Name: John R. Waters
Age: 57
Gender: Male
Height: 5 ft 9 in (1.7 m)
Weight: 178 lb (81 kg)
Email Address: exec at bysky dot com
City, State, Country: White Lake, MI USA

Backpacking Background

My backpacking began in 1999. I've hiked rain forests in Hawaii, Costa Rica, and Puerto Rico, on glaciers in New Zealand and Iceland, 14ers in Colorado and the deserts of Death Valley. Currently, my wife and I hike or snowshoe 6-8 miles (10 km-13 km) 2-3 times a week in the Pontiac Lake State Recreation Area (3800 acres) with other day long hikes on various SE Michigan trails. We also hike frequently in Colorado and are relocating there in 2006, which will increase our weekly hiking time and trail variety tremendously.

My day pack weight currently is about 18 lb (8 kg) now, with overnights weighing in over 25 lb (11 kg). I'm aiming to reduce that weight load by 40% or more.

Product Information (from manufacturer's website)
http://www.coleman.com

Manufacturer: The Coleman Company, Inc.
Model: Cloudview 2
Colors: N/A
Sizes: 2-Person
MSRP: $139.99 USD

Features:
• Cloudview™ skylight with zippered cover for privacy also acts as a gear loft
• 4 interior mesh pockets for gear storage
• Tent clips to frame for quick set-up and better air flow between tent body and fly
• Separate storage bags for tent, poles and stakes
• 3-season tent
• 32 square feet (3 sq m) of floor space
• 9 square foot (.8 sq m) vestibule includes dual-action zippers for high and low venting
• Ample mesh, 2 interior zip vents (with pockets), and a rear roof vent provide excellent ventilation
• Center height: 43.2" (110 cm)
• Pack weight: 5.0 lb (2.27 kg)
• Tent floor: 190T, 70-D Nylon/Taffeta, PU coated to 1500mm, taped seams
• Tent canopy: 190T Nylon/Ripstop
• Tent rainfly: 185T, Polyester/Taffeta, PU coated to 1500mm, taped seams
• Poles: 2-1/2 - 8.5 mm 7001-T6 Aluminum
• Made in China

Guarantee:
Coleman products have a limited warranty from the date of original retail purchase that the product will be free from defects in material and workmanship. The length of the limited warranty may vary by product. The warranty is valid for the original retail purchaser from the date of initial retail purchase and is not transferable.

Keep the original sales receipt. Proof of purchase is required to obtain warranty performance. Coleman dealers, service centers, or retail stores selling Coleman products do not have the right to alter, modify or in any way change the terms and conditions of the warranty. Please refer to your product for the exact terms and conditions of the limited warranty for your purchase. The warranty included with your purchased product is your exclusive warranty.

Product Information
(from tester)

Color: Green
Size: 2-Person
Total Packed Weight: 5 lb 8 oz (2.5 kg)
Tent & Poles Weight: 3 lb 4.5 oz(1.5 kg)
Rainfly Weight: 1 lb 14.5 oz (86 kg)
Stakes w/stuff sack Weight: 5 oz (142 g)

Arrival Information

The Coleman Cloudview 2 tent arrived neatly packaged in a colorful retail-friendly box. The graphics attractively depict the tent and the outdoors while giving basic Cloudview 2 information such as sizes and tent feature highlights. Inside the box were three stuff sacks. One held the tent and rain fly, the second contained the three tent poles and the third sack was for the tent stakes. A single two-sided sheet of instructions was also included.

First Impressions

I like it! This tent has a lot of features that rival more expensive models. It's free-standing, relatively lightweight, has a separate fly and large vestibule. There are other cool features such as the two side vent windows at the front/head of the tent as well as the almost completely meshed top of the tent. The fly even sports a clear plastic skylight window so when the fly is in place, I can still see out the top of the tent. While the view from this window is not crystal clear, it is sufficient to let in the light of dawn.

My first set-up of the Cloudview 2 was made while following the supplied directions explicitly. The instructions are clear and easy to follow and it took me single-handedly 11 minutes to set the tent up. An additional 5 minutes later and I had the rainfly up and ready also. Having set the tent up once, I will not need to use the instruction sheet again as the set-up is pretty intuitive.

The aluminum stakes are very lightweight and I wonder about their durability. I will be testing their strength during field testing. The two color-coded shock-corded tent poles snapped together quickly and smoothly to form an "X" at the top of the tent. The Cloudview uses a toggle and loop system for framing which I found really neat to work with. By clipping the fasteners onto the poles, the frame was built without the dreaded threading of long poles into long narrow tubes and tent erection time was much shorter. A third shorter pole arches over the doorway and supports the vestibule.

Putting up the rainfly involved little more than draping it over the tent poles, connecting four clips at the corners of the tent and staking out the vestibule and sides. Two additional guy lines give me flexibility to regulate venting/snugging down in various weather conditions.

An initial quick check of the Cloudview revealed the tent is well-made with all seams straight and smooth. No loose threads were found and all zippers worked without snagging or catching. The bathtub bottom appeared to be blemish-free and no snags were seen in the mesh top and sides. The stake loops are securely attached to the tent body and the grommets for the pole tips are tight.

Test Plan

I will be testing the Coleman Cloudview 2 Tent thoroughly and with an unbiased attitude. It will be the only tent that I will use during the testing period. I am excited about the flexibility of the Cloudview 2 with the options of using the tent with and without the fly and the vestibule. I will be sure to put the Coleman Cloudview 2 tent to the test with all the various configurations using all options.

As a degreed engineer, I'm really interested in the construction of the Coleman Cloudview 2 Tent:

How well does it fit in my backpack?
Can I easily lash the tent to the outside of my pack?
Will the seams remain tightly stitched?
Will the seams remain sealed?
Are the zippers all waterproof?
Are the zippers easy to open and close in the field after use? Do they stick? Can I open them with one hand?

I will thoroughly be testing the tent for ease in set-up and take down:

Do the poles flex enough but not too much?
Are the stakes heavy-duty or will they easily bend or break in rough terrain?
How quickly can the tent be erected in calm conditions? In windy or stormy weather?
How easy is it to stake out the vestibule? What about rolling the vestibule and stashing it out of the way?
Is it easy to take down the tent?
Can I get the tent BACK into a/the stow sack?
How small does the Cloudview 2 pack down?

I will be interested in determining and reporting the tent's utility and comfort level while it is in use:

How easy is it to enter and exit the tent?
Do the openings require a complete unzip to utilize?
Is there any room left in the tent for backpacks or other items after two people are bedded down?
Can two people really sleep comfortably? What about two (or one) RESTLESS people (person)?
Does the tent get too warm when all is buttoned down tight against the weather?
Does condensation form on the inside of the walls? Under what conditions?
Does moisture from the ground soak into the tent? Under what conditions?
Will the tent remain stable in windy conditions?
Do the seams leak in the rain?
How well does the vestibule work to keep out the wet in the rain?
Is there sufficient ventilation in all weather conditions?
How many and how useful are the stash pockets?"

During the test period, I will be testing the tent for durability and quality of materials under normal conditions:

Does the floor of the tent dimple, tear or puncture after normal use?
If a hole/tear does develop, can it be fixed easily on the trail?
Do the stash pockets retain their shape or do they stretch out?
Do the stash pockets easily tear or puncture?
Is there any fading or staining of the fabric?
Does the tent develop musty odors?
How easy it is to clean the tent, on and off trail?

I will also report any other issues that arise during the testing period.

Field Conditions

Our tentative plans for the next 6 months are for several 2 - 3 day hikes at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, the Southern shoreline of Lake Superior and at least one-week trip to the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in Southern Colorado, as well as doing miles of bushwhacking back-country hiking though 18,000 acres of BLM in the Cooper Mountain range North of Canon City, Colorado.

Rain, snow, high humidity, low humidity, sandy soil, rocky ground, high altitude and low altitude will probably all be encountered for testing. I will start testing in Michigan during early spring weather, which will likely be wet and cold, and continue through the higher temperatures of later spring and summer in Colorado. Temperatures could range from 30 F (-1 C) in Michigan to 90 F (32 C)in the desert areas of Colorado, giving an opportunity to test over a wide temperature range and a variety of conditions.

I will also be testing in variety elevations, from the sandy lakeshores of Michigan at 177 ft (54 m) above sea level, to a high of 12,360 ft (3767 m) in the Sangre Mountains of Colorado.

John R. Waters

Read more reviews of Coleman gear
Read more gear reviews by John Waters

Initial Report

All material on this site is the exclusive property of BackpackGearTest.org.
BackpackGearTest software copyright David Anderson