Reader Reviews

Rating: 4 / 5

The cloudburst strikes an appropriate balance between comfort and lightweight. It is sturdy enough to be used when family camping. It works great in rain, snow and hail. It is one of the lightest tents around for two people plus you can sit up in it for breakfast or an evening card game. It also has enough room to keep gear inside and the insect screen keeps most bugs out. Having a floorless model I select ant free sites and have endured a couple of spider bites.

Setup time is 2-3 minutes.
What could improve: Skewer stakes, I one had the rear stake pull out with high winds.

Rating: 5 / 5

The Cloudburst 2 was my first tent from Tarptent.
I like the design, and it holds up well in rain and wind. It sleeps 2 comfortably and sets up pretty easily with as few as 3 stakes. It weight a hair over 2 lbs with sealed seams, not bad for a 30 sq. ft. tent.

You don’t need instructions for setup, although the front pole can be a little finicky to get right the first couple of times.

Condensation was a little more than expected, but that’s an artifact of silnylon and the overall ventilation.

It's tall enough to sit up in, have a small party with a few people out of the weather and insects, and a reasonable vestibule to keep extra gear out of the elements.

The bathtub sides and vents all the way around do a reasonable job helping to minimize condensation, but there was a little more than expected. But, it is silnylon, so other mitigation strategies need to come into play. Compared to other competitive 2 man tents, this is a winner.

Like other Tarptents, it only takes a couple of times setting up the Cloudburst 2 to get the bathtub sides right, and it becomes obvious after you've set it up.

I like:
Weight
Floor space
Intuitive easy setup
Performance in wind and rain


What could improve:

Slightly larger vent area in the back.

Very slightly longer front fly to provide a little more weather coverage while extended.

Blowing rain can have a tendency to sneak in under the vestibule.

Considering you can get a Rainshadow 2 for $5 more, I decided to trade this in for a Rainshadow 2, which provides significantly more room and ventilation for about 3 additional ounces.

Rating: 4 / 5

This was my upgrade from my first tent that I used (Kelty Zen) and I must say it was a great switch. I've used it a few times solo which makes it seem just enormous, and even when shared with my girlfriend (I don't think she'd be crazy for a tarp just yet) We don't spend all night bumping into each other, and still have space to put misc. odds and ends around us (and in the two interior pockets). Only gripe that keeps it from giving it a 5 is that it's difficult (for me anyways) to get a super tight pitch, and the tunnel design gives it a lot of fabric in the middle that is difficult to keep tight especially if it rains and the Sil-Nylon sags

Rating: 4 / 5

The Cloudburst 2 is my first single wall tent. I am very pleased with it, having used it as a solo shelter when trekking as well as for two people when backpacking.

I particularly like the fact that my trekking poles are not required to pitch it, since I often leave the tent set-up (in the shade) as base camp while enjoying day hikes with my poles.

Likes:
More than long enough for my extra-tall frame
Wide enough to be comfortable for two
Amazingly light (<40 oz.) for the square footage, with a floor
Quick set-up, with only 3 stakes
Reasonably tough floor - stopped using the ground sheet.

Dislikes:
Somewhat difficult to create a taut pitch
The mesh door zipper stops top center, which makes entry a little more difficult than necessary.

I haven't had any problems with wind or rain to this point, although admittedly, I haven't subjected the tent to very challenging conditions.

Reducing condensation requires a little thought on still, cold nights. A taut pitch and leaving the mesh door open both help ventilation.

Finally, Henry Shires is a delight to work with. He is responsive and professional.

Rating: 4 / 5

My first UL tent. I like it a lot but giving to my dad in lieu of more headroom.

It is pretty awesome at battening down in the rain and then being able to vent well. We got rained on pretty good for about 30 min and it was fun standing out in the rain, playing with different features of the tent. The beak is enough to cover 4 boots and a little other gear.

I don't think it was intended, but I would tie guy line to the upper guy point on each side and raise it with a stick, while keeping it in an outward pull on it. Not too much pressure, just enough to give a little more elbow room in the middle of the tent. I would have liked to see some of the round attachment points like where the front lines attach to the beak. I would have been more confident to put more pressure on the side guy points.

When I put the lines like this it opened up the interior a bit. Not a lot, but it was definitely noticeable. Also, it let more air in, as the mesh was near vertical beneath the guy point.

I have pics but I also have a 14.7MP camera on large and superfine settings, so the files are big and I don't know how to reduce them. Maybe later...

Anyway-
-Never got wet. No bad storms though.
-Good room sitting up, but My Wife (and I) prefer a little more elbow room for changing and moving in general. that is the only reason I don't completely love this tent.

EDIT- A little winter use (well kinda...)
Got an inch or so of Cascade Concrete over Halloween 2010. Woke up with the roof 6" over my chest!! It was almost a giant bivy. I think I found the limit! I'm not knocking it at all- it was fun- I was kinda testing it on a one- nighter.

Edited by WoodenWizard on 12/21/2010 15:00:41 MST.

Rating: 2 / 5

I recently purchased a Cloudburst2 after using a Rainshadow2 Tarpent tent for the past 3 years. Both tents were used on a 5 night Colorado Backpacking trip along with 2 other types of light wt tents (Big Agnes Fly Creek and Go Lite Tarp). All tents were set up in close proximity of each other and contained 1 to 2 average size women. The Cloudburst2 was very disappointing. Significant condensation gathered in the tent no matter the varied set ups and ventilation attempted. The low height of the Cloudburst made it impossible to avoid touching the inside of the tent with 2 occupants. None of the other tents experienced this condensation issue.