Horntools Cloud 140 vs Ironman 4x4 Ursa 1300
The Horntools Cloud 140 and the Ironman 4x4 Ursa 1300 are both hardshell tents in the same part of the market, which makes them a genuine head-to-head rather than a comparison across categories. Horntools and Ironman 4x4 take noticeably different approaches to the same problem.
Floor area is close to identical at 3.18 m² and 3.28 m², so neither wins on sleeping room. List prices are within $40 of each other, so price is unlikely to decide this one. Horntools also backs the Cloud 140 for 5 years against 3.
They open differently: the Cloud 140 is a clamshell and the Ursa 1300 a fold-out. That is not cosmetic — it decides whether headroom is even across the tent or tapers towards one end, and how much of the roof the tent occupies when closed. The Cloud 140 uses PVC (matte black), aluminium frame; the Ursa 1300 uses ABS hardshell with aluminium honeycomb base. Canvas differs too: 300 g/m2 sailcloth with PU coating; 65% polyester, 35% cotton (water column 2000 mm); canopy 210D Oxford with PU coating (3000 mm) against 420D polyester Oxford fly; 320gsm ripstop nylon mesh. Closed, the Cloud 140 sits 19.5 cm lower on the roof — 12.5 cm against 32 cm — which is drag you carry on every mile you are not camping.
Horntools
Cloud 140
The Cloud is Horntools's ultra-flat triangular (wedge) roof tent for two, opening on gas springs to a peak interior height of 122 cm. It uses a matte-black PVC top shell over an aluminium frame and packs down to just 12.5 cm closed, with a 7 cm foam mattress and integrated three-mode LED lighting. Setup is quoted at under three minutes.
- Very low 12.5 cm packed height
- Gas-spring wedge opens in under three minutes
- Integrated three-mode LED lighting
- Wedge shape means interior height drops toward the foot end (min 23 cm)
Ironman 4x4
Ursa 1300
The Ursa 1300 is the smaller of Ironman 4x4's two Ursa hardshell fold-out tents, sized for CUVs, SUVs, wagons and most truck beds. It sleeps two adults and a child on a 2.4-inch high-density foam mattress and deploys via two base latches and assisted gas struts, expanding sideways from a 65 x 48.8 inch packed footprint to a 63 x 80.6 inch open floor. Integrated star-gazing sky windows, LED strip lighting and a heater/AC hose inlet are included.
- Two-latch, gas-strut fold-out deployment the maker rates at under 5 minutes
- Integrated star-gazing sky windows and LED strip lighting
- Heater/AC hose inlet for cold-weather diesel-heater use
- Manufacturer publishes the 160 lb weight in imperial only, with no metric figure
Which one to pick
These two are closely matched on the numbers that usually decide it. Read the feature rows below — heater port, skylight, annex — and let whichever of those you will actually use break the tie.
Every specification, side by side
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Type | Hardshell | Hardshell |
| Opening style | Clamshell | Fold-out |
| Sleeps | 2— worst of the tents compared | 3— best of the tents compared |
| Season rating | — | 4-season |
| List price | $2,960— best of the tents compared | $2,999— worst of the tents compared |
| Weight and size | ||
| Weight | 132 lb | — |
| Packed length | 7 ft 2 in— worst of the tents compared | 5 ft 5 in— best of the tents compared |
| Packed width | 4 ft 9 in— worst of the tents compared | 4 ft 1 in— best of the tents compared |
| Packed height | 4.9 in— best of the tents compared | 12.6 in— worst of the tents compared |
| Living space | ||
| Sleeping length | 7 ft 2 in— best of the tents compared | 5 ft 3 in— worst of the tents compared |
| Sleeping width | 4 ft 9 in— worst of the tents compared | 6 ft 9 in— best of the tents compared |
| Floor area | 34.2 sq ft— worst of the tents compared | 35.3 sq ft— best of the tents compared |
| Interior height | 4 ft— worst of the tents compared | 4 ft 4 in— best of the tents compared |
| Mattress thickness | 2.8 in— best of the tents compared | 2.4 in— worst of the tents compared |
| Setup and build | ||
| Setup timeManufacturer's claim where published; otherwise estimated from tent type. Expect longer in practice. | 3 min | ~60 secest. |
| Shell material | PVC (matte black), aluminium frame | ABS hardshell with aluminium honeycomb base |
| Fabric | 300 g/m2 sailcloth with PU coating; 65% polyester, 35% cotton (water column 2000 mm); canopy 210D Oxford with PU coating (3000 mm) | 420D polyester Oxford fly; 320gsm ripstop nylon mesh |
| Warranty | 5years— best of the tents compared | 3years— worst of the tents compared |
| Features | ||
| Integrated LED lighting | Yes | Yes |
| Heater / HVAC port | — | Yes |
| Roof skylight | — | Yes |
| Annex available | — | — |
| Solar ready | — | — |
| Carries cargo on top | — | — |
| Sources | ||
| Last verified | Horntools product page | Ironman 4x4 product page |
Related comparisons
Or read the full spec sheets for the Horntools Cloud 140 and the Ironman 4x4 Ursa 1300.