Head to head
Kelty Late Start 2 vs Naturehike Cloud-Up 2
No longer sold. Naturehike lists the 20D Cloud-Up 2 as a clearance model that will not be restocked; every colour was sold out in October 2026 and the Cloud Up Pro replaces it. Kept for comparison.
The Kelty Late Start 2 gives each person more floor — 15.3 sq ft against 13.9, which is the difference between standard and tight. The Naturehike Cloud-Up 2 is the lighter carry at 3 lb 1 oz, and the Naturehike Cloud-Up 2 is the cheaper of the two at ~$119.
 Kelty Kelty Late Start 2 |  Naturehike Naturehike Cloud-Up 2No longer sold | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Backpacking | Backpacking |
| Rated capacity | 2-person | 2-person |
| Floor area per personestimated | 15.3 sq ft (standard) | 13.9 sq ft (tight) |
| Floor area | 30.6 sq ft | 27.9 sq ft |
| Vestibule area | 7.4 sq ft | — |
| Peak height | 42.5 in | 41.3 in |
| Minimum trail weight | 4 lb 5 oz | 3 lb 1 oz |
| Packed weight | 4 lb 12 oz | 4 lb |
| Weight per personestimated | 34.5 oz (trail weight) | 24.4 oz (trail weight) |
| Pad fitestimated | 2 × 25 in pads fit | 2 × 20 in pads fit, 25 in pads do not |
| Fits sleepers up toestimated | 6ft 11in tall | 6ft 5in tall |
| Doors | 1 | 1 |
| Freestanding | freestanding | semi-freestanding |
| Poles | aluminum | aluminum |
| Wall type | double wall | double wall |
| Season rating | 3-season | 3-season |
| Floor hydrostatic head | 1,200 mm | 5,000 mm |
| Packed size | 16 x 6.5 x 6.5 in | 4.7 x 17.7 in |
| Approx. price | ~$160 | ~$119 |
Kelty Late Start 2
A hundred and sixty dollars for a freestanding two-person tent with aluminium poles, a 1200 mm 68D floor and 30.6 square feet is $10 more than Kelty's own Grand Mesa 2 and buys four more inches of floor length. Kelty's Quick-Corner system means the pole tips seat in the corners without threading, which is the bit that goes wrong in the dark. One door, one small 7.4-square-foot vestibule, and pre-bent poles that push the walls out more than the floor area suggests.
Best for
A first backpacking tent, or a spare that lives in the car for guests.
Naturehike Cloud-Up 2
The Cloud-Up is the tent that made Naturehike a name outside China: a 7001-aluminium single-pole double-wall tent at 48.7 ounces and $119, which is ultralight-adjacent weight at budget-tent money. Twenty-eight square feet split two ways is 13.95 each, just under the standard band, and the 82.7-inch floor is short — a six-foot sleeper touches both ends. Naturehike now calls the 20D Cloud-Up a clearance model that the Cloud Up Pro replaces, and every colour was sold out in October 2026; the numbers here are the plain 2-person.
Best for
A first lightweight tent where the budget will not stretch to a Western brand.
Rows where the two differ are tinted. Specs are the makers’ own; floor area per person, weight per person and pad fit are our arithmetic on them.