Customer Stories-My experience with the tent

My experience with the tent

I’ve had the Naturehike Cloud Up 2 tent for a year now and I’ve used it quite regularly.

So far, it’s been great and I haven’t had any durability issues with it.

I love how light it is and how easily it fits into a backpack. Set up is a breeze and there’s just enough space inside the tent to have a comfortable night’s sleep, especially if it’s just me and my backpack.

The tent has plenty of ventilation and I’ve haven’t experienced many issues with condensation in the morning.

Getting the fly secure can be tricky, especially on rocky or hard ground where it’s difficult to use pegs. Where possible, I try and sleep with just the inner tent and don’t worry about the fly.

On sleeping, the Cloud Up 2 is designed so that you are sleeping with your head near the entrance to the tent, where the tent is taller. I prefer sleeping with my feet at the entrance to the tent…just a minor thing.

I’ve used it in bad conditions (heavy rain and wind) and it’s stood up reasonably well.

It feels secure in wind, although it does get blown around a lot in side winds and tends to lose its shape even with the additional ropes tied to the ground. Try and set up the tent so that the front or rear is facing the wind.

Would it survive hurricane winds? Probably not. But then again, not many ultralight tents would.

I’m less confident with the tent in rain. If a lot of water manages to get between the groundsheet and tent floor it will soak through to the tent. If you are going camping in wet conditions without the groundsheet, expect to wake up to a damp floor.

Water can also sneak in through the mesh side panels, especially if it is windy and the fly is flapping around a lot.

On the occasions where I’ve used the tent in wet conditions, the temperature outside has always been relatively warm (5-15 degrees). In colder conditions, the tent could cause problems, although there are versions available with snow skirts.

The tent bag supplied is pretty thin, so if you’re stuffing a wet tent into it and then putting it inside your backpack, other items are going to get damp. I normally secure the tent to the outside of my backpack if this happens.

On durability, the inner tent zippers are beginning to get a bit difficult to use, although with a bit of cleaning and lubricant they should be fine.

The tent floor does seem very thin, but I haven’t had any issues with holes or tears using it on rough ground without the groundsheet.

The tent poles are great and feel very strong and durable. The supplied pegs are flimsy and bend easily but they can be upgraded for minimal cash.

Price and where to buy

The most attractive feature of the Naturehike Cloud Up 2 tent is the price.

At around $150-200 AUD/$95-127 USD, the Naturehike is much cheaper than lightweight tents from popular brands or stores like MSR, Big Agnes and REI.

The best places to buy the tent are www.naturehike.com . Make sure you are buying the ‘upgraded’ version, which is more stable and better ventilated than the older model.

Overall: Naturehike Cloud Up 2 tent review

Overall, I’m happy with my purchase of a Naturehike Cloud Up 2 tent. If you are on a budget and looking for a lightweight hiking tent then I would highly recommend it.

Here are my final pros and cons for the tent:

• The price is great.
• It’s light and packs down very small.
• It’s very easy and quick to set up and pack down.
• Being freestanding is great.
• The two-person version is perfect for one person plus a bag.
• Ventilation is good.
• Reasonably well built and no major durability issues so far.

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Customer Stories-Long-term review: Naturehike Cloud Up 2 ultralight tent

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