john.b

I already have eight tents ranging from a bivvy sack to a two-room family-sized car camping tent, but I'm thinking that of yours would be the ideal tent for bike events like Cycle Oregon, RtR, RAGBRAI, etc.

If you don't mind my asking, what's the total packed weight of that tent plus shed plus ground cloth?

B200Pilot

Yeah, it seems like a great tent for this. I only took it on some "practice set-ups". I did not use it yet, as I only got it a few weeks ago and I've been up in the arctic working. I'm going home tomorrow and next week I'm off on my tour. The tent + gear shed + ground cloth is about 2.5 kgs (5.5 lbs). It's a bit heavy, but having my bike inside with all the panniers, etc is worth the extra weight. I love it!

ruirui

oh i like this one.. i like the fact my bike sleeps next to me!!

rwpshaw

+1 on the Hubba Hubba. Light, compact, easy to set up and take down. Great for one person. This next week I'll see how it works for two.

staehpj1

The Hubba Hubba is a nice tent, but it seems to me like overkill for one person. It is really pretty big. I met a guy on the Trans America who took his bike and BoB trailer inside a Hubba Hubba without a gear shed every night along with all of his gear. I think he had to take the wheels off. We figured he was completely nuts though.

We all get to make our own choices and if it is worth it to you that's great, but I really don't see the necessity for bike touring. It seems like and extra $100 or so and almost two pounds of weight for not all that much benefit. I figure my bike is just fine outside, but if I wanted it under cover I would put a light tarp over it and save a few bucks and a pound and a half.

B200Pilot

Fair enough. Everyone has their preferences. Most guys go super light on tent, some even using just a "Tarp Style Tent". If I would've bought this tent for bike touring only, I would've bought the one person Hubba + the gear shed, but I will also use it as a "family tent" for my wife and I. It's a pretty small "two person" tent and it's perfect when I use the Yak to do short bike tours around my city. I will have a more accurate opinion on how the tent fares on my upcoming mini bike tour next week.

When it comes to putting a tarp over my bike... I paid $2400 for my custom Surly LHT deluxe... I sleep very well knowing it sleeps beside me. The 780 grams for the extra gear shed is well worth it.

ruirui

B200Pilot: i hear ya on that... it would suck to have a 2K+ bike sitting out in the element only to wake up knowing that someone stole it. definitely worth it...

BobG

I bought a Big Agnes Seedhouse SL1 a few years back due to it's light weight and compact size. Like some other posters, I don't bring unnecessary baggage into the tent so I got the smallest possible. I wish now that I had gotten the larger Seedhouse 2. I got stranded in my SL1 for 24 hours during Tropical Storm Andrea last summer. I spent the time sitting up in my Thermarest chair reading but my head came in contact with the tent, making it quite claustrophobic. The SL2 has 5" more head room for only an additional 7 oz of weight.

andrewclaus

I've met lots of travelers who have the MSR Hubba tents, and every single one loves them. But I've set up camp next to a few of them, and every time there's a problem up with the poles--a section springing loose and poking you in the face, extra time spent getting the things arranged. Compared to my Tarptent, they're heavy, expensive, time-consuming and complex, not to mention very limited floor space. But I've never used one, and did I mention that every single owner loves them, and raves about them? There must be something good about them!

bgraham111

SO I have 2 tents. (Insert joke about being too tense here).

Eureka Solitaire and an REI Half Dome (I think). Neither are really high end or expensive, but both pretty nice. 1 person tent vs. 2 person tent.

Even though it's heavier and bulkier, I like the REI 2 person tent more. I like having the extra room to move around in. I can do stuff in the tent if the weather has gone bad. But I'm also probably less concerned with weight than I should be. It probably helps that the REI tent is so much easier to set up. But that's my personal preference.

ruirui

bgraham111: for the 2 person tent, is it big enough to fit your bike in there if needed?

bgraham111

Nope. It's not as big as it looks. I have the rain fly pulled out on both sides. The tent has a rectangular floor - the gray section of the fly is the short end. You can get into the tent on either side, so both sides have little vestibules. It's kind of nice - if I had two people in the tent I would keep my bags in the vestibule. But the bike would definitely not fit. (Maybe a Bike Friday would....)

That MSR with the garage sure is cool looking. If I had seen that when I was tent shopping... Not sure if I'd want to carry the garage though.

I usually just lock the bike to its self. Someone's going to make a lot of noise messing with it. I also velcro the brakes down. And if I'm really worried, I tie a rope to the wheel and around something, but make it really hard to notice.

@Jason

Another vote for the REI Half Dome. I love mine.

rwpshaw

Just finished a 7 day tour with the Hubba Hubba. It was tight for the 2 of us. One night was extremely windy and rainy and the tent held up well and was dry in the morning. Although the frame "flexed" under the high winds, nothing was damaged.

veganbikes

I am probably going to go with the Hillenburg Akto or maybe the MSR Hubba NX or if I want to cut even more weight out the Carbon Reflex also by MSR. Though I will say Big Agnes has some nice lightweight designs. Conserve weight in things like a tent allow you to carry more luxury items (or not have as much weight which is luxurious in and of itself) unless having the extra space in the tent is better for you.

The Bikamper from Topeak is pretty cool but a little more on the heavy side. However it uses a the bike and front wheel instead of poles so it is harder for someone to steal your bike. I wish someone would make a lightweight version of this badboy and I would be all over it in a heartbeat.

However if you are touring in areas with trees or other stable objects get a hammock and save weight and be more comfortable. Being off the ground is always nice and when you can put a fly/bug net you don't need no steenken tent.

Thinking like a backpacker is generally good because we are doing a similar task though the only big difference in this situation is we don't have trekking poles so that might remove some options.

fuzz2050

While this thread is going, has anyone had first hand experience with the new Sierra Designs tents? The Sierra Designs Flashlight UL2 looks really interesting, but I'm not to sure if it's brilliant and innovative, or just a misguided attempt to differentiate themselves.

Rob_E

Amen. I don't use one at home, but I've looked at setting up a temporary stand for one for when my wife is out of town. I would be interested in hearing from anyone who's tried to go coast-to-coast with one as there seems to be a lot of concern about not being able to find suitable hanging places. I will say that even on my short trips to the coast, I've run into campgrounds that aren't especially hammock-friendly, but I've always found a way to make it work.

Piratebike

i have had to use my hammock as a bivy when there were no trees and even used just the tarp as a tarp tent on occasion. But as you say I can usually find a place to hang. I have hung from church columns, parking lot poles, fence poles, pavilion poles. I can usually find some way to hang. If not I go to grounds as a bivy or tarp tent.

bobframe

These are pictures of my Big Agnes Copper Spur 2 (CS2) taken on a local mini tour on my first Co-Motion Americano. The CS2 is ultra lightweight, tough and roomy enough to satisfy this 6'3, 200# guy. I also have a Copper Spur 4 that I use when motorcycle camping and I can tell you that the smaller two man tent is considerably warmer than its larger cousin. By a lot.

But for bicycle touring, a two man tent gives me the room I need for a long ( 6'6") rectangular cut (Big Agnes Lost Ranger) sleeping bag, a 25' x 78" Exped sleeping pad and all four panniers. The big test is whether the tent is roomy enough to avoid contact with the tent/fly which could allow condensation to drip onto my sleeping bag. The CS2 passes this test easily (the CS4 does it even better). The CS2 features two side vestibules, so I suspect that two travelers could make it work...if they were willing to get up close and personal in the middle.

Picture of just the CS2 tent poles on the back rack of the Co-Mo (I think the tent, fly and ground cloth were packed on a pannier):

Here's the CS2 pitched...shows the vestibules open...wish that ground cloth covered the vestibule:

Another CS2 glamour shot...note the vent is wide open:

westrid_dad

I wanted something more freestanding than the Flashlight series. I got the Lightning 2 UL to use a roomy tent when I travel solo. I haven't used it yet on the road this summer, but have spent three nights in the backyard thus far. It is easy to setup and I like the amount of space for the weight. I hopefully will have the chance to take it on some overnighters on the bike within the next few weeks.

Sierra Designs Lightning 2 UL Tent - Free Shipping at REI.com

JDFLood

I've got four or five tents. I use the St Agnes Fly Creek UL2 for myself touring (2lbish)... I prefer my St. Agnes Seedhouse 2UL for me (3lbish) for backpacking, and my St Agnes Copper Spur 3 for backpacking with someone. I am 6' 3" and I find the Fly Creek as small as I want a tent. 2 lbs (3oz?) is good for touring in my book. 1 lb sleeping bag and I am set.

bobframe

While I'm a fan of Big Agnes, I think sainthood is premature....

Doug64

Good luck!

Rob_E

i guess that's where this can happen.