MSR Hubba Tour 2 Review: The Definitive Adventure Motorcycle Tent

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Camping and motorcycling go together like bread and butter: a great combo, but too much of one and not the other can lead to a lousy breakfast, or in this case, a lost weekend. You don’t want your kit to become a burden or be too cumbersome. Setting it up and breaking it down should be a no-brainer, and more often than not, less is more when it comes to camp gear. So, choosing the right equipment for your motorcycle adventures is vital. Items need to be light, pack easily, accommodate you, and often the person you’re riding with as well. Designed to house two motorcyclists (or cyclists) and all their gear, the new MSR Hubba Tour 2 is the ultimate two-person tent for two-wheeled travelers. According to MSR, it was the motorcyclists in the office that designed the tent.

The Good:

The Hubba Tour 2 is a three-season tent explicitly designed for bike-packing and motorcycling expeditions. When packed, the tent and accompanying rainfly/vestibule weighs just five-pounds, four-ounces. Featuring a fast pitch exoskeleton and rainfly, the Hubba Tour 2 takes only a few minutes to assemble, allowing weary travelers a quick and comfortable escape from the elements. The cavernous vestibule is the perfect place to store wet or dirty riding gear and offers additional shelter should you not want to be cooped up inside the tent itself. Like its Hubba brethren, the Tour 2 has a zippered door on either side, as well as ample gear lofts and pockets and an internal glow-in-the-dark zipper pull. The rainfly is made of 20-denier, high-tenacity ripstop nylon that’s Durashield polyurethane- and silicone-coated, making it both durable and waterproof.

Who They’re For:

Built to accommodate two self-supported motorcycle travelers, the Hubba Tour 2 is 38-inches tall at its peak and features a floor layout that is 88 x 52 inches. The vestibule is large enough to house two helmets, riding gear and luggage removed from the motorcycles. In addition to a weight of just five pounds, four-ounces, the Hubba Tour 2 is only 17-inches long and seven-inches-around when packed, designed with motorcycle saddlebags in mind.

Watch Out For:

The one-piece rainfly/vestibule requires campers to secure the outer shell of the tent using the included stakes and draw lines. This task can be difficult to accomplish when camped on hard surfaces, or sandy beaches. And without the inclusion of the optional footprint, the vestibule is only partially floored, which means dirt and debris can find its way into the tent. Our tip? Pick up the footprint.

Alternatives:

The Obi LS tent from Nemo Equipment offers similar three-season shelter and two-person capacity as the Hubba Tour 2. Tipping the scales at just three pounds, eight ounces, when packed, it is considerably lighter, and with its dual vestibule setup, offers a similar amount of space with an 83 x 50-inch footprint and a 40.2-inch height at its peak. The vestibule space, however, is substantially smaller, and may not store as much motorcycle gear.

Review:

We traveled south of the border into Baja California with the Hubba Tour 2 strapped to the tail rack of an Indian Scout. Previously, the two of us had used the predecessor to this tent, MSR’s Hubba Hubba NX. We had, however, struggled to store all of our gear at night safely, and we’re excited at the prospect of expanded vestibule space. Pitching the Tour 2 was a simple and straightforward as we had anticipated, allowing one of us to prepare our air mattress while the other pitched the tent and fashioned it to the ground with the included stakes. The vestibule was, as we’d hoped, a welcome addition to the shelter, and allowed us to safely store our helmets, bags and riding gear at night.

Furthermore, we used this space to boil water and make coffee in the morning, keeping us dry when a light rain rolled over. Taking down the tent was as easy as its assembly, and again allowed one of us to pack up the remainder of our gear while the other sorted out the tent. The glow-in-the-dark zippers and expanded interior storage were also positive improvements we hadn’t known we needed until we had them.

Verdict:  

The Hubba Tour 2 is the perfect choice when traveling with a partner, allowing the allocation of gear between two bikes so that no one person is packing too much. The exoskeleton construction makes putting up and taking down the tent a one-person task, and the expanded vestibule provides much-needed storage for two travelers and all of their motorcycle gear. With the incorporation of a footprint and a means to secure stakes to the ground, the Hubba Tour 2 might be the last tent we’ll ever need.

What Others Are Saying:

• “The MSR’s Hubba Tour 2 tent is one of the most spacious tents I’ve ever tested for its weight. And it makes foul-weather setup a breeze. It serves as the perfect solution for adventure tourers and mountaineers seeking a comfortable place to hang out, change clothes or store gear.” – Amanda Ellis Gear Junkie

Key Specs
Canopy fabric: 20-denier, durable water repellent (DWR) coated ripstop nylon
Seasons: 3-season
Capacity: 2-person
Weight: 5 lbs. 4 oz.
Dimensions: 88 x 52 x 38-inches
Floor area: 32 square feet

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