Naturehike Cloud Up 2 Review
A proper backpacking tent at a price that doesn’t immediately require a small discussion with your bank.
The Naturehike Cloud Up 2 has become one of those tents you keep seeing on UK wild-camping forums, campsites and Amazon wishlists. The reason is fairly obvious: it promises the weight and pack size of a much more expensive backpacking tent without the much more expensive bit.
This is a spec-led review rather than us pretending we’ve slept in it for six months. We’ve compared the current official specifications, the way it fits into the UK market, and where it makes sense alongside the pricier tents already in our best lightweight tents guide.
Quick Verdict
- Best for: beginners, occasional wild campers and anyone wanting a roomy lightweight tent without premium pricing
- Weight: about 1.38kg minimum, around 1.8kg packed depending on version and accessories
- Season: 3-season
- Waterproofing: 3000mm+ fly, with a more heavily rated floor
- Biggest strength: unusually good space-to-weight-to-price balance
- Main compromise: finishing and long-term durability are not at MSR or Big Agnes level
What the Cloud Up 2 Actually Is
The Cloud Up 2 is a freestanding-ish double-wall backpacking tent designed for two people, although in the UK it makes just as much sense as a roomy solo tent.
Naturehike lists the current 2-person version at roughly 210cm long, 125cm wide and 105cm high, with a minimum weight around 1.38kg and a packed weight around 1.8kg. The packed size is approximately 45cm by 12cm.
That puts it in a useful middle ground. It is genuinely light enough to carry on multi-day walking trips, but not so aggressively ultralight that the fabric appears to have been manufactured from crisp packets and optimism.
Is It Actually Light Enough for Wild Camping?
Yes. For most UK walkers, anything around 1.5 to 2kg is perfectly reasonable for a shelter, especially if you are carrying it solo and want actual internal room.
The Cloud Up 2’s minimum weight is competitive, although the packed figure is the more honest number to think about because pegs, bags and practical accessories have an inconvenient habit of weighing something.
If you want to go dramatically lighter, trekking-pole shelters such as the Forclaz MT900 tarp tent or Lanshan 2 Pro can drop towards or below 1kg. They also ask more from you in return: careful pitching, more condensation management and, in the Lanshan’s case, seam sealing.
Weather Protection for UK Conditions
The current Cloud Up 2 uses a 20D nylon ripstop fly with a silicone coating and a stated waterproof rating of at least 3000mm. The floor system is rated higher again.
Those numbers are comfortably within normal three-season backpacking territory. More importantly, the double-wall construction gives you a separate inner and fly, which is useful in Britain because condensation is not an occasional visitor. It has a key.
We would still treat this as a three-season tent rather than a mountain fortress. For ordinary Lake District, Peak District or Welsh spring-to-autumn trips, it is a sensible design. For deliberately exposed summit camps in severe winds, we’d rather have a lower-profile shelter designed more specifically around UK bad weather.
Space: Why Solo Walkers Like the 2P Version
Two-person backpacking tents are often best understood as “one person plus belongings” tents.
The 125cm width gives a solo camper room for a mat, sleeping bag and some gear without waking up with a wet rucksack pressed lovingly against their face. For two adults it is usable, but much more intimate.
There is also a vestibule for boots and damp kit. That matters enormously in Britain. Bringing wet boots into your sleeping area because there is nowhere else for them is how a pleasant night turns into an experiment in indoor humidity.
Pitching and Ease of Use
The Cloud Up’s conventional pole structure is one of its best beginner features. It uses a 7001 aluminium alloy pole system and clips to support the inner before the fly goes over.
That is not as fast in heavy rain as an all-in-one outer-first pitch, because the inner can theoretically get damp while you are setting it up. But it is intuitive, forgiving and much easier for a new camper than learning tension on a trekking-pole shelter.
Once you’ve pitched it a couple of times, there really isn’t much theatre involved. Which is ideal. Tent pitching is not a hobby in itself unless something has gone badly wrong.
Where the Cheap Price Shows
The Cloud Up 2 is good value, not magic.
Compared with premium backpacking tents, the differences tend to appear in fabric refinement, zips, pole hardware, long-term wear and small design details. That doesn’t mean it is flimsy. It means a tent costing a fraction of a premium MSR or Big Agnes has, somewhat shockingly, been built to a budget.
For occasional trips and beginners, that trade is easy to accept. If you are wild camping every other weekend for years, the better hardware and after-sales support of a premium tent starts to matter more.
Cloud Up 2 vs Cloud Up 1
- Cloud Up 1: lighter and smaller, better if you care most about pack weight
- Cloud Up 2: far nicer for solo comfort and gear storage
- For two people: choose the 2P, but expect a fairly snug night
- Our pick for most solo beginners: Cloud Up 2
The 1-person model can drop to roughly 1.2kg minimum in its lightest fabric version. That’s attractive, but the extra room in the 2P is one of the main reasons the Cloud Up has become popular with solo wild campers.
Who Should Buy It?
Buy it if you are new to wild camping, want to keep pack weight sensible and cannot justify £300 to £600 for a tent yet.
It also makes a lot of sense for someone who only wild camps several times a year. Spending premium money on a shelter that lives in the loft for eleven months is not compulsory, despite what the outdoor industry occasionally implies.
Who Should Spend More?
If you’re regularly camping in exposed locations, doing long-distance trips every season or simply want the best possible durability, spend more.
The Vango F10 Helium UL 2 is more UK-weather focused while staying very light. The MSR Hubba Hubba and Big Agnes Copper Spur sit higher again on refinement and liveability, though your wallet will notice the improvement before your sleeping bag does.
Verdict
The Cloud Up 2 is popular because it solves the right problem.
It is light enough to backpack with, roomy enough to enjoy using solo, waterproof enough for sensible three-season UK trips and affordable enough that getting into wild camping does not require immediately becoming a gear obsessive.
There are better tents. There are tougher tents. But if your question is, “What should I buy for my first proper lightweight wild-camping tent without spending a fortune?”, the Cloud Up 2 remains one of the easiest answers.
FAQs
Is the Naturehike Cloud Up 2 waterproof?
Yes. The current 20D version uses a silicone-coated fly rated at 3000mm+ and a more heavily waterproofed floor. Correct pitching and ventilation still matter in prolonged UK rain.
Is the Cloud Up 2 good for one person?
Yes. In fact, roomy solo use is arguably where it makes most sense. You get space for a sleeping setup and gear without a huge weight penalty.
How much does the Cloud Up 2 weigh?
Naturehike lists a minimum weight around 1.38kg and a packed weight around 1.8kg for the current version. Exact figures vary by fabric version and what you include.
Is it suitable for the Lake District?
For normal three-season valley and fell-side camping in sensible forecasts, yes. For deliberately exposed camps in severe wind, we’d choose a more weather-focused shelter.
Compare it with the rest of our best lightweight tents for UK wild camping.
