Introduction: What's the best tent for wild camping?
I highly recommend this tent as an excellent all-rounder for wild camping. It is a Naturehike Cloud Peak 2 tent, and there's so much to like about it.
What's so good about it?
I'll try to keep the list fairly brief, but it's tricky! Here we go...!
Firstly, it is a sturdy design, which gives me confidence in more exposed or windy conditions. It has sufficient room two handle two people, unlike most 'two-person' tents. This is helped by having two porches and two entrances (which are along the length, rather than the width, of the tent). Despite being both strong and spacious, it is still light enough (around 2kgs) for one person to carry.
The tent pitches 'outer first'; is a great design feature as it means that the inner tent does not get wet if you pitch in the rain (most tents pitch with the inner first, and you then attach the outer tent over the inner).
It also has a free-standing design, meaning it can be pitched without pegs. This is useful if you end up camping on rock, asphalt or harder ground.
The tent comes with a 'footprint'. This is an additional layer of fabric in the shape of the bottom of the tent. Using a footprint helps to protect the bottom of the tent, particularly on rougher ground. Usually a footprint is an expensive extra (eg £115 for the footprint for an Allak), but Naturehike include it with the Cloud Peak. The tent also comes in a sensible colour (I generally recommend green tents as they are discrete and blend in well in the UK).
Finally, I think it is excellent value for money. The design is very similar to a Hilleberg Allak 2 tent. The Hilleberg would still take the lead on quality, design and strength in extreme scenarios. However the Naturehike tent offers 95% of what the Allak offers, but with two other advantages:
the Naturehike is less than a quarter of the price (around £250 rather than the £1,150 Hilleberg [£1,025 tent + £115 footprint]); and
the material Naturehike use is a lighter-weight, meaning it's a around a kilogram lighter than the Hilleberg (around 2kg vs the 3kg Hilleberg).
What don't I like about this tent?
There's a huge list of positives for this tent. I've had to think hard to come up with things I don't like, but I've managed to think of two small points.
One is that there is a 'gutter'; a flap of material that overhangs the zips around the entrances for added waterproofness. This is a good feature, but the material is not as rigid as the Hilleberg, which resulted in me getting it stuck in the zip on one occasion.
The second is that the outer tent leaves a small (approx 3-5cm) 'gap' where it meets the ground. This is less than most tents, but to make it a fully fledged 4 season tent, it would be good for this to come as low as is does with the Hilleberg so that in a snow storm you would be even better protected. I've used the tent in snow without any issues, so my point would only really be relevant for quite an extreme winter expedition.
No tent is perfect and I consider these both minor points, meaning I'm still a huge fan of this tent.
Summary
I believe the Naturehike Cloud Peak 2 is an amazing tent and that it is incredible good value. You can support Adventure Breaks by buying one from our UK shop here.
Other Resources:
Discover our event, Wild Camping for Beginners;
These are our favourite Hiking Boots?
Here are 5 tips for sleeping warm outdoors;
Find tips such as 6 free and easy ways to pack lighter.
Watch How to Build a Log Cabin.
Want to set yourself a hiking challenge? Like cheese too? Take a look here.
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