Coleman Exponent Cloudview 2 Tent – Long Term 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: 27-Sept-06

Backpacking background:

I started backpacking with the Boy Scouts when I 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

Field Use:

I took the Cloudview 2 on an overnight trip to Oregon. The elevation was 1100 ft (335 m). The terrain was a flat grassy area behind my Grandparents house. The weather was clear and cloudless with some moisture in the air during the night. The temperature fluctuated between 40 F (4 C) at night to 100 F (38 C) in the daytime.

On this trip my 5 year old cousin helped me set the tent up. I was interested to see how easy it was for a much less experienced person to set the tent up. I allowed him to put the poles together and help snap the connecting clips from the tent to the poles. He was able to do most of it by himself with a little help from me. I placed a Therm-a-Rest Trail Comfort and a Therm-a-Rest Guidelite mattress into the tent and laid our sleeping bags on top of them. That night we placed the rain fly over the tent but left the vestibule open and opened the rain fly vent. Even with all the vents open and vestibule tied up there was still some condensation on the underside of the rain fly.  Taking the tent down with the help of my cousin was again pretty simple.

Conclusions:

This tent has been setup and used a total of 8 times in areas ranging from backyards to Granite Mountain Wilderness areas. It has been used in elevations ranging from 800ft to 9000 ft (244m to 2743 m) and in temperatures ranging from 40 F to 100 F (4 C to 38 C).

The Coleman Cloudview 2 tent has been my constant companion on all my overnight trips. It is easy to setup and take down, provides shelter from the elements, and the mosquitoes. Every night I spent in the Cloudview 2 was with a sleeping partner so I really got a feel for how well two people fit into the tent. I usually brought my hydration pack, extra clothes, my flashlight and a book into the tent each night. I was able to stow these items above my head or in the few inches of extra space next to the tent wall. I never felt crowded in the tent thanks to the high ceiling so I could sit up without rubbing my head on the top of the tent.

The vents on the Cloudview 2 were well placed and served many purposes. The top screened area on the tent allowed hot air and moisture to escape the main tent body. If the rain fly was off and it was a clear night I could see the stars through the top screened area. The side vents when opened provided me with fresh air while I slept with my face to the wall. When the rain fly was off these vents allowed me to see outside the tent. At night I can see the stars through these and in the morning I can see what is going on outside the tent.

The tent has held up well to my use and has met the expectations I had from reading the information on Coleman’s website. Below you will find answers to the questions I listed in my other reports.

Things I like:

The tent does not have to be staked down.

The vent in the rain fly helps keep condensation down.

With the rain fly off I can look through the side vents while lying down.

The provided stakes are pointed and make staking out the tent easier.

Things I don’t like:

The stars are hard to see (blurry) through the rain fly window.

The rain fly doesn’t extend all the way to the ground.

Even with the top rain fly vent open, there doesn’t seem to be enough ventilation to keep moisture from condensing on the inside of the rain fly.

Dependability:

Does the tent hold up well to use?

• The tent has held up to several trips to different locations. The only wear I see is some of the fabric on the door seam coming unraveled toward the zipper. This is the loose end of the fabric and does not affect the tent performance at all.

Does the tent stay waterproof in constant rain?

• I have not been able to test this tent in the rain, on all my trips the weather was rain free. The rain fly did keep the dew off of our gear that was under the vestibule.

Do all the tent seams stay sealed?

• The factory seam sealing is still intact after all my use.

Are the poles prone to breakage?

• The poles are made of a sturdy aluminum and show no signs of wear other than a few scratches from rocks I was near.

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

• With a ground cloth under the tent to protect the flood and take most of the damage there has been no rips or holes.

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

• I have not been able to test this tent in the rain, on all my trips the weather was rain free. The double walled design of the tent does keep me from touching the rain fly easily, thus preventing outside water or condensation from leaking on me.

Does the tent stand up well to wind?

• I was really hoping to test this tent out in some wind since it is a 3 season tent. Again, no foul weather was encountered on any of my trips.

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

• The stakes held up well and were easy to plant with the factory tapered ends.

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

• The poles seem well designed and are lighter than the old school fiberglass poles.

Efficiency:

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

• Two full size adults fit comfortably in the tent with a little room on each side for personal gear.

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

• The tent provided us with an escape from mosquitoes on my backpacking trip because of its mesh enclosed design. In my mind this made the tent well worth its weight.

Does the rain fly vent keep the tent from sweating?

• Even with the rain fly vent open I still encountered condensation on the underside of the rain fly every time the vestibule was closed.

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

• I have not been able to test this tent in the rain, on all my trips the weather was rain free. The rain fly vent did keep the morning dew from coming into the tent.

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

• The tent is long enough to fit me (the above person) with room to sleep with my hands above my head.

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

• If I scoot my sleeping bag up as far as it will go, I can keep it from touching the end wall. However, after waking up I always find my sleeping bag rubbing on the end wall again.

Can two mats be placed in the tent without overlapping?

• Two standard size foam backpacking mats can be fit into the tent without overlapping. Narrow air mattresses can also fit this way. I can not fit two luxury air mattresses without overlapping them.

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

• While camping in Oregon the nights were unusually warm. With the rain fly on but all the vents as well as the vestibule open, it was still almost too hot to sleep. Outside the tent, just inches from my face it was cooling off and was much more comfortable than in the tent.

Are the provided guy ropes sufficient for their purpose?

• The guy ropes are a lightweight but sturdy nylon material with reflective sections. They were sufficient for my use camping in non foul weather.

Ease of Use:

Is the setup of the tent easy and quick?

• The tent is easy to setup by myself, the only hard part is keeping the center toggle from opening after I slid the pole through.

Can it be setup in the dark easily?

• I have set this tent up by flashlight several times and have not found it difficult.

Can it be setup in the wind easily?

• I was not able to find out because the weather I encountered never included wind.

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

• Yes, it’s as easy or easier then setting it up.

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

• The tent is easy to divide between two people to distribute the weight of shared gear.

Is the gear loft conveniently placed?

• I’m kind of wary about the gear loft being above my head, but nothing has fallen out and hit me yet.

Are the vestibules large enough to stow my pack in?

• No, shoes and other small gear I want close will fit but there is not enough room for a pack.

Do the vestibules protect my gear from the weather?

• Yes, the gear under the vestibule is protected as if it were in the tent.

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

Josh Cormier