Cloudburst Tarptent
This is the ultralight tent of choice for two in my mind.
It’s an incredibly light 38 oz., and goes together in a breeze.
The quality and workmanship is excellent in this tent, and I love that I am buying a tent from a passionate backpacker in California who decided to start sewing his own one day, than handing over my hard earned cash to the pockets of a big company like Mountain Hardware or REI.
This is a “Tarptent” - it’s a compromise between a regular tent and sleeping under a tarp. It has a waterproof floor and bug netting all around, so little critters can’t get in at night.
The only downside for me so far of this tent, is that as it’s a single-wall tent, depending on the dewpoint you can get condensation on the inside. It’s not a problem until you bump your head on the top and it starts dripping.
Available direct from TarpTent for $225.
6 Responses to “Cloudburst Tarptent”
May 13th, 2007 at 2:58 am
Brett, thanks for the informative site. I’ve backpacked for years and just this year investing in all my ultralight gear. I wanted your opinion on the Cloudburst. I had decided not to go with it as we live in Seattle, and I thought the bathtub floor may not be high enough and the design in general may not be up for the kind of rain we get here, but I noticed that you live here too! So has this held up in some serious rain and wind for you? I am concerned going out with ultralight down bags and stuff. Nothing sucks more than a wet tent. Let me know what you think. Thanks- Eric
May 13th, 2007 at 11:16 pm
hi eric,
my floor is the non-bathtub model and so doesn’t raise up a few inches like the newer model. The first few inches above the floor are open-mesh for air flow (with closeable flaps for rain-time).
the cloudbust was new for me last year and so far - i’ve taken only one really heavy down pour in it. in that incident i knew a heavy rain was coming and so dug a very shallow diversion trench in the dirt around the tent. no water penetrated the floor, although i’m not sure if that was due to the trench or not - but it made me feel better psychologically :).
we did get a small amount of wind-blown-rain come in the entrance - nothing that two well planted poles and a black trash bag didn’t fend off though.
the cloudburst dripped from above in the morning, but mostly due to condensation from having low air-flow from the entrance being blocked-up.
i haven’t had it in high-winds or snow at all yet. in one area of very cold winds, we adjusted camp by building a ‘wall’ along the sides of the tent from rocks to act as a wind-breaker and prevent the icy wind from cutting in during the night. of course, we were careful to restore the rocks to their random locations after we broke camp.
my take on the whole ultralight thing is that you simply have to look for creative ways to adjust your environment to prevent the elements from penetrating. you always have something in your pack that you can use in some way or another.
i’ve read many people’s write ups on the cloudburst and tarps in general who swear by them in heavy rains - and stay bone dry.
if you don’t go with the cloudbust, let me know what you pick for the weight - i’d be interested in your choice.
-brett
February 18th, 2008 at 6:51 pm
i really like the setup of your gear list. adding the thumbs is a nice touch. i am curious tho on why you chose to take a tarp/tent instead of a tarp. myself, i live in vancouver b.c. so the weather is similar and i love to do my trips in the north cascades during the late summer. i’ve carried an integral design siltarp 2. the weight on that is 0.9 lbs.
February 19th, 2008 at 12:24 am
Hey Dennis,
Thanks for the feedback. Three reasons on the TT:
1. I’m still sort of easing into the whole ultralight thing. I’m intrigued with the idea of a true tarp but realize I have a lot to learn about pitching it right in various conditions. The tarp-tent was a good compromise to get the weight down in a foolproof way.
2. I don’t really like crawly things. The Tarpnet has mozzie & insect netting.
3. The Tarptent was a stretch on convincing Theresa – especially how exposed it can be. I think a tarp would be a tougher sell. That said, she’s a big fan of the Tarptent now, so maybe it’s time to push the envelope…
-B.
July 7th, 2008 at 9:50 am
Hi Brett,
Thanks for all the great info on ultralight backpacking. I am taking up backpacking seriously for the first time in about 10 years (save for one painful trip a few years back) due to back surgery in 1999. I love backpacking and finally decided to get my butt back in shape and do the ultralight thing. I am still in the process of adjusting my gear list and trying to get a base pack weight of 15lbs or less.
I am very interested in Tarptents and am likely going to purchase one in the next couple weeks. I was curious why you chose the Cloudburst model. Looking at the comparison chart on the TT site, it the Squall seems to have all the features of the Cloudburst with a bit more room and for a few less ounces. I know that you bought yours a year or two ago so maybe the models were different then. Anyways, any more info or opinions would be quite helpful!
thanks!
Brad
July 7th, 2008 at 10:54 am
Hey Brad,
The answer is pretty simple - at the time I didn’t hike with Poles. The Squall requires them to get to that weight range. Now that I do use poles - I think the Squall 2 would probably get my vote.
Best of luck on getting back into backpacking!
-Brett