Coleman Exponent Cloudview 2 Tent – Initial Report

Personal biographical information:

·                    Name:  Josh Cormier

·                    Age: 26

·                    Gender: Male

·                    Height: 5’ 11” (1.80 m)

·                    Weight: 175 lb (79 kg)

·                    Email address:  swifteagle1 at hotmail dot com

·                    City: Los Gatos, California

·                    Date: 26-May-06

Backpacking background:

I started backpacking with the Boy Scouts when was 11 and have been camping and backpacking ever since. I’m now geared more toward challenging trips ranging from week-long to weekend in mountainous areas covering from 7-14 miles a day. I would classify my gear as mid weight although now I am trying to move more toward lightweight. I now go backpacking at least once a year in the Sierra Nevada Mountains as well as monthly car camping trips with the Scouts.

Product Information: (information taken from Coleman website)

- Item Description: Coleman Exponent Cloudview 2 Tent 

- Listed pack weight: 5.0 lb (2.27 kg)

- Measured pack weight:  6.0 lb (2.72 kg)

- Interior mesh pockets: 4

- Seasons for use: 3

- Floor space: 32 sq ft (2.97 sq m)

- Vestibule space: 9 sq ft (0.84 sq m)

- Tent length: 86.5 in (2.20 m)

- Tent width: 59 in (1.50 m)

- Center height: 43.2 in (1.10 m)

- Poles: Aluminum

- Manufactures web site: http://www.coleman.com

- Year of Manufacture: 2006

- MSRP: $139.99

- Item Received: 18-May-06

- Initial Condition: The product arrived in new condition

- Item Completeness: The item was well packaged and included all required pieces.

- Package Includes: tent, rain fly, 3 aluminum poles, 10 stakes, 2 guy ropes, stake sack, pole sack, tent sack, and instructions written on waterproof non-tear able paper. 

Field information:

I camp with the Boy Scouts up to 11 times a year in different locations. Each of these campouts consists of two nights of camping. We camp rain or shine, so this should give me a good all around testing of the Coleman Cloudview 2. The weather we normally encounter is moist air, fog, cold nights, and occasionally heavy wind and rain. The places we usually camp include redwood forests, grassy meadows, and ocean front campsites. The usual temperatures found here can range from 35 – 90 deg F (1.7 – 32.2 C)

The other area I camp is in the much-loved Sierra Nevada Mountains, elevation 3,000 – 10,000 ft (914 – 3048 m). The climate here varies from hour to hour, expect fog, rain, hail, snow, wind, and warm sunny days. The terrain is mountainous with many trees and lots of granite. The temperatures found here can range from 20 deg F (-6.6 C) in the winter to 95 deg F (35.0 C) in the summer.

Packaging:

The tent arrived in a stylish Coleman exponent box that gives stats on the size, shape, and weight of the tent. The box also has pictures of the tent completely set up, with and without the rain fly. Inside the box the tent is packaged in a plastic bag which keeps the contents clean while in storage or transit. The instructions for setting up the tent were located on the top of the tent stuff sack in easy sight.

First Time Setup:

I always set up a new tent at home before I ever take it on a campout. This allows me to familiarize myself with the layout without worrying about it getting dark or an incoming storm. I set this tent up in my front yard in the late afternoon as the sun was getting ready to set. It was slightly windy, I’d say in gusts of 5-10 Mph (8 - 11 km/h). The first thing I did was to lay down a tarp to protect the bottom of the tent. Next I rolled out the tent and staked down all four corners with the supplied aluminum stakes. Choosing what pole goes where, was an easy task as the two silver poles are the same length and go corner to corner on the tent. The confusing part is running the poles through the strap on the top of the tent. There are two straps on the top of the tent, a long loop and a short loop with a toggle on it. After reading the instructions I see that the loop and toggle connect to hold the poles in place.

Once the poles are fastened to the center of the tent I placed the end of the pole through the grommet hole in the corner straps of the tent. Then I raised the tent and placed the opposite end of the pole in the other grommet hole. Lastly the snaps need to be attached to the poles to pull the tent fabric taught. The gold colored pole connects just above the front door and helps stabilize the entire tent for 3 season use. Putting the rain fly on was as simple as throwing it over then tent, connecting it to then tent corners via clips and staking it down. The entire setup process took 5 - 7 minutes and was pretty straight forward even in a light wind.

Initial Impressions:

The first thing I noticed about this tent was that the stuff sack is bigger than needed for the tent. I like this feature because most of the time I’ll never fit the tent back in the original stuff sack without repacking it a few times. To keep the tent from expanding in the stuff sack and taking up all that extra room, the tent is tied with two extra pieces of fabric.

One of the nice things about this tent is that it is free standing. This allows me to pitch it in places were staking a tent down can be a problem. There are loops and stakes provided so that I can stake the tent down if I wish, getting the maximum space out of it. The tent seems to be roomy enough for 2 people to sleep comfortably with some gear. There are 2 vents, 1 on either side of the tent that can be opened or closed to help ventilate the tent. These vents also have mesh pockets built in, so whether they are opened or closed they can be used to store small items. There is also a flap in the ceiling of the tent that can be unzipped to allow the occupant to look through the clear plastic window in the rain fly. There is only one door in the tent, it is a D style door and has a large screen window in it that can be opened or closed by zipping another piece of material over it.

The rain fly forms a vestibule area at the front door of the tent large enough to place my boots and some other selected items in. The rain fly almost covers the entire tent, but does not reach all the way down to the ground. This leaves the lower 3 - 4 inches (76 - 102 mm) of the tent somewhat exposed. I’ll be watching to see if this affects the water resistance of the tent. A neat feature on the rain fly is a vent on the top back. It is a small flap that uses Velcro to fasten it closed and has a stiffener in the top to hold it open when not closed. I will be watching to see if this vent reduces the amount of condensation in the tent and if it leaks in the rain. The rain fly also has a clear window in the top portion near the door, this will allow the person sleeping inside to see the stars if the inside flap is open. Overall the tent seems to be well thought out and comes with some nice features.

My test plan:

I plan on testing the gear based on several different objectives. First and most importantly is dependability, does the gear work when it counts. Secondly is efficiency, does the gear do its job well. Lastly would be ease of use, is the gear easy to put together and easy to use. Throughout the test I will seek to answer the following questions.

Dependability:

Does the tent hold up well to use?

Does the tent stay waterproof in constant rain?

Do all the tent seams stay sealed?

Are the poles prone to breakage?

Does the tent floor develop worn spots or holes from use?

Do the walls keep the rain and moisture out even if they are touched?

Does the tent stand up well to wind?

Are the provided stakes durable and up to the task of anchoring the tent in all kinds of terrain?

Are the poles well designed as well as being light weight and strong?

Efficiency:

Is there enough room for 2 people to sleep comfortably in the tent?

Are the benefits provided by the tent sufficient to balance its weight?

Does the rain fly vent keep the tent from sweating?

Does the rain fly vent keep water out in the rain?

Is the tent long enough to fit a 5’ 11” (1.80 m) person?

Is the tent long enough that the sleeping bag is not in constant contact with the wall?

Can two mats be placed in the tent without overlapping?

Does the ventilation help keep the tent bearable in any weather?

Are the provided guy ropes sufficient for their purpose?

Ease of Use:

Is the setup of the tent easy and quick?

Can it be setup in the dark easily?

Can it be setup in the wind easily?

Is it easy for one person to take down the tent and pack it away?

Does the flexibility in design help the tent to be evenly distributed for shared gear?

Is the gear loft conveniently placed?

Are the vestibules large enough to stow my pack in?

Do the vestibules protect my gear from the weather?

Thank you, to Coleman and BackpackGearTest for allowing me to test this item.

Josh Cormier