CB3/Cloudburst 3 Initial impressions
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My CB3 arrived early this week and I've just now had a chance to pitch it. The following thoughts are initial impressions on the tent as I have not spent the night out in it yet. The CB3 is listed as a 3 person shelter, which it will fit, but I have a feeling this will be a popular 2+ shelter.
The CB3 comes with two poles that thread through the sleeve and nest into the webbing, just like the DR arch pole. Once the poles are in, all it takes is 4 stakes to get a tight, clean pitch. Setting up is quick and easy with one person, and I'm guessing it could be done under a minute with two people if they tried.
I wish I could comment on how the CB3 handles wind, but I've not had it in wind. However, the large panels pitch well and there is no sagging anywhere. Obviously this will do best with an end to the wind.
You can have the doors closed, half open, or completely open. The vestibules are a very nice size. The sewn-in floor can be tensioned out to it's fullest by some shockcord on each corner, or left loose. On the interior, there is some noseeum netting attached to the bathtub floor which can be hooked up to create a tidy bathtub as well as adding a bit of protection to keep your sleeping bag from touching the sides. Or you can relax the bathtub for a bit more floorspace. The mesh doors are very big and easy to open, and everything has a cord or velcro to nicely keep it out of your way. I would like to see ALL velcro disappear from tents that have any sort of mesh. Even with the CB3, there is the possibility of the velcro coming into contact with the mesh when you stuff it in the stuffsack.
One thing I like is that you never have to restake anything. Every door configuration you can think of (besides adding more guy lines) utilizes the 4 stakes. Once your stakes are in, they can stay in. The CB3 has some extra guyout points on the doors and one on each side panel for extra stability in wind if needed. I can imagine that with the 3rd pole, this could be a very wind-worthy shelter.
The interior is VERY roomy for two. You can easily have six adults sitting straight up and cross-legged with all the doors closed. There's TONS of headroom. The length is a bit short, 80" as spec'd, but because both ends are mesh, you will not get any condensation on your bag.
The CB3 lacks a proper "porch" like the DR, but because of how much room there is in the shelter, you don't need a porch that extends. The vents have been improved. Instead of that plastic bit in the previous shelters that keeps the vent lip stiff (and always got deformed), there is now just a firm piece of material that keeps the shape better.
The footprint is large, but not as big as you'd think. One nice thing is that with the standard pitch, you don't have long guy lines to trip over. The side walls are supposed to be able to be raised up for ventilation, but I'm not sure how to do that. You can loosen the tensioner at each corner to allow that to happen, but the sides simply fall back down.
Weight in stuff sack without stakes and without seam sealing came to 46 ounces. When packed in its stuff sack, it is much larger than my DR. However, because there is no strut or cross bar in this shelter, it is much easier to pack the poles and body separate. If you do that, the CB3 will fit into a stuff sack about 2/3 the size of what it comes with. Overall, it's a bit bulkier and heavier than my DR, but the interior space appears to easily negate that (plus, it's technically a 3 person shelter). If you don't mind a few extra ounces and crave space, take a serious look at the CB3. I think it is a very good value at $319.
I was in a hurry and had to borrow my parent's lawn, so I didn't do the greatest job of showing detail and size perspective, but hopefully these pictures help a bit.
Patio chair for scale reference.
Dad for scale reference.
Here I was sitting upright against one wall with my feet stretched out. I'm 5'11". What you see is the distance between my feet and the opposite wall.
This is where the optional 3rd pole feeds through the mesh.
Spiderman likes it, too.
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