The MSR Hubba Tour 2 is a premium tent that offers massive vestibule space to protect all of your gear from the elements while camping.
With its exoskeleton and large vestibule, the tent and your gear will be protected from the rain no matter when you set up camp.
| Comfort | 5 |
| Weight | 4 |
| Weather Resistance | 5 |
| Ease of Setup | 5 |
| Durability | 5 |
| Packing Size | 4 |
| Overall Value | 3 |
| Final Rating | 31/35 |
Table of Contents
- Our Opinions on the MSR Hubba Tour 2
- Is The Hubba Tour 2 Right For You?
- Hubba Tour 2 Features and Specs
- Final Thoughts
Our Opinion On The MSR Hubba Tour 2
We’ve had a chance to get out and spend some quality time with the Hubba Tour 2 recently and found this tent to be a perfect tent for our use.
We fit in 2 people comfortably inside the 32 sq. ft. floor area and easily fit all the gear within the 25 sq. ft. vestibule area. The large vestibule was perfect for storing our gear, unpacking and repacking our packs, cleaning off boots and changing clothes while keeping the sleeping area clean and clutter-free.
Comfort: 5
What makes the comfort of the Hubba Tour 2 stand out is the extra vestibule space. Having a vestibule that you can actually fit and maneuver in was fantastic. The vestibule almost became a changing, storage and packing station where we could deal with our gear out of the weather while keeping our sleeping bags clean.
Inside the sleeping area, there was plenty of headroom with a peak height of 38″ that allowed both campers to sit up and maneuver inside the tent.
Gear storage pouches at the front and back of the tent were easily accessible and located directly under the front and back vents.
Entering and exiting the tent can be done either through the vestibule or through the second zipper door on the opposite side of the tent. With any two person tent, a second door is a convenience that prevents you from needing to climb over each other to get in and out.
Weight: 4
The Hubba Tour 2 comes in a packed weight of 5 lbs 4 oz which puts it right in the middle of most ultralight two-person tents. The difference being that this tent adds in far more vestibule space that you usually get with a 5lb two-person tent.
The minimum packing weight is 4lbs 13oz if you’re looking to shed a few extra ounces. This weight is referring to the weight of the tent without the storage bags.
If you want to go really light, the Fast and Light setup is only 4 lbs 7 oz. This weight excludes the guy lines, stakes and carrying cases. Most MSR tents can be set up and used without any guy cords or stakes if you so desire. Typically, this is only if you need to be fast and lightweight.
I`ve found that while you can get by with an even lighter weight two-person tent, you start to sacrifice durability as you go down and in some locations, durability is still a must.
Weather Resistance: 5
The MSR Hubba Tour features MSR’s Xtreme Sheild System, which is a waterproof coating that is supposed to last roughly 3x longer than traditional waterproofing systems.
Another great feature of this tent is the exoskeleton. This means that all of the poles set up on the exterior of the tent. The rainfly is located on top of the walls of the tent and the poles set up on top of the rainfly.
When you set up a regular tent, you must set up the tent base without the rainfly first. If you are setting up in bad weather, this can mean that rain gets into your tent during setup through the non-waterproof walls and mesh before the rainfly goes on. With the Hubba Tour, the rainfly is already in place during setup, keeping your tent dry during setup, even in rainy conditions.
On my trips with the Hubba Tour, I did experience light rain but nothing more than light showers. The tent was 100% dry and had no weather resistance issues.
I’d love to tell you how it performed in a large storm, but I must admit that I don’t actively look to go camping in really bad weather!
MSR does recommend that if you do plan on camping in heavy rain, to go ahead and seal the seam with Gear Aid’s Seam Grip +FC Fast Cure Sealant. But, this isn’t necessary in normal conditions.
Ease of Setup: 5
Setting up the Hubba Tour 2 is similar to most 2 person tents these days. It is a 2 pole system that goes up in 5 minutes or less.
The extra setup time for the vestibule is roughly 1 minute. Compared with The Hubba Hubba 2 person tent, the Hubba Tour has one extra pole for the vestibule that isn’t necessary on the Hubba Hubba.
Durability: 5
Durability is a big factor in any tent purchase. You’re spending a large amount of money on your tent and you want it to last for as long as possible.
As with all MSR products, the Hubba Tour 2 doesn’t sacrifice anything when it comes to durability.
MSR uses a precision lap-felled stitching process and water-proof thread on their tents (this is similar to the type of stitch used on quality denim jeans). This, along with their Xtreme Sheild covering should give your tent an exceptionally long life. You can read more about Xtreme Shield here.
I do recommend a custom cut footprint for the Huuba Tour. There is a gap between the sleeping area floor and the vestibule floor that will be exposed with most universal 2 person tent footprints. MSR sells a large two-person footprint that does fit the Hubba Tour. A footprint will not only help against weather and dirt but also protect your tent from abrasion against the ground, extending the life of your tent.
Packing Size: 4
Packing size was not an issue during our test trips with the MSR Hubba Tour. The tent packs down to a size of 43×17 cm which is about 17″ x 6.7″. This is comparable to most lightweight 2 person tents on the market and didn’t really offer any advantages or disadvantages for packing.
On our trip, I was using a Granite Gear Superior One pack which is a massive 121 liters, so space wasn’t a huge concern. I would be comfortable bringing this tent on most backpacking, bikepacking or canoe camping trips without hesitation.
Overall Value: 3
The Hubba Tour 2 is not a cheap tent. With a price tag of $649.95, it is definitely an expensive piece of gear, but one that we feel does warrant the price tag.
The value that you’re getting in this tent is it’s light weight, ease of setup, water-free setup with the exoskeleton, the extra-large vestibule, and the durability of MSR.
If you don`t need the extra vestibule space, then the Hubba Hubba 2, at $449.95 would be a good option for you. The Hubba Hubba NX 2 is also about 1.5 lbs lighter and actually ranks higher in value for us.
Is The Hubba Tour The Right Tent For You?
The Hubba Tour 2 is a great tent for someone who regularly goes on lightweight camping trips and is ready to invest in a quality tent.
I would not recommend this tent for most family campers, car camper or anyone who camps once a year or less. If you do a lot of family camping, getting something with a bit more size will likely suit you better. Car campers can get away with buying a tent that is heavier for a lower price. Finally, I don’t think that investing this much money into gear is worth it for those who don’t plan on camping very often or if you really don’t require ultra-light gear. Sometimes renting your gear can be a great option.
Features and Specs
I believe that this tent has two main selling features.
First, the oversized vestibule. This is the main reason I would recommend the Hubba Tour 2 to a fellow camper. Finding a dry area to store your gear overnight can be difficult. If you have a larger tent, you can store it in the tent with you, but personally, I don’t like this option. Storing gear in your tent brings in dirt and clutter and takes up too much space.
The second selling feature is the exoskeleton. This may not seem like a big deal but if you’ve done a lot of camping, you’ve probably had to set up camp in the rain at least a few times. Setting up your tent in the rain and starting the night with a wet tent can be absolutely miserable. By having the exoskeleton frame, the rainfly is on and attached to the tent as you set up. This keeps the interior of the tent dry during setup. If you do setup in the rain, at least you will have a dry area to escape to.
Finally, when you combine these with the other features such as lightweight, durability, small packing size, Xtreme Sheild technology and ease of setup, it’s easy to see that this is a premium tent and a perfect fit for many campers.
Technical Specs of The Hubba Tour 2
- Capacity: 2
- Length: 88″
- Packed Weight: 5 lbs 4 oz
- Minimum Weight: 4 lbs 13 oz
- Floor Area: 32 sq. ft
- Vestibule Area: 25 sq. ft
- Poles: 2
- Interior Peak Height: 96 cm
- Doors: 2
- Packed Size: 17″ x 7″
Final Thoughts
The Hubba Tour 2 is a fantastic tent that comes with a pretty big price tag of $649.95. But as the saying goes, you definitely get what you pay for. This tent should last you many years of rugged and wet camping without any issues.
Add in the over-sized vestibule area and the exoskeleton and you’ve got a tent with features above and beyond most high end ultralight two-person tents.
As I said above, any backpacker, canoe camper, bikepacker or even family camper, would be very happy with their investment in this tent.