When a good friend and fellow gear fanatic talked about MSR had launched a bikepacking model of their long-standing Hubba Hubba tent, I didn’t suppose a lot of it at first, as I’m a hiker, not a bicycle owner. However, my curiosity was sparked when he urged it is perhaps well-suited for backpacking, thanks to some design updates.
Since the unique Hubba Hubba launched in 2004, it’s by no means been the lightest, least expensive, or most sturdy tent, however it strikes an excellent steadiness between all three, which explains why it’s nonetheless in the marketplace 20 years later. Having by no means used a Hubba Hubba earlier than, I used to be keen to check this newest model and took it on a number of journeys mountain climbing within the mountains.
Key Specs & Features
The three season MSR Hubba Hubba Bikepack 1-Person Tent gives stable technical specs. Its most packed weight, together with the waterproof handlebar-mounting bag, is a aggressive 1.27 kg, with a compact packed dimension of 36 x 17 x 11 cm.
Designed particularly for bikepacking, the tent supplies distinctive headroom (97 cm), brief poles (30 cm), a big inner clothesline, and a spacious vestibule space.
The rainfly, flooring, and cover are all produced from 20D nylon ripstop materials with a hydrostatic head of 1200 mm. The flooring has been made lighter than that of the usual Hubba Hubba, which makes use of a extra sturdy 30D ripstop nylon and has a hydrostatic head of 3000 mm.
Real world testing
I examined the MSR Hubba Hubba Bikepack 1-Person tent on a number of mountain climbing journeys within the British mountains throughout summer time and autumn, together with a summit camp, reasonable wind situations, and each dry and moist climate. Due to the unusually dry climate throughout my camps, I haven’t but had the possibility to check the tent in a correct rainstorm. On my ultimate journey, I forgot all however a couple of spare pegs, however I used to be nonetheless in a position to safe an honest pitch — extra on that later.
Impressive head room and packability
On the primary evening out, I rapidly observed that the headroom and dwelling house have been fairly beneficiant in comparison with the solo backpacking tents I sometimes use. At six ft tall, I can comfortably sit upright and transfer round with out touching the inside partitions. I additionally typically discover light-weight solo tents a bit cramped in size, however with a size of 216 cm, there’s loads of house to stretch out, even for taller people.
As with the standard Hubba Hubba design, the ground is rectangular quite than tapered, in contrast to many smaller backpacking tents. This offered ample house to retailer gear inside, conserving my pack and spare clothes dry and off the damp floor. However, like many tents, it might profit from the choice to peg the ground in place. The vestibule can be spacious, providing loads of room for storage and permitting for cooking within the porch space, one thing that may typically be difficult in solo backpacking tents.
A serious benefit for hikers is the redesigned DAC poles, that are brief sufficient to suit horizontally in a backpack. For backpacking, I’d skip the sturdy waterproof handlebar bag, because it provides pointless weight, and go for a light-weight stuff sack as an alternative.
Pitching is a breeze
Pitching the tent could be very easy. The poles slot into eyelets at every nook of the ground, and the inside tent attaches to the poles with small clips. It takes a most of 5 minutes to pitch, and because it’s a free-standing construction, you don’t have to peg the ground out first, making it straightforward to maneuver round whilst you discover the perfect spot. Once you connect the rainfly to the eyelets, nonetheless, you’ll have to peg out the vestibule and door.
On one journey, I forgot all however three non-MSR spare pegs. I’m not an enormous fan of the pre-supplied Mini Groundhog pegs, as they are often laborious on the fingers, and also you typically don’t get sufficient of them to safe all of the man traces, which I additionally discovered. Despite this, I managed to attain a secure pitch utilizing rocks and my trekking poles, and the tent remained agency in reasonably robust winds all through the evening. That actually impressed me. The most important downside, nonetheless, is that you should pitch the inside tent first, which will increase the chance of it getting moist in the event you’re organising in wet situations. This design is not stunning, because it’s a three-season tent, doubtless designed with the American market in thoughts, quite than the usually unpredictable climate of the British mountains.
Not only for bikepacking
Other options value noting embrace the shortcoming to pitch the flysheet all the way in which to the bottom on the ends of the tent. While this permits for good air flow, it might additionally let in additional wind-blown climate. That stated, air flow choices are plentiful, with built-in vents at every finish, and far of the inside tent is made from mesh. You can even roll up and safe each the inside and outer doorways in advantageous climate, although I want MSR had added a second toggle to permit the complete door to be rolled up tightly, stopping it from flapping within the wind.
Speaking of wind, I examined the tent in reasonably robust gusts (round 20-25 mph) with none points besides some deforming of the construction. I wouldn’t nonetheless advocate utilizing it in uncovered mountain areas, or when robust winds are forecast. In phrases of rain, some fellow gear lovers have expressed considerations in regards to the skinny groundsheet, with its 1200 mm hydrostatic head. While you possibly can see some moisture underneath stress, I didn’t encounter any points when pitching on moist floor.
While the Hubba Hubba Bikepack 1 has some drawbacks, it additionally has many strengths and is well-suited to backpacking. It’s spacious, packs down small, is straightforward to pitch, and is surprisingly sturdy given its light-weight supplies. A standout characteristic for me was the shorter poles—this revolutionary tweak makes the tent way more packable, a characteristic I’d like to see in additional solo backpacking tents.
Summary
Despite a couple of drawbacks, the MSR Hubba Hubba Bikepack 1-Person Tent’s spectacular steadiness of weight, house, and sturdiness make it a superb selection for each backpacking and bikepacking adventures.
While the need of pitching the inside tent first might be a priority in moist climate, its beneficiant headroom and flooring house, revolutionary shorter poles, and ample air flow choices improve its usability. I’ll select to forgo the waterproof handlebar bag for a lighter pack sooner or later, however its compact packed dimension and ease of setup guarantee I’ll proceed to depend on it for 3 season tenting in future.
About MSR
Mountain Safety Research (MSR) is a Seattle-based out of doors tools firm based in 1969 by Larry Penberthy, a passionate mountaineer and engineer. Originally centered on bettering the protection and reliability of climbing gear, MSR rapidly expanded its product line to incorporate high-performance tenting and backpacking tools, reminiscent of stoves, tents, water filters, and snowshoes. Known for its innovation and dedication to high quality, MSR blends cutting-edge expertise with sensible design, making its gear extremely regarded amongst out of doors lovers for its sturdiness, performance, and reliability in difficult situations.