The MSR Hubba tent series has always been a popular choice for travelling cyclists. They offer the most liveable accommodation in a lightweight, freestanding, simple design that packs down small for carrying on a bike, as one or split-up between riders.
The new Hubba Tour series tents are an evolution of the Hubba series tents, specifically for adventure cycling. This means the same sizes and specs for the main living accommodation, but the addition of a large suspended vestibule “offering a protected area to remove wet clothes, or to prepare and shelter your equipment” and the option of the mesh screen door that keeps out insects. The other main change is the move to an exoskeleton frame which allows the tent to be pitched in naff weather without the inner getting wet. Ideal.
Dan and Stefan took the Hubba Tour 2 out with them last month…
If you’re a meticulous gram-counter, you might as well switch over now; this tent won’t be for you. The Hubba Tour tent is for bike-campers looking for a practical palace on the road that remains lightweight, with an attractive pack-size. Weighing in at roughly two litres of water, the Hubba Tour tent puts focus on comfort during an adventure cycling trip, which it offers in buckets.
It’s for those rainy evenings in the mid-of-nowhere when you need a quick, spacious shelter fix. It’s for those midge-y mornings when you want to prep for the day ahead in peace whilst admiring the view out.
The Tour tents are as easy to erect as the original Hubba, and maybe even quicker given the exo-skeleton structure which allows the tent to go up with the outer already on, keeping the inner dry. Two pole-sets make up the frame – one for the main sleeping accommodation, and then a single pole for the vestibule. The full tent can be packed within the MSR compression bag (roughly 48cm x 15cm x 15cm for the Tour 2) and it’ll sit strapped to your rear rack no problem. Or, split the tent up into poles/pegs and inner/outer to carry on different parts of your bike, or between riders.
Could you fit a bike in? Err, technically you could stuff one in (the vestibule is 2.2m x 1.4m tapering) but it wouldn’t be pretty. The sheltered vestibule is meant mainly for the storage of kit/panniers/bikepacking bags, cooking, socialising in bad / insect-y weather, and preparing for the day’s riding ahead…
The Hubba Tour tent comes in two sizes – one and two-person:
TOUR 1
Sleeps: 1
Weight: 2.03kg (packed)
TOUR 2
Sleeps: 2
Weight: 2.47kg (packed)
POLES
Max Length: 39cm
COMPONENTS
1 x Inner
1 x Outer Fly
2 x Poles
17 x Pegs
1 x Compression Bag
