MSR Hubba Hubba Bikepacking Tent Review

MSR Hubba Hubba 2-Person Bikepacking Tent – At a Glance

• Purpose-built bikepacking tent with compact pole set and handlebar-compatible dry bag
• Freestanding, 3-season design with dual entries and vestibules
• Total weight: 1.71kg with pegs and guy ropes
• Packed pole length: ~30cm – fits flat bars and drops
• Comes with handlebar mounting harness and waterproof roll-top bag
• RRP: $1285 AUD | From: Spelean

The art of multi-day rides does not need to stick to specific rules. Bikepacking has been growing in popularity over the past decade, but my personal stance is that as the capability of our bikes has improved, so has the variety of equipment. And while I didn’t have anything strapped to my bike on overnight trips in the Snowy Mountains around two decades ago, I feel comfortable looking back on it as a bikepacking trip. And I feel just as comfortable doing the same for a trip last year using hotels – with luggage strapped to my bike. Suffice to say, bikepacking is as diverse as riders are. For those who want to make like a snail and carry everything with them, but not subject themselves to sleeping in a bivvy bag in a ditch, then picking the right tent is an essential item, along with a jacket, sleeping bag and sleeping mat.

Related links
– How to go Bikepacking in Australia
– Sea to Summit Sleep System Review
– Bikepacking across the Swiss Alps

A tent will be your home away from home – a place to sleep with room to store your gear, sort your snacks, and weather a storm. Tents can be heavy and bulky, but there’s a huge range on the market that are light and compact, thanks to extensive development for the mountaineering, climbing and hiking communities. But as fussy bike riders, we have a few more additional needs. What about shorter poles to pack better on our bikes? Can more weight be stripped out? 

MSR have taken their iconic, free-standing Hubba Hubba tent and developed a bikepacking specific model. It’s lighter, more compact, and is said to be a perfect tent for up to two people on a bikepacking trip.

A closer look at the MSR Hubba Hubba

The MSR Hubba Hubba 2 person bikepacking tent comes ready to go for newbie bikepackers. It’s not just a compact 3 season tent, it comes with a waterproof rolltop bag and harness to attach it to your handlebars. The poles fold up to barely over 30cm, so the bar bag fits between drops and easily on flat bars. There are even spacers to give room for more accessories on your bars, and to reduce scuffing.

The tent weighs 1.71kg out of the box with the 8 included pegs and 4 lightweight guy ropes. This is a freestanding tent, but pegging it out means the vestibules are useful. As a proper two-person tent, each person has their own entry and vestibule. With a peak height of just over 106cm you’ve got room to sit up as well. Each vestibule can have the zip opened from the top for extra ventilation – and that’s handy for sweaty, stormy nights.

Setting up the MSR Hubba Hubba

Setup is simple, with the one pole fitting together to attach the inner to, and a cross pole to create extra headroom. The fly then attaches at each corner, before pegging out the fly and guy ropes as needed. Bear in mind the floor is quite light – I’d recommend buying the MSR footprint for a longer life.

On the bike 

I had the MSR tent loaded onto my hardtail, which has plenty of bar room and a fair number of cable outer and hoses flapping around. It was nice and secure but did still flop a little up and down. I could easily use some of the webbing to cinch it tighter to the bars, but this didn’t change the fact that under compression the tent would buzz my front tyre. This is symptomatic of any bike with a short head tube and low bar height. Otherwise, the system didn’t budge. With a couple of extra cinch straps it was rock solid, and on any medium gravel bikes or mountain bikes with headtubes over 120mm tall it shouldn’t be an issue.

On the bike

I had the MSR tent loaded onto my hardtail, which has plenty of bar room and a fair number of cable outer and hoses flapping around. It was nice and secure but did still flop a little up and down. I could easily use some of the webbing to cinch it tighter to the bars, but this didn’t change the fact that under compression the tent would buzz my front tyre. This is symptomatic of any bike with a short head tube and low bar height. Otherwise, the system didn’t budge. With a couple of extra cinch straps it was rock solid, and on any medium gravel bikes or mountain bikes with headtubes over 120mm tall it shouldn’t be an issue.

In use 

With two entries and generous vestibules, the tent is easy to get in and out of – even with two people. Being freestanding also means it’s just a bit easier to get along with. The internal space is pretty generous for the weight, and overall any fan of MSR’s classic Hubba Hubba tent will get along with the 2 person bikepacking version just fine.

Mesh additions to the tent inner help with breathability, as do the fly openings that can open at the top as vents. There are inner pockets at each end, with little cord ports to keep them neat. There are two ‘loft’ pockets and 4 different cords to use to hang things from.

With some gusty storms when I tested the tent, I was impressed with how secure the MSR Hubba Hubba bikepacking tent felt – but not surprised. Having used the original Hubba Hubba on a remote hike in Tasmania, I know it’s a reliable tent design, and that has not been lost when trimming this model back for bikepacking.

Using this tent in a Queensland spring meant a bit of humidity, and I did opt to have both vestibule vents well and truly open to maintain some ventilation. This is not a stuffy tent, it is just worth remembering that a lot of Australia’s climate is warm.

Packing up was expected, and the generous bag is really easy to get the tent and pegs into, with the poles having their own bag that is held at the base of the bag for support.

Verdict and Pros & Cons of the MSR Hubba Hubba

MSR makes great tents, and the Hubba Hubba bikepacking variant does the name proud. For anyone looking to get a tent, or a lighter tent, to see what bikepacking is all about – this is a very good tent to look at. Not only do you get a great tent design, but you get a way to carry it. If you are well and truly into the world of bikepacking, then that would also suggest you have the luggage and systems you need. So $1285 for a tent may seem excessive. Good equipment costs money, but I’d err towards the Sea to Summit Telos 2 for about $900 – or something more boutique at a lower weight if I was well and truly over the line with off-road multi-day adventures. As it is, this is a very well made piece of kit, and one that won’t let you down when spending nights out – just double check compatibility on your bike if you’re on a small size or run an aggressive position.

Pros

• High quality tent built for everything but alpine camping
• Stable, light and roomy
• Purpose-built for bikepacking with its own luggage

Cons

• Premium pricing
• Bar bag may not suit all bikes and setups.