Reviews > Shelters > Tarps and Bivys > Tarptent Cloudburst > Steve Nelson > Long Term Report

Long Term Report: Tarptent Cloudburst
April 19, 2004

Reviewer's Information

Name: Steve Nelson
Age: 44
Gender: Male
Email address: nazdarovye at y..oo dot com
City, State, Country: San Francisco, CA, U.S.A.

Backpacking Background:

As an interface design and usability consultant by trade, I'm always excited by analyzing and improving designs and processes; backpacking provides a fertile and fun arena for that. I have been backpacking since I was a kid growing up in upstate New York: we backpacked and canoe-camped in all seasons, throughout the Adirondacks and nearby areas, ranging as far as La Verendrye Wildlife Reserve, Quebec. As an adult, I've backpacked and hiked extensively in California, but also have taken trips throughout the West, from New Mexico to British Columbia, and return often to the Adirondacks.

In the past year I made the transition to lightweight and ultralight backpacking. I like moving fast, and lightening the load facilitates that. I also enjoy urban strolls, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, kayaking, and aviation in addition to hiking and backpacking, so my gear gets exposed to a wide variety of uses and conditions.

Product information

Overview

The Cloudburst is a hoop-style, two-person, lightweight, "3+ season" tarptent constructed primarily of silnylon and mesh. I provided descriptive detail in my initial report and usage notes in my field report, which you may wish to reference. This report provides a follow-up based on an additional four months of use of the Cloudburst.

Here's a picture of the Cloudburst on a ridgetop site in Henry Coe State Park in California earlier this year:

Long-Term Field Conditions

I have now used the Cloudburst on backpacking trips in the Adirondacks and other areas of upstate New York, for snow camping at several locations in the Sierra Nevada (including Dewey Pass at Yosemite), and in milder conditions on the California coast (Point Reyes and the San Mateo coastal area), plus an early spring trip in Henry Coe State Park.

Campsite altitudes ranged from approximately 300 ft (90 m) to 7,400 ft (2,260 m), with temperatures from 15-75° F (-9-24° C). Weather has been all over the map, including alternating rain, hail, sleet and snow; 20 mph (32 km/h) sustained winds with gusts up to 38 mph (61 km/h) according to the weather reporting station nearest our campsite down off Castle Pass; and several wind and rain storms in the non-mountainous sites. Ground conditions ranged from soggy fall leaves and dirt to grass, to potholed hard ground, to sand, to both fresh and consolidated snow. I believe all I've missed (out of local conditions, anyway) is solid rock!

Long-Term Experiences

I've really enjoed using the Cloudburst—it's light, it packs up small, and it provides good, airy shelter from the elements. I really have little to add to what I already noted in my field report—I've uncovered no new usability or performance issues, and I've now had the tarptent out on numerous trips on both coasts of the United States, in coastal, hill, and mountainous terrain, where I've found it to be an excellent companion.

I've especially enjoyed the Cloudburst for winter camping. It is a roomy solo shelter, holds up well against wind and light snow, and is far lighter than any of the traditional four-season shelters I've used and owned. I usually stomp out a platform and dig out a foot well at the front of the tent; I then can sit in the shelter of the front arch while I cook or do other chores—very comfortable. Here's a picture of the Cloudburst near Dewey Point at Yosemite (note the use of an ice axe with the rear tie-outs):

I like the many well-considered details of the Cloudburst, including the sidewalls and their elastic cord tiedown loops, the use of reflective Triptease line for the main tie-outs (see following picture for a night-time view at Point Reyes' Wildcat Camp), and the velcro strip down the middle of the beak, which lets it completely seal when deployed, yet split so half of the beak can be rolled up for easy access to the interior (as also shown in the Point Reyes picture). It's easy to manage the beak from inside the Cloudburst, which I really have appreciated in inclement weather.

My overall summary of the storm-worthiness of the Cloudburst remains this: that it is very good against precipitation and adequate against wind. Wind will definitely whistle through the shelter (though battening down the beaks and sidewalls helps, it's not possible to completely close things up), and therefore it's not as warm as traditional tents...but it also gets less condensation inside as long as there's at least some breeze. Since I've not experienced a serious snow load on the Cloudburst, I can't speak to its suitability under truly severe winter conditions—but it's not marketed for that purpose, and it's been surprisingly effective against light snowfall and blowing snow.

Long-term durability has also been great. I do see a few spots of wear on the silnylon floor, but no other wear on fabric, no loose seams, no snagged zippers, nor any other problems.

The only issue in my plan that I've not yet been able to test is use of the Cloudburst for two people. My girlfriend has been unable to join me for a camping trip during the long-term test period, but we do plan to use the Cloudburst for upcoming trips. I'll post an addendum to the report when we do so.

Summary

The Cloudburst is an impressively lightweight, airy and roomy one-to-two-person shelter that has also proven to be quite stormworthy and flexible. I will continue to use and enjoy it well beyond the period of this test.

Things I like:

• Nice design
• Flexible beaks and side coverings
• Lots of fresh air
• Light in weight
• Easy and fast to pitch and tear down
• Less internal condensation than I'd expected
• Decent protection from precipitation

Things I don't like:

• Difficulty getting front hoop pole inserted into its grommet (perhaps due to sewing issues on this particular tarptent)
• Not as much headroom as I'd prefer
• Instructions could include a few more details and pointers
• I'd prefer larger, more mitten-friendly loops for securing the front beak and mesh when rolled up

Thanks to BackpackGearTest and Henry Shires/Tarptent for giving me the opportunity to participate in this test.

Reviews > Shelters > Tarps and Bivys > Tarptent Cloudburst > Steve Nelson > Long Term Report