Naturehike - Cloud Up Pro 1

I still have my Northface StarLight, it looks just like your Tadpole. I am not sure the different; but anyway... I have the same problem as you do. It is a bit heavy for solo camp or backpacking. I do not want to spend more than $200 for it, since I only go backpacking maybe 1 or 2 a year. Also I have other gears want to get. So I end up got NatureHike Cloud Up Pro from Amazon. It is close to 3lb with everything. It is free standing. I do wish the entry is on the side for easy access; but it is not big deal. Good luck.

Love my cloud up Edit: also oml yeah I feel like the most unagile person who has ever lived getting in and out of it

Naturehike. Tested ko na sa camping sa Pulag yong 2P. Lakas ng rain at hangin sa campsite. Nasa 2.5 kg kilos ata yang 2P. Di kasama accessories. Mas magaan dyan yong 1P tent, 1.3 kg di kasama accessories.

I have a cloud up 1, star river 2, and a friend just got a mongar 2. It's essential to get through silnylon fly IMO. I've been through hours of rain and have never had a drop in my tent. OP, look at the mongar 2. I believe it's smaller and the side entry is a huge improvement. It also has a lot more room under the fly for gear.

Have you checked them in person? Most of chinese tents are very short due to aggressively sloped walls (to use less materials and keep the weight competitive with western brands). At 183cm with a bag with 450g down fill I wasn't able to fit in a CloudUp 1 without pushing the inner against the flysheet, compressing the sleeping bag there and in result getting wet feet on a night slightly below the freezing. You may really want to put your sleeping pad and the bag/quilt in to the tent before travelling with it. Taiji is freestanding, while CloudUp needs some staking to not to let the sidewalls collapse. Star River / Mongar are 2-person tents that have nearly vertical walls in head and feet and should be much better for you (tho no 1-person variant on the market) Check out the Decathlon's tents.

If you are below 175, maybe 180cm tall, CloudUp will surely be OK. If you can manage condensation (sleeping alone in well vented tented should make it bearable, if it's raining out there you may need to use your buff or small microfiber cloth piece to wipe the inside part of the fly), you can look at the NH Taga/Tagar 1 tent. It will be semi-freestanding like CloudUp, but due to no separate inner mesh (only side walls have inner mesh glued to them) it should take less space and be lighter. If you want it truly freestanding, then there are Mongar / Star River tents, but both are 2P. (At least older versions of) NH Vik had issues with bad top vents placement that sometimes let the rain in. Whichever you choose, take the variant with silnylon fly (which chinese mark by adding denier number to the name - for example \`20D\`). Poliester one (typically labelled them as \`210T\`) will be heavier and bulkier when rolled up, but cheaper. If you want it even smaller and still cheap, I'd look at \`Flame's Creed 3x3m 15D\` tarp combined with Lixada's mesh inner. Very light, dirt cheap and definitely OK for shorter person. You can look up the ways to set it all up using your bike, when there are no trees, fences or other poles around (or grab foldable carbon fiber trekking poles, which are much cheaper than dedicated tarptent poles - 130cm one weighs 125g and costs 20-22$).

I edited my comment with more details. Enable the translation and check out this Taga review: [https://ginvilla.blogspot.com/2018/05/namioty-naturehike-taga-1-czesc-1.html](https://ginvilla.blogspot.com/2018/05/namioty-naturehike-taga-1-czesc-1.html) [https://ginvilla.blogspot.com/2018/06/namioty-naturehike-taga-1-czesc-2-w.html](https://ginvilla.blogspot.com/2018/06/namioty-naturehike-taga-1-czesc-2-w.html) Taga, compared to CloudUp has small bar across the main pole arc, which makes it more spacious inside, CloudUp badly needs to be widely staked, otherwise sides fully sag inside. Getting compact and light double layer tent that is both cheap and freestanding is impossible :) Depending on where you are Hubba 1, XDome 1+, Copper Spur (1 person variant) or something akin Dragonfly 1 would fit you, but those are not budget tents. That said, semi-fresstanding chinese ones are okay for not too tall people. CloudUp is very popular everywhere for a reason. But I happily sold my 1P after a single night and can not measure it to verify the dimensions provided by the manufacturer (did you check them out by the way?) I have only Taga 1 left (still waiting to be sold).

For the CloudUp, 4000MM is for the 20D (green colour) tent material and fly. The bathtub floor is 20D with a silicone coating, so it's probably in the range of 6000+. It's worth noting, unless you plan on setting up in a terrible spot and/or are expecting torrential rain, the 1800mm is more than enough for anyone. On that note, the Eureka tent has a better construction, and has slightly more headspace.

I've never heard of them but products from their parent company, DAC are ubiquitous in high end backpacking gear. I'd give a design like the sololite a try. The vestibule comes separately adding a lot of cost. I see two big problems with this tent; * Shipping stuff overseas to Canada can be a big PITA. I'm not sure where you are purchasing it but but "Bigtent Explore" option may largely avoid shipping being a PITA and that store seems to be the main place to buy them. * If you decide to sell this tent it will be difficult due to the lack of name recognition. Durston's a Canadian company that manufacturers extremely popular tents and if you want a high end option they are worth a look. I'd recommend starting with a freestanding tent like the X-Mid. I primarily use a different tent but I've been extremely impressed by one of their trekking pole tents I own. Another option is more budget oriented tents. NatureHike makes a bunch of fairly light tents (CloudUP, Mongar) and imho they are more durable than the extreme ultralight tents. If you do get serious about backpacking, you can later upgrade from a budget tent. Personally I use less expensive tents when camping close to vehicles as weight isn't a major concern and I'm less worried about damaging them. If you later decide to get a ultralight 1 person tent, the extra space of a two person will be greatly appreciated when weight isn't a concern. Go to MEC or another outdoor store (Not Atmosphere / Sportchek) and start trying on packs and find one that fits well. Keep a few in mind and purchase one that will fit the rest of your great and aim for a 60L or smaller pack. As long as you have a sleeping bag designed for backpacking that uses down and / or synthetic materials and has an appropriate comfort temperature rating its hard to go wrong.

It really just depends how you feel about the rest of your gear. I have the Cloud Up 1 tent and I'll probably use it until I break it. There's lots of other gear I'd get before a new tent because it works well and it's light enough. Check out litesmith.com and garagegrowngear.com. I don't know what their shipping to EU is but I expect it may be better here in the US.

I also have a cloud up and it has lasted 4 years so far with fairly heavy use. Great budget tent.

It's hard to beat nature hike cloud up, or mongar, for the value/quality/price. They are on Amazon, and AliExpress. Get the two, for solo camping or 3 if you've got a partner. Cloud up is lighter and I think a bit cheaper, but the crawl in the front gets kinda annoying if you are in and out of your tent a lot.