View Full Version : HUBBA modifications for gear geeks
The MSR Hubba was a very popular on the AT in 2005. I'm posting this for those of you who love your Hubba like i did but hate that it weighs 3 1/2 pounds and that you have to live with that ridiculous bright orange MSR non-stealth, poke-your-eyes-out color. I actually called MSR at one point while on the trail and asked them to make me a custom fly. They wanted nothing to do with it and referred me to Pendra from Tent Repair Services in Maine
I had Pendra make me a new Hubba fly which i got in the mail today. It's made from 1.1 oz silnylon, the same silver-gray sil-nylon the Shire's tarptents and the Nomadlite tents are made from. The new fly is 1/2 lb. lighter than the original and i dont have to keep my eyes closed when i'm in the tent. Of course I set it up immediately, it's Awesome! A completely professional job in every detail. She now has a paper pattern from seam-ripping my fly and is willing to make more. Warning: it's not cheap. Pendra's number is 207-236-0997 for anyone interested.
The second modification I did before I started last year. I contacted Fibraplex to see if they could replicate the Hubba tent poles in carbon-fiber. At that time they were not yet set up to make pole sets for this specific tent so i bought carbon fiber pole sections from them and did that mod myself. They survived the entire thru-hike and still show no signs of wear. Cost: $60. Weight savings: 5 oz. Contact me if you want to specifics on how to do this one.
The end result is that my Hubba now weighs in at 2 lbs 9oz. Not bad for a very versatile double wall tent.
Skidsteer
02-01-2006, 19:50
The second modification I did before I started last year. I contacted Fibraplex to see if they could replicate the Hubba tent poles in carbon-fiber. At that time they were not yet set up to make pole sets for this specific tent so i bought carbon fiber pole sections from them and did that mod myself. They survived the entire thru-hike and still show no signs of wear. Cost: $60. Weight savings: 5 oz. Contact me if you want to specifics on how to do this one.
The end result is that my Hubba now weighs in at 2 lbs 9oz. Not bad for a very versatile double wall tent.
Very Cool! Can you post contact info for Fibraplex?
sure. I just checked their website and they ARE making poles for the MSR Hubba now. Theirs weigh in at a 7.6 oz, 2 oz lighter than the ones I made but they want a whopping $155 bucks for them. You can still buy just the pole sections from them for a lot cheaper and use your existing hubs
http://www.fibraplex.com/tentpoles.htm
Cumberland Hiker
09-27-2006, 20:37
The Fibraplex poles for the Hubba are $115.
Earl Grey
09-27-2006, 23:15
I actually like the orange color. Its easier to find when I wander away from camp.
blackbishop351
09-27-2006, 23:37
Wow...the horrible, garish colors (and the HUGE MSR logo) are the only things I DON'T like about my Trekker....that and it's not a hammock :D
Wow...the horrible, garish colors (and the HUGE MSR logo) are the only things I DON'T like about my Trekker....that and it's not a hammock :D
Darn blackbishop...you beat me to the "token" hammock comment! :D :D
humunuku
09-28-2006, 08:34
The Fibraplex poles for the Hubba are $115.
okay the poles are $115 and the custom tarp is "not cheap". For close to the same amount of money, why not just go and buy a tarptent?
Because the Hubba is free-standing, a tarptent is not. The Hubba is a double-wall tent, a tarptent single-wall. The tent body is 360 degree mesh for those dry or hot nights you want to be able to see the stars or have complete ventilation. The setup is much faster, without having to plan out tie-downs and worry about tautness. The Hubba body is also only about 30 inches wide so it can be set up inside a shelter without taking up more room than you have a right to. The fly can be set up by itself and will accomodate 2 people in an emergency, which i've had to do before.
Dirtygaiters
10-29-2007, 16:31
Because the Hubba is free-standing, a tarptent is not. The Hubba is a double-wall tent, a tarptent single-wall. The tent body is 360 degree mesh for those dry or hot nights you want to be able to see the stars or have complete ventilation. The setup is much faster, without having to plan out tie-downs and worry about tautness. The Hubba body is also only about 30 inches wide so it can be set up inside a shelter without taking up more room than you have a right to. The fly can be set up by itself and will accomodate 2 people in an emergency, which i've had to do before.
Why the heck would anyone set up a tent inside a shelter, huh?
Jim Adams
10-29-2007, 16:46
Why the heck would anyone set up a tent inside a shelter, huh?
because some people still believe that a tent is lighter than DEET!:D
geek
It's not only the DEET thing. Imagine this....you are in New York, it is July, 95 degrees, 100% humdity, it has been raining all day and its going to rain all night too. You are already drenched, do you want to get into a tent and steam yourself to sleep, or soak yourself in DEET (which also clogs your pores) so you can stay in a shelter?
Dirtygaiters
10-29-2007, 20:46
There's nothing wrong with your logic. I was more curious why you'd go to the trouble of setting up a tent inside a shelter instead of just setting it up outside. If you're going to set up a tent, and you have a tent, why take up space in a shelter...
High Altitude
10-29-2007, 21:42
There's nothing wrong with your logic. I was more curious why you'd go to the trouble of setting up a tent inside a shelter instead of just setting it up outside. If you're going to set up a tent, and you have a tent, why take up space in a shelter...
The hubba is very slim. Not mutch wider then your shoulder width. With out the fly they don't take up much space.
Jim Adams
10-29-2007, 23:47
It's not only the DEET thing. Imagine this....you are in New York, it is July, 95 degrees, 100% humdity, it has been raining all day and its going to rain all night too. You are already drenched, do you want to get into a tent and steam yourself to sleep, or soak yourself in DEET (which also clogs your pores) so you can stay in a shelter?
only used a VERY small amount of DEET twice on each of my thru hikes.
Usually even at 95* and high humidity, if it is raining that hard the bugs are not out.
Don't get me wrong...I love my Hubba but I did both of my thrus with a tarp and w/o any insect problems.:cool:
geek
take-a-knee
10-30-2007, 06:46
Go to the Okefenokee in April or Denali Nat. Park in June and let me know how much DEET you use. I'll bet you use all you have.
I walked the central part of the AT this summer between Aug. 11 and Sept. 19. I used DEET maybe twice during that period. Skeeters were not an issue, but other insects were.
gearfreak
10-30-2007, 09:42
It never ceases to amaze me how someone like Swift can post information that many, like me, might find useful and within minutes the thread is so far off topic with useless banter from self proclaimed experts that navigating through the BS becomes too aggravating to continue. Here's a prime example: http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=28705. And it's not good enough for some to express their opinion once, but repeatedly, as the thread suddenly morphs to resemble an IM dialogue. I thought the purpose of this site was for everyone to share their passion, not to criticize someone else's ideas or inquiries? :mad:
Gearfreak, it's the way of the internet. It's like this on very listserv I've ever participated in. USENET is far, far worse. The only way around it is to moderate it to death.
Plus one more thing. Over the years I've tried to figure out what long-distance hikers have in common... what drives them. I've concluded that it's ego. And I don't mean that entirely negatively. It takes a healthy ego to set foot on a trail like the AT and presume that you can travel significant distances on it, with everything you need on your back. Think about it.