The natural world is an amazing place to see, to explore, and to feel deep in ones soul, but even the most beautiful vista can be jam-packed full of a myriad of difficulties, so it’s imperative to plan for anything. Because anything just might catch up to you, especially when you’re least expecting it. Proper preparations can make all the difference when you’re out in the wilderness, which goes beyond packing the right tool or upgrading to a more ergonomic pack. Preparing as well as one can while working within ones means is a chore, but a necessary lesson that every explorer and outdoorsman must learn.
In my early years, I overpacked my rucksack, creating an utterly depressing amount of overburdening, and I took along a cheap tent that only lasted a few trips. Overpacking is an awful thing to realize, especially once you’re already out in the thick of it, but being underprepared is worse. If you love the outdoors and plan to spend a good amount of time in it, no matter the weather, then it’s important to approach your gear needs appropriately. For me, an avid camper, hiker and wilderness explorer, I look beyond the price tag and focus on what will aid me best in the worst situations, as well as what will last me the most trips. Those two questions help define my needs when reupping on new gear.
For tents, you want to consider the destination, the season, the weather, and what you may need the tent to endure while you’re out in the wild. So, for me, I immediately look for waterproof fabric, quality builds and long-lasting hardware, a design that is both easy for one person to setup and that will provide me with comfort and aid from bugs, rain, and extreme temperatures. When I buy a new tent, I look for one that has been designed with love of the art. Any old company can make a quick tent, but for one that is built to withstand the worst that nature can throw at you is a rarity. A few big companies come to mind that more often than not fit that bill, but today, I want to feature my more recent favorite, by the fine folks over at MSR.
For tents, you want to consider the destination, the season, the weather, and what you may need the tent to endure while you’re out in the wild. So, for me, I immediately look for waterproof fabric, quality builds and long-lasting hardware, a design that is both easy for one person to setup and that will provide me with comfort and aid from bugs, rain, and extreme temperatures. When I buy a new tent, I look for one that has been designed with love of the art. Any old company can make a quick tent, but for one that is built to withstand the worst that nature can throw at you is a rarity. A few big companies come to mind that more often than not fit that bill, but today, I want to feature my more recent favorite, by the fine folks over at MSR.
They sent me the Hubba Tour 2 to test and review for you today, and I have to say that upon immediate inspection that I started out being surprised that a two-person tent like this is priced at above $600 retail. But once I got out into the forest and set her up, I was amazed by the quality of build, the unique design, and the quality of the materials used. The Hubba Tour 2 is a serious tent for serious, long-term roughing it. The poles aren’t cheap metal with some string inside, they are made of an extremely durable 7000 series aluminum. The fabric is made of 20D ripstop nylon on top, with 15D nylon micromesh, and a floor made of 30D ripstop nylon with both the rainfly and the floor being treated with the Xtreme Shield coating, which is an ultra-durable coating that lasts up to three times longer than most market standards.
The Hubba Tour 2 tent is a thing of beauty, because it’s ergonomically built, easy to assemble (even for one person), and is designed to offer a lot of space with the versatility to keep the inner space safe and dry, while also having an outer vestibule that’s covered, that is great for storage and for use as a sort of mudroom for when you’re transitioning from the elements outside to the comforts of the inner tent, so you can go from torrential rain to a warm bed without the mess. The Hubba Tour 2 is built for long-term livability, but is equally brilliant for the occasional weekender trips. I found the Hubba Tour 2 tent to be the perfect marrying of lightweight and easy to use with the fine features of a serious long-term, all-weather sort of tent. Other features that MSR had thoughtfully included is that of hoops in the vestibule area for hanging and changing clothes, as well as multiple gear storage solutions and an internal glow-in-the-dark zipper
The Hubba Tour 2 tent is a thing of beauty, because it’s ergonomically built, easy to assemble (even for one person), and is designed to offer a lot of space with the versatility to keep the inner space safe and dry, while also having an outer vestibule that’s covered, that is great for storage and for use as a sort of mudroom for when you’re transitioning from the elements outside to the comforts of the inner tent, so you can go from torrential rain to a warm bed without the mess. The Hubba Tour 2 is built for long-term livability, but is equally brilliant for the occasional weekender trips. I found the Hubba Tour 2 tent to be the perfect marrying of lightweight and easy to use with the fine features of a serious long-term, all-weather sort of tent. Other features that MSR had thoughtfully included is that of hoops in the vestibule area for hanging and changing clothes, as well as multiple gear storage solutions and an internal glow-in-the-dark zipper
All in all, I found that the Hubba Tour 2 tent by MSR as being one of the finest lightweight tents on the market, not only because it’s built and designed well, but because it adds little burden to the trip, yet is perhaps one of the most versatile tent designs on the market. My opinion is it is well worth the price tag, because it should last years upon years, unlike similar lightweight tents on the market. Big fan of what MSR has done here!
If you would like to learn more about MSR, click here.
Article written by Brandon Scott / Eye & Pen
If you would like to learn more about MSR, click here.
Article written by Brandon Scott / Eye & Pen
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