Hi Davide ! Really great video, I enjoyed watching it. A great suggestion for similar tent at a cheap price tag is Decathlon tent MT900 for 2 persons. I have both the 1 person model and 2 person model and they are excellent for the price. I have used the 1 person model for more than 3 month everyday in all conditions and it’s still okay. A great alternative to MSR for a bit lower money !
Lots of good useful advice here. Also consider the warranty of a tent and how easy it would be to get new pole(s) if one or two were damaged broken or you lost them which I did years ago with a Vaude UL 2P tent or you had any another major issue with it. I have a Hubba NX for shorter tours or if I want a bit more space I have an MSR Elixir 2 which is basically the same as a Hub Hub NX but cheaper as it has MSRs own poles as opposed to lighter Dacron poles that the NX has. Also the fly and ground sheets are very slightly heavier and feel more robust. The arrangement of the netting of the inner is different as well, but very similar. It is cheaper than the Hubba Hubba NX as well. The overall weight I think is about 300-400g more which is worth it imho. But if I am making a tour in warmer climates in summer I will carry less stuff so take my Hubba NX as it is a great 1 person tent with a reasonable amount of space inside and useful sized porch. So easy to pitch.
Thanks. I just cycled 2 weeks in the Uk. My first tour. My tent is a vango banshee 200, im 6ft. It just a bit too short and low. Im after a good light tent - i follow your reasoning of wanting a space to be comfy in (a home on the road). Great video, I share your thoughts on season/size etc. Great common sense video.
Ciao Christopher, congrats on your first tour and welcome to the channel! I'm 5'10 so for once not being tall is a bit of an advantage. Of course my reasoning is always with the frame set of living on the road for a long time. If I were to go on a short trip maybe I would be willing to compromise on conform for sure and try to be a bit more lean. There is a great choice of light tents out there with different pros and cons and budget, take sometime to carefully choose the next tent.
thanks for posting, I also have the msr hubba bubba which is shown behind you in your video. This tent is excellent light weight but I want to change it to exo skeleton tent like the exped orion. In climates where it rains a lot it would be nice to take the interior down first roll it up and then take down the exterior and store the exterior in another bag to be taken out and dried when the sun comes out. The MRS also lets in moisture because of the netting ventilation.. Just my preference. thanks for posting
Hi Brian, welcome aboard! That exped tent is twice as heavy almost, in that category you could look at similar tents from Hilleberg, they are bulletproof almost but pretty expensive.
MSR is pretty nice. Ugly (in past nice green (camouflage) but now ugly red green and it stays like that for ever) but never disappointed me. I used two of them 2 and 3 person. Also two Hilleberg 1 and 3 person (very nice but always afraid to damage them because pricy) and in the past customized tents. Hand made ordered from tent makers. But only technical cotton. Nice review thanks.
Thank you! I'm pretty happy with the Hubba Hubba the dark green flysheet is pretty good for stealth camping. The colours for the American market are not so discreet. I thin I will be able to publish are in-depth review ot the hubba hubba this Sunday. This videos was more on general thoughts and considerations on choosing a tent.
Thank you for your advice. I don't know yet exactly what tent I'm looking for. I'm using a combination of tarp and something like a single wall tent; it's OK for now, but of course I want a real tent.
Thank you so much for this video, I really appreciate it! I happen to have one question about your MSR Hubba NX, though. How long are the tent poles, when you fold them? I cannot find this information anywhere :( .
Ciao Jens! Unfortunately I dont have the Hubba anymore to check but the Hubba Hubba poles are 47cm and I'm pretty confident they are the same length, I put them in the bike's top tube. I will check with my friend who has the Hubba and let you know.
Hammocks are pretty quick to set up - and they can actually be extremely lightweight. Check out hummingbird hammocks. Their 1 person hammock + tarp + treestraps (longer version) + bugnet weighs only 681grams/1,5pounds total, and the price is $280. These are also VERY compact items, and the hammock, tarp, and treestraps, are all made of parachute material, and the hammock itself is rated for 300pounds, while the treestraps are rated for 400pounds. I know. 681grams is 248g heavier than the "Zpacks Plexamid" tent - BUT with a tent you also need a sleeping pad, and then you are looking at AT LEAST 170g extra - if you choose the "Thermarest Neoair Uberlite" SHORT version - and if you choose the regular size version (250g), you are 2 grams heavier than the hammock setup..! As you also need either a trekking pole or a tent pole to set up the Plexamid, this will also add some extra weight to this tent... And, i know... You think you need underquilt and topquilt, but you really just need a sleeping bag that you are willing to modify with a small 1" hole in the bottom. Then you just thread the carabiner on your hammock through the hole in the sleeping bag, and you suddenly have a cocoon/pod around your hammock. The sleeping bag should be a bit longer than you need (or else the hammock will be very tight around your feet), which would make it slightly heavier than the sleeping bag (or quilt) you use in the tent, but this setup should still be lighter than the "Plexamid + Thermarest Neoair Xlite". This will not give enough space for you to lay diagonally in your hammock, and the hammock therefore needs to be put up somewhat tight, so you can lay in it relatively flat even if you lay in it parallel. It is still very comfortable, and i like this type of setup so much that i bought a hammock stand for my bedroom, removed my bed, and have been sleeping like this every night for the last 10 months. Some benefits of using hammocks are: * they are the most comfortable (not everyone agrees) * unlike tents, you dont need to search for a flat open area to set it up, or an area with good soil to stake your tent pegs * you dont need to worry about sticks on the ground poking through your tent floor * the hammock alone is very quick to set up, which makes it ideal even for short breaks during the day * if you set the hammock in the correct height, you can use it as a chair/stool. * on days with good weather, you dont need to put up the tarp, which allows you to look up at the stars as you go to bed. * if you get rain during the day, you have a tarp that can be set up pretty quickly compared to a tent. The downside with hammocks is that you dont have that enclosed space that many people love with tents, but for cooking and eating purposes, it is very quick to maybe take down the hammock to make room under the tarp to make food or whatever. I personally like both tents and hammocks. I have not tried bivys, but they also seem very practical, as they have so small footprint, and can be "set up" very quickly almost anywhere...
Good sale pitch. I'm not gonna remove it because I appreciate the effort, although you havent said where you're gonna hang your fabulous hammock in the desert. Because here we're talking about gear to take on a round the world bike tour remember?
@@DavideTravelli Totally agree. There are many places that don't have trees or enough of them to always be able to set up a hammock. I liked your video, very thorough. I knew that there was going to be a hammock person that would comment in the comments. Hammocks have a lot of disadvantages. Too many to list really. I have a two person tent; that is really more of a one person tent with a lot of space for myself and my gear. It is a Marmot Tungsten tent. It only weighs 3 lbs. and compacts down to about 8"×8" inches in a compression stuff sack. Free standing tents are the best for bicycle touring. As you gave all the reasons for their benefits.
@@The-GreenHornet yes as I explained in the video hammock, however comfortable they are, they have limitations that render them impractical for a long distance bike adventure. Safe rides!
very good guide. im thinking about getting the msr hubba hubba nx 2 too. there seem to be many people who are pleased with it's performance. do you have any complaints about it so far? (edit: it would also be nice to know if you putsome sort of tarp under your tent?)
Hiya! I have no big complains, there isnt a perfect tent, you pick a tent that has a good balance for your usage. For me the Hubba Hubba is that balance, I'm sure there are other great choices out there but I cant afford to try them. Of what I've seen using other people I met on the road I think I'll stick to the Hubba Hubba for the next while. If you live in Northern America there Hubba Hubba on the market is different than the European one, would love to try that one though. Soon I will publish a review on the Hubba Hubba, do stick around it's coming out in the next few weeks.
I was thinking of getting either Naturehike Mongar or Cloud Up 2 or Cloud Peak 2. The last one is probably most wind resistant, but Mongar is perhaps nicest on those nights when outer tent is not needed... How often have you had serious and surprising issues with storms during your travels and how have you handled those?
I've never seen those tents in real life, had a look at the website they seems replicas of other's brands. Mongar is a relica of Hubba Hubba, Cloud Up (I dont like front entrance) of Big Agnes and Cloud Peak (this a winter tent) of Hilleberg. It's just the odd times you're in a storm but it can happen and the worse is when it's a few days in a row - like in Ethiopia was basically every night, rain season was approacing. The worse are sand storms. You also learn pretty quickly the kind of climate you're cycling through and you behave accordingly.
I use MRS because they have a stellar customer support. Other good brand are Nemo, also Big Agnes although a bit too light sometimes. There’s a fairly famous Chinese company that sell replicas of those tents if you want to save some €€
@@danielemilazzo432 Ciao Daniele, piano piano arrivero' anche in Australia! La MSR Freelite e' una bella tenda simile alla Hubba Hubba pesa circa 400gr in meno mi pare. Utilizza materiali piu' sottili, sicuramente ha una durata minore rispetto alla HH e tra l'altro non e' freestanding ma semi-freestanding (se noti ai piedi il palo non si divide ma scende dritto nel mezzo. Per un viaggio lungo rimarrei sulla HH pero' se fai viaggi piu' corti e hai quattro soldi in piu' da spendere va benissimo.
I think the perfect tent is the one that packs down the smallest, that weight so little you dont even feel it, that is so robust that never breaks, that is so well ventilated there is never condensation. When you find it let me know! Meanwhile I use my msr hubba hubba nx.
Excellent video! I’m a beginner bike touring person and you explained very clearly what to look for when buying your first tent. Thank you!!
Ciao Emly, welcome! I'm glad you've enjoyed the video, safe rides!👊
Hi Davide ! Really great video, I enjoyed watching it. A great suggestion for similar tent at a cheap price tag is Decathlon tent MT900 for 2 persons. I have both the 1 person model and 2 person model and they are excellent for the price. I have used the 1 person model for more than 3 month everyday in all conditions and it’s still okay. A great alternative to MSR for a bit lower money !
Cheers!
Lots of good useful advice here. Also consider the warranty of a tent and how easy it would be to get new pole(s) if one or two were damaged broken or you lost them which I did years ago with a Vaude UL 2P tent or you had any another major issue with it.
I have a Hubba NX for shorter tours or if I want a bit more space I have an MSR Elixir 2 which is basically the same as a Hub Hub NX but cheaper as it has MSRs own poles as opposed to lighter Dacron poles that the NX has. Also the fly and ground sheets are very slightly heavier and feel more robust. The arrangement of the netting of the inner is different as well, but very similar. It is cheaper than the Hubba Hubba NX as well. The overall weight I think is about 300-400g more which is worth it imho. But if I am making a tour in warmer climates in summer I will carry less stuff so take my Hubba NX as it is a great 1 person tent with a reasonable amount of space inside and useful sized porch. So easy to pitch.
Thank you Alex. Yeah Elixir is a great option. Cheaper and last longer.
But I love the Hubba Hubba!
Thanks. I just cycled 2 weeks in the Uk. My first tour. My tent is a vango banshee 200, im 6ft. It just a bit too short and low. Im after a good light tent - i follow your reasoning of wanting a space to be comfy in (a home on the road).
Great video, I share your thoughts on season/size etc. Great common sense video.
Ciao Christopher, congrats on your first tour and welcome to the channel! I'm 5'10 so for once not being tall is a bit of an advantage. Of course my reasoning is always with the frame set of living on the road for a long time. If I were to go on a short trip maybe I would be willing to compromise on conform for sure and try to be a bit more lean.
There is a great choice of light tents out there with different pros and cons and budget, take sometime to carefully choose the next tent.
thanks for posting, I also have the msr hubba bubba which is shown behind you in your video. This tent is excellent light weight but I want to change it to exo skeleton tent like the exped orion. In climates where it rains a lot it would be nice to take the interior down first roll it up and then take down the exterior and store the exterior in another bag to be taken out and dried when the sun comes out. The MRS also lets in moisture because of the netting ventilation.. Just my preference. thanks for posting
Hi Brian, welcome aboard! That exped tent is twice as heavy almost, in that category you could look at similar tents from Hilleberg, they are bulletproof almost but pretty expensive.
MSR is pretty nice. Ugly (in past nice green (camouflage) but now ugly red green and it stays like that for ever) but never disappointed me. I used two of them 2 and 3 person. Also two Hilleberg 1 and 3 person (very nice but always afraid to damage them because pricy) and in the past customized tents. Hand made ordered from tent makers. But only technical cotton. Nice review thanks.
Thank you! I'm pretty happy with the Hubba Hubba the dark green flysheet is pretty good for stealth camping. The colours for the American market are not so discreet. I thin I will be able to publish are in-depth review ot the hubba hubba this Sunday. This videos was more on general thoughts and considerations on choosing a tent.
Thank you for your advice. I don't know yet exactly what tent I'm looking for. I'm using a combination of tarp and something like a single wall tent; it's OK for now, but of course I want a real tent.
Welcome to the channel! Hope you found useful information for when you will be purchasing a tent 😊🙏
This was super helpful! Thanks
Thank you Andres and welcome aboard!
Lovely video bro, filled with good advise!
Glad you liked it Tore, welcome aboard!
good stuff! ty very much for sharing your experience my brother! all the luck for your future paths! one love
Much appreciated, welcome to the channel! Safe rides 👊
Very good advice. Thanks for the video, it’s appreciated!
George Wachsmuth you’re welcome. Thanks for watching and welcome to the channel. Safe rides!
Thank you so much for this video, I really appreciate it! I happen to have one question about your MSR Hubba NX, though. How long are the tent poles, when you fold them? I cannot find this information anywhere :( .
Ciao Jens! Unfortunately I dont have the Hubba anymore to check but the Hubba Hubba poles are 47cm and I'm pretty confident they are the same length, I put them in the bike's top tube. I will check with my friend who has the Hubba and let you know.
Hammocks are pretty quick to set up - and they can actually be extremely lightweight. Check out hummingbird hammocks. Their 1 person hammock + tarp + treestraps (longer version) + bugnet weighs only 681grams/1,5pounds total, and the price is $280. These are also VERY compact items, and the hammock, tarp, and treestraps, are all made of parachute material, and the hammock itself is rated for 300pounds, while the treestraps are rated for 400pounds.
I know. 681grams is 248g heavier than the "Zpacks Plexamid" tent - BUT with a tent you also need a sleeping pad, and then you are looking at AT LEAST 170g extra - if you choose the "Thermarest Neoair Uberlite" SHORT version - and if you choose the regular size version (250g), you are 2 grams heavier than the hammock setup..! As you also need either a trekking pole or a tent pole to set up the Plexamid, this will also add some extra weight to this tent...
And, i know... You think you need underquilt and topquilt, but you really just need a sleeping bag that you are willing to modify with a small 1" hole in the bottom. Then you just thread the carabiner on your hammock through the hole in the sleeping bag, and you suddenly have a cocoon/pod around your hammock. The sleeping bag should be a bit longer than you need (or else the hammock will be very tight around your feet), which would make it slightly heavier than the sleeping bag (or quilt) you use in the tent, but this setup should still be lighter than the "Plexamid + Thermarest Neoair Xlite".
This will not give enough space for you to lay diagonally in your hammock, and the hammock therefore needs to be put up somewhat tight, so you can lay in it relatively flat even if you lay in it parallel. It is still very comfortable, and i like this type of setup so much that i bought a hammock stand for my bedroom, removed my bed, and have been sleeping like this every night for the last 10 months.
Some benefits of using hammocks are:
* they are the most comfortable (not everyone agrees)
* unlike tents, you dont need to search for a flat open area to set it up, or an area with good soil to stake your tent pegs
* you dont need to worry about sticks on the ground poking through your tent floor
* the hammock alone is very quick to set up, which makes it ideal even for short breaks during the day
* if you set the hammock in the correct height, you can use it as a chair/stool.
* on days with good weather, you dont need to put up the tarp, which allows you to look up at the stars as you go to bed.
* if you get rain during the day, you have a tarp that can be set up pretty quickly compared to a tent.
The downside with hammocks is that you dont have that enclosed space that many people love with tents, but for cooking and eating purposes, it is very quick to maybe take down the hammock to make room under the tarp to make food or whatever. I personally like both tents and hammocks. I have not tried bivys, but they also seem very practical, as they have so small footprint, and can be "set up" very quickly almost anywhere...
Good sale pitch. I'm not gonna remove it because I appreciate the effort, although you havent said where you're gonna hang your fabulous hammock in the desert. Because here we're talking about gear to take on a round the world bike tour remember?
@@DavideTravelli Totally agree.
There are many places that don't have trees or enough of them to always be able to set up a hammock.
I liked your video, very thorough.
I knew that there was going to be a hammock person that would comment in the comments.
Hammocks have a lot of disadvantages. Too many to list really.
I have a two person tent; that is really more of a one person tent with a lot of space for myself and my gear. It is a Marmot Tungsten tent.
It only weighs 3 lbs. and compacts down to about 8"×8" inches in a compression stuff sack.
Free standing tents are the best for bicycle touring. As you gave all the reasons for their benefits.
@@The-GreenHornet yes as I explained in the video hammock, however comfortable they are, they have limitations that render them impractical for a long distance bike adventure. Safe rides!
very good guide. im thinking about getting the msr hubba hubba nx 2 too. there seem to be many people who are pleased with it's performance. do you have any complaints about it so far? (edit: it would also be nice to know if you putsome sort of tarp under your tent?)
Hiya! I have no big complains, there isnt a perfect tent, you pick a tent that has a good balance for your usage. For me the Hubba Hubba is that balance, I'm sure there are other great choices out there but I cant afford to try them. Of what I've seen using other people I met on the road I think I'll stick to the Hubba Hubba for the next while. If you live in Northern America there Hubba Hubba on the market is different than the European one, would love to try that one though. Soon I will publish a review on the Hubba Hubba, do stick around it's coming out in the next few weeks.
I was thinking of getting either Naturehike Mongar or Cloud Up 2 or Cloud Peak 2. The last one is probably most wind resistant, but Mongar is perhaps nicest on those nights when outer tent is not needed... How often have you had serious and surprising issues with storms during your travels and how have you handled those?
I've never seen those tents in real life, had a look at the website they seems replicas of other's brands. Mongar is a relica of Hubba Hubba, Cloud Up (I dont like front entrance) of Big Agnes and Cloud Peak (this a winter tent) of Hilleberg.
It's just the odd times you're in a storm but it can happen and the worse is when it's a few days in a row - like in Ethiopia was basically every night, rain season was approacing. The worse are sand storms. You also learn pretty quickly the kind of climate you're cycling through and you behave accordingly.
thanks
You're welcome
Can you give good brands snd tent names to buy?
I use MRS because they have a stellar customer support. Other good brand are Nemo, also Big Agnes although a bit too light sometimes. There’s a fairly famous Chinese company that sell replicas of those tents if you want to save some €€
Very very good videos
Thank you. Glad you like them!
Daje Davide, quando passi per l'Australia?
hai visto la MSR Freelite?
@@danielemilazzo432 Ciao Daniele, piano piano arrivero' anche in Australia!
La MSR Freelite e' una bella tenda simile alla Hubba Hubba pesa circa 400gr in meno mi pare. Utilizza materiali piu' sottili, sicuramente ha una durata minore rispetto alla HH e tra l'altro non e' freestanding ma semi-freestanding (se noti ai piedi il palo non si divide ma scende dritto nel mezzo. Per un viaggio lungo rimarrei sulla HH pero' se fai viaggi piu' corti e hai quattro soldi in piu' da spendere va benissimo.
Davide Travelli ah perfetto grazie. Vieni quando vuoi. Un letto c’è
Grazie mille!
What is your favourite bike packing tent?
I think the perfect tent is the one that packs down the smallest, that weight so little you dont even feel it, that is so robust that never breaks, that is so well ventilated there is never condensation. When you find it let me know! Meanwhile I use my msr hubba hubba nx.
Little did I know that Joe Satriani is into bike touring too. Woot woottt!!
🤣
@@DavideTravelli 🤣