Light for a budget tent and very waterproof fabric, tested in damp pines and morning frost on the Pinhoti Trail. It's tight, and the door lets water in. It scores 72 out of 100 and ranks #11 in our best backpacking tents guide as our best cheap backpacking tent.
Best Cheap Backpacking Tent
Naturehike Cloud Up 2
- Weight (our scale): 3 lb 12 oz packed
- Floor: 49 in, tapers to 43
- Pad fit (our test): two 20 in pads, no spare
- Doors: 1, front entry
Bottom Line : Light for a budget tent, proven in the damp pines of the Pinhoti Trail. It's tight: Emma treats it as a one-person tent.
Pros
- 3 lb 12 oz for a budget tent
- Waterproof fabric
Cons
- Water drips in when you open the front door
- Collapses in crosswind unless guyed tight
- Slippery floor: pad slides on a slope
- High condensation
On the Pinhoti Trail
Emma tested the 20D nylon Cloud Up 2 on the Pinhoti Trail in Alabama in November, in damp pine forest and morning frost. The fabric itself is very waterproof.
At 3 lb 12 oz packed it's light for the money, and it pitched in 3 minutes 30 seconds.
Inside it's tight: 49 inches wide, tapering to 43. Two 20 inch mummy pads fit with no spare room, so Emma treats it as a one-person tent.
Where It Asks Something of You
The front vestibule unzips over the floor, so water dripped inside every time Emma opened it. The single rear pole folds in under crosswind unless it's guyed out tight, and condensation was high.
The floor is slippery: her pad slid around all night on a slight slope. Use the footprint.
Spec Sheet vs Our Test
PU 4,000 mm waterproof nylon. Naturehike rates the fabric at 4,000 mm, the highest fly rating in our test. The fabric was waterproof, but the door design let water in anyway. A high rating can't fix a door that unzips over the floor.
Ventilation window above the door. Naturehike says the upgraded version has a vent above the front door to cut condensation. The tent Emma tested had only one small rear vent, and condensation was high. If ventilation matters to you, check which version you're buying.
Plenty of room for two. Naturehike lists 82.7 x 49.2 inches and calls it perfect for two. In Emma's pad test there was no spare room for two, and wide pads wouldn't fit.
Should You Buy the Naturehike Cloud Up 2?
Only if budget and weight both matter more than comfort, and you're happy treating it as a roomy solo tent.
If you can carry another 2 lb, the ALPS Lynx 2 is far roomier and has two doors. If you need light and dry, save up for the Copper Spur HV UL2.
Compare With
- NEMO Dagger OSMO 2P: our best backpacking tent for rainy trips.
- MSR Hubba Hubba LT 2: our best overall backpacking tent.
- Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL2: our best backpacking tent for couples.
- Sea to Summit Telos TR2 Plus: our best backpacking tent for wind and rain.
- Mountain Hardwear Mineral King 2: our best backpacking tent for hiking with a dog.
- MSR Elixir 2: our best backpacking tent for scouts.
- Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL2: our best ultralight backpacking tent.
- ALPS Mountaineering Lynx 2: our best budget backpacking tent for beginners.
- Kelty Late Start 2P: our best backpacking tent for summer storms.
- Big Agnes Fly Creek UL1: our best backpacking tent for solo hikers.
See all 11, and how we tested them, in our best backpacking tents guide. For family and car-camping tents, start at our camping tents hub.
Editor's Note, 20 October 2026: Renamed this pick's award to say what it is best for, to match our updated buying guide. Scores and rankings are unchanged.
Editor's Note, 17 October 2026: New review, from the field notes of Emma, who tested this tent for our backpacking tent guide and weighed it on her own scale.
Our Testers
This review was edited by Sean Williams and tested by Emma Williams.
- Sean Williams, Editor-in-Chief. Sean built the team of researchers and testers behind our reviews and sets the rule the site runs on: we buy what we test, and we say what we found.
- Ryan Williams, Lead Tester. Ryan reviewed the rankings against Emma's notes.
- Emma Williams, Editor and Tester. Emma leads our tent, camp kitchen and footwear testing, mostly in wet weather, and tested every tent in this guide.
