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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 more descriptive information about the
Cloudburst, see my Initial Report.
Over the Long Term Test period I spent
a total of five nights in the Cloudburst, spread over three different
trips.
 Trip 1: Labor Day weekend,
September 3-5. Two nights in Emigrant Wilderness,
California, camped at Gem Lake both nights.
Conditions:
This trip had typical
summer conditions in the Sierra Nevada, hot and dry days with cool
and lightly breezy nights. Elevation was approximately 8,200 ft (2,500 m). Evening and
nighttime temperatures were probably between 40-50 F (4-10
C). I spent the two nights in the Cloudburst using it as
a solo shelter. My husband is beginning to think I
don't like him any more!
Observations:
Upon setting up the Cloudburst for the first night I
noticed that the Triptease lines were starting to fray quite a bit at the
ends where I had tied them into loops to fit around my stakes.
Fortunately Triptease is an easy-to-find item and I know I can pick some
more up on my next trip to my local outfitter, making this minor
maintenance issue little hassle.
After setting up the
Tarptent and bumming around camp for a few hours I noticed that the
silnylon had sagged considerably. As mentioned in my Field
Report, this is normal behavior of the nylon when temperatures drop or
humidity rises, both of which were factors on this night. I simply
restaked it and it stayed tight for the next two nights. I notice
that I have to do this most times I set up the Cloudburst - after setting
it up, I'll come back after an hour or so and restake it once the fabric
has been able to relax and settle. I usually arrive in camp and set
up the Cloudburst around mid to late afternoon, so the dropping evening
temperatures and rising humidity regularly cause this behavior.
My campsite wasn't very
flat and I found myself sliding around the floor as the night
progressed. As reported in my Field Report, I noticed this behavior
on a previous trip. I plan on applying some seam sealer stripes to
the floor to add some traction for my sleeping pad.
Thanks
to a light breeze blowing through camp, I had no condensation
issues on either night. In the photo above, the Cloudburst
is fully staked out (for photographic purposes). However, I
slept with the beak and rain flaps rolled up, allowing for plenty of
circulation to keep the inside dry and free of
condensation. I am a cold sleeper, and my lightweight
sleeping bag doesn't protect me much from the wind. Because of
this, the occasional breeze blowing through the Cloudburst would
chill me, but this is one of the tradeoffs of using a tarp-like
shelter over a fully enclosed tent.
This trip allowed me the
opportunity to notice how much silnylon likes dirt. Dirt sticks to
silnylon like glue, and it helps to have a bandana or towel at hand to
wipe it off as I am rolling it up and packing it away. Otherwise,
the next time I set it up there is dirt everywhere.
Trip 2: September 30
- October 2. Rock Creek Lake, Inyo National Forest, California
(Eastern Sierra).
Conditions:
The
purpose of this trip was to car camp and do some dayhiking to enjoy and
photograph the beautiful fall colors in the Eastern Sierra. The
elevation of our campsite was 9,700 ft (3,000 m), and the air had a fall
chill to it, as well as a strong wind on the second night. Overnight
temperatures fell below freezing. My campsite was on a ridge
overlooking the lake, but was well protected by a grove of aspens that
blocked much of the view, but provided a very welcome wind
block.
Observations:
On the
first night I slept soundly and comfortably with a light breeze blowing
through the Cloudburst, keeping it free of condensation. On
the second night a brutal and fierce wind picked up, and I spent quite a
bit of time huddled in my sleeping bag, worrying about the
'wind-worthiness' of the Cloudburst. Fortunately the aspens kept me
well protected, and although there were a few powerful gusts that shook
the Cloudburst violently, I was spared from most of the non-stop
wind. The entire time the Cloudburst stayed staked and upright, and
I had no reason to fear it failing. After observing it for a while,
I was reassured enough that I was able to fall asleep and enjoy a good
night of sleep. The next morning there was no sign of damage to the
Cloudburst, however it was covered in a lovely layer of yellow aspen
leaves!
In the
Cloudburst I am much more exposed than I would be in a typical tent.
This is a mixed blessing. On warm and still nights, a breeze blowing
through can feel heavenly, but on a cold and windy night it can be
uncomfortable. Fortunately, on this trip we were car camping so I
had splurged and brought a heavy down bag that was overkill for the
conditions. Even though it was below freezing with a strong wind
blowing through, I stayed cozy and warm.
 Trip 3: October 15-16. Tiltill Valley, Hetch
Hetchy, Yosemite National Park
Conditions:
The
forecast was for possible snow, or at least rain. Since the
Cloudburst testing period was during the dry season, I hadn't yet had it
out in much rain and wanted to give it another try. The location we
chose to hike was at 5,600 ft (1,700 m) in elevation, near where the
predicted snow level would be for the squall that was passing
through. Again, I used the Cloudburst as a solo shelter since my
husband was testing another tent. Conditions for the duration
of the trip were foggy, rainy, and cold, with afternoon temperatures
around 40-50 F (4-10 C), which dropped to around
freezing in the evening. On this trip, the Cloudburst and I also
experienced a new natural phenomenon - dropping sugar pine
cones.
Observations:
I set up the
Cloudburst just as it was beginning to rain. The forecast had me
expecting worse conditions so I had the Cloudburst hunkered down - the
foot was into the wind, all the guylines were tied, the rain flaps and
beak were extended, and I made sure the walls were taut. I laid down and listened to the rain, almost dozing, and 30
minutes later is was clearing up again. So much for our early winter
storm. When I woke up the rain had stopped and my partners
were emerging to build a fire and make dinner. The picture shows our
campsite, with the Cloudburst on the left, a Big Sky Evolution 2P behind
the Cloudburst, and a Sierra Designs Hercules Assault AST on the
right.
The other prominent items in the photo
are the sugar pine cones, some of them nearly as big as the bear can (also
shown in the right of the photo). The real storm came overnight when
a strong wind decided to disturb the upper branches of the tall sugar
pines that surrounded our campsite. The pines bombarded us with the
enormous pine cones. I nearly jumped out of my sleeping bag when one
woke me at 12:30 am, having just dropped straight onto the Cloudburst from
the branches far above me. For the next hour I listed to the wind
howl and the pine cones dropping around me, just knowing that one had my
name on it. A couple of them hit the Cloudburst violently, and the
next morning when it was light out, the first thing I did was inspect the
silnylon for damage. I was very pleased to see that there was no
evidence of the previous night's surprise attack other than a dime-sized
smear of sap. The sap easily scratched off in the early morning
cold, and from what I could tell there was no damage to the silnylon body
of the Cloudburst. I hadn't planned on this test, but I'm sure glad
the Tarptent (and I) survived unscathed!
Conclusions:
The Cloudburst is an extremely comfortable
one person shelter, and a slightly cramped two person shelter. In my
opinion it combines the best of both tarp and tent worlds. As a
lightweight shelter, it still provides some privacy, bug protection, and
weather protection. I enjoy its openness since I like to see what is
going on around me - I often feel too cooped up and removed from my
surroundings in a tent. After a season of use it definitely looks
used, but there is no damage other than the frayed Triptease. Dirt
sticks to it easily, but it also wipes clean easily. I have to
manage the condensation in some conditions, and I also have to remember to
restake it about an hour after setting it up if I want it to be taut for
the night. Overall, I really enjoy this shelter and will continue to
use it as long as it lasts.
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