Naturehike Cloud Up 2 vs Lanshan 2: Freestanding or Trekking-Pole, for the Same Money

“Naturehike Cloud Up 2 vs Lanshan 2” is really two different questions stacked on top of each other: freestanding or trekking-pole, and which specific Cloud Up. Both tents list at close to the same price, so this isn't about which one costs less — it's about which design assumptions fit your kit. For the deeper version of the freestanding-vs-trekking-pole question with more picks on each side, read trekking-pole tent vs freestanding tent.

The comparison at a glance

The same comparison with every figure linked to its source, plus our value figure and score:

Which Cloud Up 2 should you actually buy

Before weighing this against the Lanshan 2 at all: if you're shopping today, the tent to compare isn't really the original Cloud Up 2. Naturehike's own page says the 20D Cloud Up 2 “will not be restocked” once sold out and recommends the Cloud Up Pro 2 instead. We kept the original Cloud Up 2 in this comparison because it's the exact model the “Cloud Up 2 vs Lanshan 2” question is usually asking about, and it's still sold on Amazon while stock lasts — but the Pro 2 is the tent Naturehike is actually selling forward, and it's better on nearly every number that changed: it weighs 20 g (0.7 oz) less, its inner is 5 cm wider, and it lists for less.

Weight and price, almost matched

The Lanshan 2 weighs 1,060 g (2 lb 5.4 oz). The original Cloud Up 2 weighs 1,380 g (3 lb 0.7 oz), 320 g (11.3 oz) more, and the Cloud Up Pro 2 weighs 1,360 g (2 lb 16.0 oz), 300 g (10.6 oz) more. At list price the three are close: the Lanshan 2 lists at $150–$200 MSRP band, the Cloud Up 2 at $150–$200 MSRP band (the same MSRP band more), and the Cloud Up Pro 2 at $150–$200 MSRP band (the same MSRP band more). Against Kelty Late Start 2P, the site's mainstream two-person baseline, the Lanshan 2 saves 840 g (1 lb 13.6 oz) vs the Kelty Late Start 2P, the Cloud Up 2 saves 520 g (1 lb 2.3 oz) vs the Kelty Late Start 2P, and the Cloud Up Pro 2 saves 540 g (1 lb 3.0 oz) vs the Kelty Late Start 2P.

So this isn't a budget-vs-splurge comparison. It's two tents at nearly the same price that spend their weight and money differently: the Lanshan 2 spends less weight and more of the price on the shelter fabric itself; the Cloud Up tents spend some of that weight on a dedicated pole and a footprint that the Lanshan 2 doesn't include at all.

Doors, vestibules and fabric

The clearest functional gap is doors. The Lanshan 2 has two doors and two vestibules, so each person has their own entry and gear storage. Both Cloud Up tents publish one door: the original Cloud Up 2 lists “1 front door / 1 front vestibule,” and the Cloud Up Pro 2's page describes a “taller door design” without stating a door or vestibule count at all. If two of you share the tent every night, one door means whoever sleeps on the far side climbs over the other to get out.

Inner width runs the other way: the Cloud Up 2 is 125 cm wide and the Cloud Up Pro 2 is 130 cm, both wider than the Lanshan 2's 110 cm. Fly fabric is a wash rather than a clean win for either side — the Lanshan 2's 15D nylon is rated to 5,000 mm, higher than either Cloud Up's 20D nylon at 3,000 mm — but the Cloud Up fabrics are a heavier denier, which the makers don't translate into a tear-strength figure we can cite. Both the Lanshan 2 and the Cloud Up tents keep a separate fly from the tent body; if wall construction (single-wall vs double-wall) is what you're actually deciding on, our single-wall vs double-wall guide covers it in full, including which tents in our lineup use which design.

What comes in the box

This is where the Cloud Up tents make up ground the raw grams-per-dollar math doesn't show. Both ship with a footprint included; the Lanshan 2 doesn't come with one at all, so if you want ground protection you're buying and carrying a separate sheet. Both Cloud Up tents also include more hardware: 11 stakes and 5 guy lines on the original, 14 stakes and 5 guy lines on the Pro, against the Lanshan 2's 8 stakes. None of that shows up in a weight-vs-price comparison of the tent alone, but it's real value if you'd otherwise be buying a footprint and extra stakes separately.

Packed size tells a similar story where it's published. Naturehike lists the original Cloud Up 2 at roughly 1.8 kg packaged, in a 12 x 45 cm sack, and the Cloud Up Pro 2 at roughly 1.53 kg packaged, in a smaller 13 x 40 cm sack — a real improvement in the newer tent, not just on the trail scale but in how much pack space it eats. 3F doesn't publish a packaged weight or sack size for the Lanshan 2, so we can't line it up against either Cloud Up on that measure; the maker's minimum weight is the only number we can cite for it.

The trekking-pole question

The biggest thing the spec sheets don't show: the Lanshan 2's weight and price don't include a way to hold the tent up. Both Naturehike tents ship with their own dedicated aluminum pole, ready to pitch. The Lanshan 2 needs two trekking poles, sold separately by 3F.

That's the real decision inside this comparison. If trekking poles are already in your hand on every trip, the Lanshan 2's numbers are the honest ones to compare. If they're not, a freestanding Cloud Up's all-in cost and weight are closer to the Lanshan 2's than the spec sheet alone suggests.

Price and value

On grams saved per dollar against the reference tent, the Lanshan 2 posts Value 7.7/10, well ahead of the Cloud Up 2's Value 4.4/10 and the Cloud Up Pro 2's Value 4.9/10. That figure counts only the tent's own weight and price, so it doesn't credit the Cloud Up tents for their included pole, footprint and extra stakes, or debit the Lanshan 2 for the poles it needs you to add. Read the score as a starting point, not the whole answer. Full scoring rules are on our methodology page, and every two-person tent we rank, freestanding and trekking-pole alike, is in our best 2-person backpacking tents ranking. For the widest field across every budget, see best budget backpacking tents.

Who should buy which

• Buy the Lanshan 2 if you hike with trekking poles already, want two doors for a shared tent, and don't mind sourcing your own footprint.
• Buy the Naturehike Cloud Up Pro 2 if you want a self-supporting tent with the pole and footprint already in the box, and one door works for how you camp.
• Buy the original Cloud Up 2 only if it's discounted while Naturehike clears it out — the Pro 2 beats it on weight, width and price for new stock.

If I were choosing between these on a budget and already carried poles, I'd take the Lanshan 2 for the second door. If I didn't carry poles and didn't want to buy a pair just for the tent, I'd take the Cloud Up Pro 2 and call the pole question settled.