packed size: 20x4x3 inches (51x10x8 cm)

Field Report

The Tarptent Cloudburst is a two-person shelter that, as its name suggests, isn't quite a tent and isn't quite a tarp.  Made of silnylon and bug netting, it is a fully enclosed shelter like a tent but is light weight and single walled like a tarp.  When set up it is a tunnel shape with a hoop supporting the front and a smaller hoop supporting the back.  Combined with some well-placed stakes (minimum of three, maximum of six), the Cloudburst appears to be a sturdy and comfortable shelter.  For a complete description of the Cloudburst, please see my Initial Report. During the Field Testing period I had the opportunity to use the Tarptent Cloudburst on four trips for a total of five nights.  My use included a variety of weather conditions, and included using it as a single person shelter, a two-person shelter, a backpacking shelter, and a car camping shelter. Trip 1: May 21- May 22: An overnight backpack in Henry Coe State Park, California Conditions: Henry Coe is the largest State Park in California, covering thousands of acres of rugged terrain.  With steep and dramatic hills, deep canyons, and grasslands, it offers great springtime backpacking before the snow melts out in the higher mountains.   This trip was the first 'hot' summer weekend in the San Francisco Bay area and it was nice to put the winter gear away in favor of summer gear.  The large amount of rain over the winter had caused the grass to grow extremely high, making it difficult to find a place to camp.  We ended up having to stomp down the shoulder-high grass to pitch our tents.   Although Henry Coe is usually hot and dry, there was a rare bit of humidity to go along with the summer temperatures.  On this backpacking trip I used the Cloudburst as a solo shelter. Observations: I had to set up the Cloudburst in very tall grass as shown in the photo to the left.   Even though it was my first 'official' outing with the Cloudburst I was able to quickly set it up in one try.  Prior to the Tarptent I used a tarp that was a bit sensitive to incorrect staking, so it was nice to be able to set up a shelter this quickly. The 'sticky' ends of the tall grass attached themselves to the mesh like velcro, and I spent a lot of time picking them out when I rolled up the Cloudburst the next morning.  I kept finding them on subsequent trips as well.  In fact, I'm still finding them!  This grass also caused problems by getting caught in the door zippers upon several occasions.  However, there was no permanent damage or snags caused to the zipper or the mesh. Since there was no place that was comfortable to sit in the itchy grass, my husband and I sat up playing cards in the Cloudburst.  David had a seperate shelter so only my gear was inside the Cloudburst with us.  I was happy to be off of the grass, and the Cloudburst still felt 'open' to the cool night air and I didn't feel cut off from my surroundings as I often do inside a fully enclosed tent. I am not claustrophobic, but I still enjoy how open the Tarptent feels compared to a typical fully-enclosed shelter.  I like seeing the views and knowing what is going on around me at night.  There was not a lot of room for us to sit up due to the downward slope of the tunnel shape, but I was able to shove my gear into the lower foot end while we sat up in the front end by the door. Trip 2: May 28 - May 30: Two nights of car camping in Lava Beds National Monument, near the border of California and Oregon. Conditions: We spent Memorial Day weekend in Lava Beds National Monument.  Since the park's main attraction is the network of lava tube caves that run through the area, this isn't somewhere we go to backpack.  Instead, we set up our 'basecamp' in the park's main campground and spent the days exploring caves.  Setting up the Cloudburst was an adventure this time - a heavy wind came up just as I was pitching it.  I secured it as well as I could and hesitantly left it there as we went off to explore some caves.  Fortunately the wind died down after that first afternoon, but we also got some rain overnight and through the next morning.  At night, the Cloudburst was used as a two-person shelter, but no gear needed to be stored inside since we were car camping.  Other than us, the only things in the Cloudburst were our sleeping bags and pads, as well as small personal items (such as headlamps). Observations: Due to the wind, I was very careful about setting up the Tarptent.  I used all guylines, a Tyvek groundsheet, and made sure the rain flaps were fully extended and prepared for rain.   At the beginning I was having some trouble getting it to stay put and not fly away in the wind, but the help of my husband was all that was needed to control the Cloudburst while I got it staked out and secured.  Immediately after setting it up we left camp to explore the park.  When we got back several hours later the Tarptent was perfectly fine, except that the material had 'relaxed' a bit as described in the setup instructions: "Nylon stretches (and sags) when the humidity goes up. This happens as night is falling and/or when it starts to rain. The best thing to do is to restake the front pullouts to retension the material. It will take you 30 seconds but once it's done the fabric will stay taut until you take the tent down." This was the behavior I saw, and once I restaked the front the Cloudburst stayed taut for the next two days.  Overnight there was some rain that continued through the next morning.  The beak was a bit flappy; I could never get it quite tight when fully closed up.  Adjusting the knots along the Triptease helped a little bit.  The rain stayed out and we stayed dry.  There was a significant amount of condensation in the Cloudburst on the rainy morning, but since we were leaving it set up all day while we explored the park, it didn't concern me.  On the second morning when it was clear and dry there was no condensation.  One thing I noticed while laying in the Tarptent in the rain was that the seam along the top is not sewn evenly.  This isn't a big deal - it is secure and doesn't leak.  This is the only place on the Tarptent with uneven or questionable seams:     Trip 3: June 11 - June 12. Overnight backpack to Smith Peak, Hetch Hetchy (Yosemite National Park) Conditions: As an early summer backpack my husband and I did an overnight hike in Yosemite.  Our destination campsite was the summit of Smith Peak which has amazing views of the Hetch Hetchy region as well as some nice open spots for setting up camp.  Overnight temperatures were 40-50 F (5-10 C), skies were clear, and a light breeze blew over the peak.  Observations: Since Smith Peak is a typical granite Yosemite peak, it was a bit tricky setting up the Cloudburst.  It would have been easier if it were a free standing shelter, but there is some flexibility in where the front can be staked out, if a floppy beak isn't minded.  Due to the nice conditions I kept the beak rolled up all night anyways, so I didn't mind that one of the ropes was staked out in a less than desirable position.  I used the Cloudburst as a solo shelter and loved it.  The space is simply palatial for me - I have more than enough space to spread out my gear, even when I am inside.    Condensation ended up being a big issue on this trip.    I was set up next to a rock that protected me from what little breeze there was (see photo to the left).  It took several swipes of my pack towel to dry off the inside of the Cloudburst.  However, I discovered that it is very easy to turn it inside out and dry it in the sun!   Trip 4: July 29 - July 31. Car camping in the Tuolumne Meadows Backpacker's Camp followed by an overnight backpack in Lyell Canyon (Yosemite National Park). Conditions:  Cool (40 F /5 C), still with no wind, clear on the first night and a few minor sprinkles the second night.  A group of us hiked the first night of the John Muir Trail with another friend as a 'kickoff'.  Our camp was a kind of 'Tarptent Town' as seen in the photo to the left! Observations: Once again I used the Cloudburst as a solo shelter.  I really, really like this as a solo shelter.  There is so much room and I feel comfortable being stuck in it for a while if the weather or bugs aren't cooperating.  The mosquitoes were bad on this trip so I spent some time away from them in the Cloudburst.  They didn't make it in there with me, which was one big advantage I had over my friends who were in tarp-style shelters.  My first night's campsite wasn't very even and I found myself migrating across the silnylon floor as the night progressed.  In the morning I ended up at the lowest corner of the Cloudburst, the opposite side I started out the night on!  Since then, I've found that I'm extra-concerned about finding a flat spot when in this shelter since the floor is quite slippery with my Insulmat Max Thermo sleeping pad.  The second night I was once again on uneven ground and slept at an angle across the floor, along the flattest part of the ground.  I didn't move too much overnight. I experienced no condensation on the Cloudburst on either of the two nights of this trip, even with the slight rain on the second night.  Conclusions I am very pleased with the Cloudburst!  This has been a spectacular solo shelter for me so far, although it feels cramped as soon as a second person enters.  Two people fit, they just don't fit very comfortably.  I feel that it is an incredible deal - for less than three pounds I get a fully enclosed solo shelter that protects me from bugs, keeps me dry in the rain, and gives me more space than I need.  The Cloudburst definitely has me a 'Happy Camper' so far!  In the Long Term test period the Cloudburst will be used on many more trips and will hopefully get to experience some new conditions.

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