Tired of I.T! » Reviews

Bobster Street and Sport II Goggles/Sunglasses

Dave — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 22:00:08 +0000

Bobster Street and Sport II Goggles/Sunglasses
Posted on: Monday, December 19th, 2011 at 12:00am

If you head on over to my gear section you’ll notice a few duplicate entries, specifically with hats and sunglasses. In fact, since touring I’ve gone through 5 pairs of sunglasses alone! Not due to the fact that they were poor quality and broke, but due to the fact that I’ve lost them, misplaced them along the way. After the 5th pair I decided enough was enough and started to search out a solution to this problem as riding without sunglasses can cause considerable strain on the eyes, let particles of dirt and dust in, or worse – traveling at high speed down a pass and having an insect fly directly into your eye. In September of 2010 I researched how motorcyclists were handling with similar issues and happened upon the Bobster company based out of California USA. Not wanting to spend too much money in fear of losing sunglasses yet again I was pleasantly surprised to find a couple dozen sunglass offerings for under $50 that fit my need.

I chose the Bobster Street and Sport II sunglasses for a variety of reasons:

Look: As with everyone, I’ve got a weird face, and sunglasses don’t always fit properly on the bridge of my nose, resulting in a crooked look, too much air passing in behind them, and sliding off my face without warning. The Bobster Street and Sport II glasses offer a close fit to the face wrapping around the eyes and side of head. The arms are adjustable in length by lightly pulling on the ends to fit most shapes of heads. The frames are all black, made of flexible what are they made of that won’t snap when you take them off and on, or even try to put them on overtop of your helmet straps.
Additional Lenses: The Bobster Street and Sport II glasses come with 3 different lenses –

Smoke for daily usage in sunny conditions, great for all day riding
Amber – For days where higher contrast is needed, mostly used on foggy and cloudy days and incredibly helpful when the temperatures drop to the freezing level to be aware of water or ice on the roads
Clear – Great for Dusk Riding, or general use at any time of the day.

To replace the lenses one simply needs to hold a finger on one side of the frame and push with their thumb on the individual lens frames, until they come lose from their seating. Following the steps in reverse to replace the lenses takes less than 2 seconds for the left and right side. All 3 lenses offer 100% UVA protection to shield from glare, reflections and the bright sun. The lenses have foam padding on the inside to rest upon your face, offering comfort for long periods of usage. Bobster also provides replacement lenses on their website for a very reasonable fee ($6!) and if you wish, can have custom prescriptions fitted into the lenses for you.

Included Accessories: You can’t get a better deal here. Inside the box of the Bobster Street And Sport II glasses comes a protective case to hold the extra lenses, glasses and other accessories. A small button strap on the case allows you to fasten it to something a bit more stationary to make sure it doesn’t fall out of your bag when searching for other equipment in your bags. The case has a small compartment for the lenses currently attached to your sunglasses frame to protect from scratches. An adjustable strap that connects to both arms of the sunglasses allows you to dangle the glasses around your neck to avoid the inevitable loss later on down the road. A small lens polishing cloth is included in the case as well, much more efficient than using your T-Shirt to clean your lenses.

The real treat included in the case however is an elastic strap meant for conversion of the sunglasses into goggles for situations full eye protection is needed. It’s simple to remove the sunglass arms from the frame by pressing with your thumb on the small circle on the outside of each arm where the arms meet the frame – The goggle straps slide right into the sockets and are ready to be worn after a small amount of adjustment for correct fit around your head.

Findings after long term use

I’ve worn these glasses every day since then while bicycle touring and have nothing but good things to say about the product. There are however a few things to be aware of:

I found the extra lenses became scratched and dinged when sitting inside the case, likely because I wasn’t being careful in placing the sunglasses back in the case at the end of the day. Things get jostled around while bicycle touring and I’m not surprised in the slightest. I’ve since solved this problem by using an old protective bag to house my extra lenses in another pannier as the frequency of changing the lenses is far less than the constant insertion and removal of the sunglasses in the case.
After 14 months of usage through snow, wind, dust storms, sun the inner foam on the smoke lenses are starting to separate from the lens frames. Again, this is wear and tear above and beyond what is expected of the glasses, likely due to the fact that they are being carelessly put on over helmets, crushed in between layers of clothing and from rubbing on facial hair. A bit of contact cement has repaired them to a suitable level.
If the glasses are pressed too close to your face you may find that they fog up unnecessarily. A good Anti Fog cleaning solution will solve this problem, however sometimes this can be difficult to find when touring on the road in remote places. Allowing a bit of air into the glasses solves the problem quick enough.

Final Words

In 2003 I once purchased a pair of Wiley X Tactical Sunglasses and Goggles for usage when attending the Burning Man Festival – At 3 times the price of the Bobster Goggles, I found that I wasn’t satisfied with my purchase due to a pain from the frame pinching the bridge of my nose, a look I didn’t really care for, and eventually lost them about 4 months into ownership. Knowing this when I purchased the Bobster Street and Sport II glasses I decided to take a chance and have found that all of those issues do not exist with this value priced multifunction glasses/goggles. I’ve been in touch with Bobster regarding replacement lenses and I found that their customer service was quick to respond within hours and stand by their product 100%.

I can’t speak for any of their other models of glasses/goggles, but you can look at their website to see the different types available – I can only assume at this point in time that the build quality will be top notch similar to my own purchase. For those who use Facebook, they also have a Fan Page that they use for announcements of new products, reviews, and contests. If I were to break/lose my glasses I’d be surely lost without my Bobsters, and at the earliest convenience hunt down a replacement pair.

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Topeak Cargo Net

Dave — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 07:02:37 +0000

Topeak Cargo Net
Posted on: Wednesday, December 14th, 2011 at 9:02am

I’m carrying an awful lot of stuff on the bike, and seem to want to pile more and more onto the bicycle as days go by. Specifically, my trunk bag has an awful lot of valuable surface space on the top. I went to the local bike store and picked up the Topeak Cargo Net to replace my current setup of two bungee cords to strap down the bag to the rear rack. This decision has turned out to be the one of the best purchases for bicycle touring.

It’s such a simple piece of gear, elastic 1″ square netting covered in a durable protective fabric with 6 hooks, 3 on either end of the net. I place three of the hooks at the forward part of the rack and the remaining at the rear, stretching it over my entire rear trunk bag. With a selection of S-Biners and Clips I’m able to attach my coffee cup, helmet, hat onto the rear of the bag, with more than enough space for loaves of bread, cucumbers, fruit, shopping bags filled with groceries, and even my days laundry so that it can dry in the hot sun without wasting time at camp so I can focus what I set out to do – ride a bike.

The net keeping everything in order, overflowing off the top of my bike

Due to the netting it also assists in making sure my bag doesn’t shift around while in transit – Criss Crossing 2 bungee cords only provides a certain amount of protection and more often than not I find my bag slipping through and hanging to one side. The Topeak net is strong enough to support the whole load if my panniers are uneven (occurs when my rear food pannier is running low on supplies (common in Africa!) yet hasn’t broken, snapped or shown any signs of major wear after 18 months of solid usage. The hooks have bent and changed shape along the way due to the amount of weight they have been forced to carry, and some of the protective rubber ends on the hooks have disappeared over time. A quick stop to a hardware store to pick up 12 replacement tips for .80 cents has solved this problem, but since then I’ve given up on replacing them confident that the ends won’t punch through my water bladder, rack bag, or any panniers.

Off the bike its served as a wonderful laundry line, again clipping garments to various parts of the net and stretching the hooks to suitable places for hanging. I’ve spent hundreds of dollars on various pieces of equipment but this $5 low priced product has proven to be the most useful piece of gear in my entire arsenal. Highly recommended!

MSR Hubba Hubba Tent

Dave — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 04:49:41 +0000

MSR Hubba Hubba Tent
Posted on: Thursday, August 4th, 2011 at 10:49pm

I’m on my third tent of my expedition, a necessary requirement for cycling around the world being able to have the flexibility to stop wherever one wants due to exhaustion, or pure curiosity. It also saves an awful lot of money on the pocketbook as hotels and hostels can be quite expensive for luxuries such as a roof, and a door for the bathroom, that is if you are in an area where you can find any of these amenities. I’ve cycled for days on end without seeing people or signs of life other than the wildlife and it just doesn’t make sense to travel without one.

I purchased the MSR Hubba Hubba after carefully reading other users reviews on the internet factoring in some of the requirements when cycle touring.

The tent should be lightweight – tent materials now a days are ultra light using new fabrics and technologies and there is simply no need to be hauling around gear that is too heavy. Less weight = happier cyclist.
The structure should be able to blend in well enough into the environment – Sometimes cycle tourists are faced with the issue of having to setup camp in a non sanctioned area of land, known as “Stealth Camping”. An Orange tent is likely to stick out as a sore thumb when in this situation, and is surely to draw unwanted attention to you. Earth colours work best.
It should be easy and fast to setup – This is a requirement I think for anyone on an expedition. When the weather is bad, you need to get this structure up fast to shield you from the elements.
The tent should be roomy enough to stay inside for extended amounts of time – What if it rains for 10 days straight? Obviously cycling all of those 10 days is going to make for interesting moments, so being able to entertain yourself without being locked into one position for long amounts of time is ideal. Not only this, it should have enough room to be able to store your gear inside for quick access, as well protecting it from elements, or having it disappear randomly in the night.

I chose the MSR Hubba Hubba after they recently released their new 2011 model – In the past they only offered a Yellow Rain Fly with the tent, surely an eyesore and impossible to perform any sort of stealth camping, which means camping for free in public/private spaces without being detected. MSR also made upgrades to the materials of the tent, increased the height of the floor walls and shed some ounces making it easier to pack for backpacking or cycle touring. I purchased the tent and groundsheet for a reasonable price from a retailer in Canada, Mountain Equipment Co-Op – The price was right, and I didn’t have to jump through any hoops for cross border shopping, exchange rate confusion, and took advantage of their free shipping promotion of products sold over $150. It arrived in March of 2011 while I was stuck in St. John’s Newfoundland from a brutally cold winter, and after a brief setup to understand the inner workings of the tent, and to make sure that it was able to fit my Exped Synmat 7LW Sleeping Pad with ample room I packed it into my trunk bag awaiting my departure onto Phase 4 of my ‘Round the World journey. Read on for a detailed review of the tent.

Specifications

The MSR Hubba Hubba is composed of an inner tent, which can be pitched without any stakes using only the tent poles for support, a rain fly which attaches to the inner tent and poles, requiring 1 peg for each left and right side for the vestibule, useful for storing gear during poor weather conditions, and shielding one from the elements. However to get the maximum benefit of the full space of the tent one would want to lay stakes at each of the 4 corners of the tent also for increased stability. The Inner tent is made from a combination of nylon mesh and coated nylon with two D-Shaped doors that can be opened and closed with zippers from inside or out of the tent. Additionally, mesh pockets exist at the front and back of the tent on the inside that can be useful for storing things like earplugs, a headlamp, but don’t try to put a full water bottle in them, as it will alter the shape of the tent. The mesh starts approximately 3.5 inches from floor and completes the remainder of the tent with the exception of a small white diamond shaped piece of rip stop nylon fabric at the very top of the tent likely for stability for the poles. It certainly doesn’t act as a moisture shield as ones feet and face will be directly under the mesh. The green fly made from ripstop nylon which is polyurethane & silicone coated with its left and right Vestibules attaches to the Inner tent Poles, with dual zippers on either side. At the four corners, one would attach the fly to the inner tent poles and pull on the straps to ensure a snug fit for further stability purposes. The MSR Hubba Hubba comes with 6 MSR Tent Pegs made from aluminum. Total weight of the tent with all accessories is 4 lbs. 8 oz. / 2041 grams and can be pared down to 4 lbs. / 1826 g for those who would like to travel lighter.

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Believe it or not, this is all one long peg that goes into various directions - bulky

The tent poles connected and laid out ready to connect to inner tent and fly

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Aluminum Tent Pegs included with purchase

The single tent pole are made by DAC and are lightweight aluminum with multiple three way connectors to facilitate pitching the tent. A small molded plastic piece exists to connect the rooftop pole pieces.

MSR also offers a groundsheet for increasing the durability of the floor or for wet and muddy conditions, which weighs in at an additional 7 oz. / 200 g and has a grommet on each of the 4 corners and small tie loops for use for additional pegs.

It seems there are additional tie down spots for the fly at the front and the rear should one be in windy conditions, however MSR does not include any rope to facilitate this.

Pitching

In a pinch, or where there is no threat of rain for the night one can pitch the inner tent in approximately 3 minutes, by laying out the 4 corners of the tent, connecting the pieces of the poles together and working from one end of the tent to the other starting by inserting the ends into the floor grommets followed by attaching 3 clips that are sewed to the inner tent onto the poles. It’s easiest to head over to the other and to repeat the process before attempting to attach the roof support poles into their respective grommets and attaching the other two clips. Once pitched the tent is very light and can fly away if you neglect to stake it down, so make sure you throw a sleeping bag inside of it quickly!

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One of many inner tent clips that attaches to support pole

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Pole connection to roof canopy for stability and shape

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Closeup of the corners of the Groundsheet, note grommet for poles to attach to and thin tie to attach to peg

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The inner tent set up on its own, useful for warm dry nights

Ready for a storm, the tent is pitched with groundsheet, fly, and all corners staked down.

The Fly comes next, easily attached by connecting the roof support grommets to the inner tent poles and then working around the 4 corners attaching them to the inner tent poles. It’s a good idea to tighten the fly and stake down the 4 corners at this time before moving onto the left and right vestibules with an additional 2 pegs. I found it takes an additional 4-5 minutes to attach the fly to the inner tent, and have not found a suitable way to pitch the fly before attaching the inner tent effectively in the rain resulting in a wet inner tent.

If one was using the MSR Footprint Hubba Hubba tent, one could then attach the poles into the 4 corners, which can be frustrating as there isn’t much wiggle space left in the ends of the poles. Add 1-2 minutes to get the footprint on..

No, not a weapon, it's the end of the tent poles

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The Addon (yet in my mind required) Footprint for added floor protection

The pegs are lightweight, and not of the greatest strength, and I’ve since swapped to a heavier duty peg as I managed to bend a few in the first few days using a mallet into hard ground. The ties to connect to the notched pegs are very thin and wouldn’t surprise me if they snapped in very short order.

If you so wished, you could pitch the Footprint and the fly without the inner tent for a large storage shelter, useful in some situations where you needed to huddle a bunch of people away from the elements, but wouldn’t protect you from critters or bugs whatsoever.

Space

The MSR Hubba Hubba tent is advertised as a tent with room for 2 people to sleep in at night. Like other manufacturers this information is subjective to the size of the people and how large one sleeping pad is. It is comfortable for 1 person alone to sleep in the tent with enough room to let my elbows rest off my sleeping bag while lying on my back and would be extremely cramped quarters if another person was in the tent. Lengthwise, it allows for my full length Exped Synmat 7 LW sleeping pad to fit inside with about 2 inches of room from at the head and foot of the tent reducing condensation issues from feet resting against the tent walls at night. Being a 5’9 human there is enough room to sit cross legged in the tent without my head hitting the top of the tent in the middle but due to the sloping design of the tent this is not the case at either end. If one is using the fly additional space is garnered for bags, clothing and other equipment in the two vestibules, however keep in mind if using the MSR Footprint it only fits below the inner tent itself forcing one to place the bags or equipment directly on the dirt, mud or sand.

Weather Handling

In hot arid conditions, the inner tent works wonderful for sleeping under the stars, and protecting one from bugs, ants, and snakes which may cause a restless sleep. There remains a small hole in between the two zippers on each of the doors that can allow small bugs to make their way into the tent at night, which I found to be frustrating. With the fly on, after you’ve properly set it up and tensioned the 4 corners it can stand up to a reasonable amount of wind, with minimal flapping, although the coated fly does make an awful lot of noise in the wind. This is also noticeable in rainy conditions, and while the fly will keep the inner tent dry (that is if its not already soaked from pitching in the rain in the first place). One can adjust the airflow in the tent by either adjusting the zippers, or opening the doors and using the attached tie straps to keep them from flapping in the wind causing restless nights. If there is heavy wind and rain, I’ve found that rain can seep through the sides of the tent, nothing like huge raindrops, but a small amount of moisture, due to the mesh inner walls – however the most glaring issue would be the thin floor of the tent, which on every occasion that there has been rain has allowed water through the taped seams, resulting in a soggy mess of the floor in the morning. Worse, water can collect in between the floor and the footprint not helping the matter whatsoever. It’s also incredibly difficult to get both ties for each side of the fly doors onto the peg once inside the tent if you are looking for a sturdy shelter.

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Tie downs on each door on inner tent and fly allow for ventilation and easier access to inside

Conclusion

I think I expected more out of this tent based on the many positive reviews on retailers sites, expecting it to be “the one”. It’s showing its wear after a very short amount of time and continuously frustrates me when I have to set the shelter up beyond the inner tent. While it is advertised as a 3 season tent, i find it would be more suitable for summer excursions, and not expeditions. The enhancements they made to the 2011 model other than the changing of the colour of the fly actually reduce the usability of the tent making it wear out quicker. It offers a very light weight but for the cost there are other alternatives around the same price range, like the REI Quarter Dome T2 which offers a sturdier pole design, the same weight, and a larger area. MSR once offered an HP model of this tent at a lighter weight with better protection from rain and wind, but have since discontinued for the 2011 season sadly. After 30 days of using this as my main shelter I’ve since moved onto a different tent, back to a Hilleberg 4 season expedition grade tent. Better luck next time, MSR.