MSR Hubba Hubba

Summary

We were looking for something with space and this tent meets those expectations.

A great tent. We have had this tent for 4 years and it still looks brand new. We do quite a bit of overnight backpacking and it has stood the test of time. It's easy to set up on tent platforms in the WMNF. There is no issue with condensation. We have been in downpours and never gotten wet.

Great tent.

I purchased my MSR Hubba Hubba from HumbleOutdoors for $237 w/free MSR Footprint

MSR really perfected this design, which has yet to be surpassed by (nearly) any other tent manufacturer (possible exception: MSR Hubba Hubba HP 2-Person Tent). The hub pole is simple and lightweight, making set up a breeze.

The fine mesh allows for great ventilation, further weight shavings, and excellent star gazing on nights without the rain fly. The coatings on both the fly and floor of the tent are very strong and ample for, dare I say, 'excessive' waterproofing.

The interior walls are drawn nearly vertical to create a welcoming large space inside, complemented by two roomy vestibules for your gear and nice, bright colors to add a little cheer if you end up caught in your tent during a downpour.

Having read the great reviews for this tent I felt comfortable in my decision to get it when REI had it on sale for $250. 

The following day I left Portland Or. for a solo road trip to the Olympic peninsula in NW Washington for nine days.  The first three days up on the coast and in the Hoh rain forest it DUMPED out with 20 to 30 mph winds. 

Excited to use my first new tent in nine years the weather didn't even bother me, except for when the tent started leaking...dripping...raining inside.

Taking into consideration the conditions I was in, 45f, 100% humidity, wind and rain, this was more than condensation build up. The tent was tied up as tight as possible from every loop with none of the fly touching what so ever to the tent. If I ran my hand along the inside of the fly my hand was soaked, to the point that the moisture was dripping from peak of the fly to the only piece of vinyl on the tent, built up on there and would continually drip through that throughout the night.

That piece of vinyl is located directly above my pad so I got to wake up with a wet bag the first few days.  Not to mention I really don't get the zipper on the fly... zips down the middle to form the vestibule and each door flap has its own stake. 

So you can better understand this, there is no way to keep both sides staked down while inside the tent.  If you don't have the tent entirely tied tight with extra ropes to trees and rocks, in serious rain this will cause the fly to touch the mesh of the tent.  I was wiping up the floor of my tent every night it rained hard.

This was probably some of the worse conditions you could camp in (or at least for me it was) but also a great test for new gear.  Unfortunately this tent failed. 

As luck would have it, one night I ran into a couple that had the 3 person hubba and they had no problems ever like that and on another night met a guy who had the 1 person Hubba and he also had no problems (but he did have a tarp over his). 

I did return the tent to REI when I got back home. I think I had to have a defective tent because no one seems to have heard this happening before. 

On the bright side this tent was extremely easy to set up.  I decided to go with the Nemo Losi 2 but haven't had the conditions like those to test it

Have had this tent since 07, several trips in VA, NC ,TN, OR, CO, WA all kinds of weather from hot and humid, heavy wind and rain, to waking up in a virtual igloo. Very good 3 season tent, easy / quick set-up. 

Haven’t had the issues, with high winds that some other folks suggest, but I tie additional guidelines to pull the fly taunt. That said, it has held up in monsoon weather pretty well, with just a little moisture seeping thru the floor. I also use the footprint.  

In 09, I did start having issues with the fly, tension rips along the pole line. (Obviously I also had leaks at this point)  Sent back to MSR (Cascade Designs) and they provided me with a new fly. I like the color much better than the orange original. I was stoked with the level customer service and how the company backed their product. That said, I also take good care of my equipment. 

Poles have held up well over time (a slight bend in one section) and the elastic keeps surprising me with its durability. I’m pleased with the dual vestibules, provides options for variety of weather/gear storage, though I use mostly as a solo tent at 6’3 plenty of room, as a two person, best advised to go head to toe, shoulder to shoulder is a bit tight, but headroom is ample. I also use a separate bag for fly and inner tent, as someone else here has suggested this keeps a dry inner during inclement weather.

I chose this tent as a 1-person alternative primarily due to the weight relative to the amount of space a 1- person tent provides.  For ultra light camping I use a bivy sack.

Overall, Happy Camper

Five nights later... Two under clear skies and three in swirling mist and rain on the West Ridge Trail over Bigelow ... Avery ... Horns ... Peaks from Stratton to the Bigelow Preserve in Maine ... Mid September 2010.... Max high temp about 65F.... and low 36F... in cold rain... with a sleeping bag made by Western Mountaineering, the Antelope (subject to a different review ... on this GREAT SITE).

In a nutshell, I like the Hubba Hubba HP 2 person tent... as a solo backpacker... for the size which I find fine for me alone. I can spread my gear, and cook in relative shelter and hang out in style watching the world through doors on both sides for clear visibility, and good ventilation.

Yes, I found condensation on the inside of fly after each night but this did not bother my at all.... and never dripped on that precious down bag.

I can handle the weight. However many of those hero thru hikers are hanging like bats at night in hammocks.... Hennesy Hammocks I believe are about 1.5 lbs? Hmm!

HOWEVER! ... with a little thought and ingenuity on behalf of that great company (MSR) they could consider a refinement to this fine design. Certainly a SECOND waterproof bag is essential if you want to travel on and have a dry interior when you setup the next night (one for the fly and one for the inner tent). (On the third morning I laid the dry footprint INSIDE the tent before I removed the wet fly... and managed to keep the bathtub floor dry for the next WET setup.... and that helped).... The footprint is essential.

Now, if I could have removed the inner (DRY) tent before removing the wet fly I would have been really, really happy with the Hubba Hubba HP.... (I can do this with my winter tent .... Helsport Svarlbard ..... 8lbs!).

All it needs is a redesign of the two grommets that hold the tent to the cross pole.... ? and it would be possible to then remove the dry inner in a heartbeat leaving the wet fly covering just the bare ground... A few shakes will get rid of a lot of moisture before bagging it for the following night.

Probably one of the best 3-season tents I have ever owned. I’ve used it several times now including twice in early spring on Emory Peak in Big Bend. It holds up great in rain and hard wind. I like the entire mesh top, opposed from the HP, because on nice nights you can view the stars without being bothered by insects. It's the closest thing to being tent-less.

Now that being said, this is not the warmest tent, it keeps out the wind and rain but you better have a good sleeping bag; the design however helps keep condensation almost 99% out of the tent when wearing the fly and allows good circulation. After I got it dirty on trips it was very easy to clean with just warm water and sunlight. I do suggest the footprint though and maybe some ground hog stakes if you are going to be in harsher elements.

One thing I would've liked to see in this (and other tents) would be at least one poly window on at least one vestibule of the fly. This is just my preference.

I know this is an expensive tent but it is priceless on hot and humid trips where you can’t hang a hammock or sleep near a fire in the open. It’s light enough for me to carry on my own but roomy enough for two 6' people to sleep comfortably.

I was glad to read oaeaglescout's comments about how the rain fly on the Hubba Hubba became sticky, because the same thing happened to mine. Even though when I returned it to REI they said they'd never heard of this happening before. 

The seam sealant even started flaking off.  The whole thing was rapidly degrading.  It was a mess.  I'd only used the tent a few times before this started happening, so I was extremely disappointed.  

The few times I did use it before the fly started melting, I thought the design was great, spacious inside for the over all weight, easy to set up, loved how you can set the fly up on the poles independent of the interior.  If MSR improves the fabric material quality than they will have a really nice, lightweight tent product, but until then, beware.

I've owned this tent since 2006. Great product, no leaks, well ventilated.

However, I had the same problem with the fly (melting) reported by few reviewers. So, since my tent was still in good condition, I looked for a replacement fly. I saw on a local dealer web site that MSR have changed their fly and the the coating on the fly is less prone to melting. I contacted MSR to ask them if the new fly will fit my old tent and to know the price for a replacement fly. They offer me to replace my fly free of charge, since it's a known issue!

Great service! You can be sure that my next tent will definitely be another MSR! 

I bought this tent for 2 reasons:

#1 - I wanted a lighter tent for 3 season solo outings. At 3lbs 14oz this was a great improvement that still provided me with optimal room and storage space. I found this to be one of the best tent designs as far as utilizing internal space availability. Specifically, the pole layout proved very affective at opening up head room.

I found this tent to be plenty sturdy. I was in two downpours and one windstorm. I stayed completely dry, and since then have re-coated the bottom seams to prevent any possible leaks.

#2 - Great deal - In making a decision between the Sierra Designs Lightning and this tent, I found a sale on craigslist for well under the price. Couldn't pass it up!

Overall, for the purpose and price of this tent, the Hubba Hubba is outstanding. If you keep in mind you aren't buying a tent to outlive gale force winds and a monsoon, you'll have a great experience staying in this valued shelter 2-3 seasons a year.

My girlfriend Ms. Webster had this tent as our home for 2 months of hiking. It was more than adequate for both of us an our small dog. Many nights we "half-flied" it to watch the stars and were able to get the fly up at the first sign of rain. I've used in many times since and still haven't had the opportunity to explore all of its versatility.

I highly recommend it!

Yes, I know how wonderful this tent is and I would have given it 5 stars easy a week ago but after checking it out after not using it for a season or two I found the rainfly to be very sticky on the inside.

The tent has always been put away nice and dry and stuffed into a large cotton storage sack in a controlled storage room so that should not be an issue. The problem is at MSR because my Missing Link tent from them has done the same thing.

MSR needs to go back to their Chinese manufacture plant and get some quality back into their product.

I bought this tent a year ago, and my wife and I have put it through the ultimate test in that year. We used it in Australia, Africa, Europe, and South America; from sea level to 5,000 meters, deserts to rainforests. It's been set up well over 100 times. Here's what I found:

Weight: Excellent. It packs up super small, and you can't do much better than 2kg.

Warmth: As expected. It's a 2.5 season tent, but we did camp out several times well below freezing, and with warm bags it did the job.

Ventilation: Poor. In Australia and Africa, this thing really cooks. The all-mesh material is deceiving. The best we could do was open up the fly doors, and roll up one corner of the fly as well.

Space: Poor. This tent is really a one-person tent. We were shoulder to shoulder, and still brushing the sides. The length is OK. With two people, there is only enough room left over for one small pack inside. But what about using the vestibule?...

Vestibule: Really Poor. It will not fit even one 65 litre pack and a pair of shoes without tripping over them as you go out for the midnight call-to-nature. So, if it's raining and you have two packs, forget it.

Waterproof-ability: Poor. The floor leaks in water under the thermarests, with or without a footprint. I can't see any rips in the floor. The fly is OK, as long as you keep it off the mesh (hard to do). Otherwise it'll drip in the massive amount of condensation (see Ventilation)

Durability: Really Poor. I don't expect this tent to hold up for another season. Here's why: The door zipper has split. The fly is apparently rip-stop, but tell that to the little kitten in Zambia who tore a couple holes with its claws. It's just too thin. For example, the bag that the poles come in is the same material, and the ends of the poles have just about managed to rip it wide open. The "mould-free" floor has mould growing in two corners. And I'm not convinced that the mesh can handle so much strain at the little pole clips forever.

Conclusion: I've had a Whisperlite for 15 years, and it's without a doubt the best stove out there. Plus, we've used the new Miox purifier for this trip, which kicks ass. But MSR cut so many corners with this tent, just to say it's the lightest free-standing two-man tent on the market. I debated a long time between this and the Sierra Designs Lightning. Unfortunately I've made the wrong choice.

Ok, I got this tent as a prodeal working at Uncle Dan's, so I didn't pay full price. I mostly do late spring, summer, early fall camping. Sometimes I lead canoe/kayak trips in the Midwest. Anything from the Lower Wisconsin River to the Apostle Islands to Boundary Waters. I have never used this as a 2 person tent. With that being said, I love this tent.

Base camping or going on a 5 day paddle trip, this tent feels light enough and packs small enough (if you put it in a event compression sack) to take it for just me. If I'm leading a trip solo, I definitely have more gear than everyone else and I can lay everything out organized with this tent.

Setup up is brilliant. On a trip, I want to help the group learn to set up their own gear and camp, but I also want to be able to do my setups speedy and the pole setup, I feel, makes the difference.

I also get cold easily. This is definitely not a warm tent, but with the right bag and proper clothing, you'll be fine.

I believe in being as lightweight as I can. Sometimes though, having a little extra luxury or two is nice. For example, I sometimes use an Exped Synmat 9 Deluxe sleeping pad, even on long trips. It's not that much heavier than some Therm-a-rests, but it might be an inch wider and it's 3 inches thick. It's definitely livin luxury. The pad and sometimes other extra luxuries still fit into this tent well and make for a very nice trip.

Downsides:

Sometimes it being so freakin orange, I think bugs think it's a flower and try to pollinate it or something. The color is not earth tone friendly, but I guess you can't lose it.

I do wish it had a ceiling window in the fly.

Ok, this is sort of a preview review. My first impressions. Easy set up. Set it up in the backyard and then put the hose to it for about 20 minutes. No leaking anywhere. Good interior space (at least compared to my Sierra Designs Clip Flashight). A tad narrow, but 7' long (good enough for my wife and I: I'm 5'9" and weight 185, my wife is 5'6" and weighs 125). Both my wife and I are able to sit up in the tent w/ no problems.

Decent room in the vestibules. I can put my pack in the vestibule, but it's a tight fit. Probably just keep my boots and water in the vestibules. Easy to get in and out of. Dual doors/ vestibules seem like they'll offer good ventilation. The vestibules don't have to be zipped completly shut in order to keep water out (good for condensation control). Nice to be able to see the complete night sky with the fly off. Also offers various set up options (fly w/ footprint, just the fly), but we'll be using it with the tent on all our trips.

The tent is light (about 4 lbs 4oz, and can be made lighter by about 1/2 pound by getting carbon poles, which we plan on doing). That would put the weight of this decent sized tent at about 3 lbs, 7 oz. Not too shabby.

Concerns? From what I've read and seeing the tent myself, it does seem like strong winds may be a problem. With that said, I purchased a pack of Sierra Designs Grip Clips and placed four of them on the tent to offer four more guy line positions. I emailed MSR about this and was told it sounded like a good idea and would definitely increase the tent's ability to withstand wind.

Snow build up may be an issue (don't do too much backpacking in the snow, though). Durability? Well, we'll just have to wait and see. Seems like it's solidly built with quality materials and zippers. First impression is actually more on the level of a 5, but seeing as we haven't taken it out yet, I'm giving it a 4. I'll do a follow review after we do a couple of trips during the upcoming month or two.

For 3-season packing, this is a well-sewn lightweight tent, good enough for two and perfect for a solo hiker and all your gear.

At first, the pole system appears daunting, but even without the instructions, which were missing from mine, it was simple to figure out. The pole system looks like some kind of TV or cell phone antennae when it's complete. It snaps itself together quickly and comes apart easily. Setting this MSR up is a breeze, even in windy conditions.

The Hubba Hubba is not a winter tent, due to the full mesh body, but I spent a snowy night on Mt. Hood in it with no problems. The full fly pitches tight and works well, but makes getting in and out a bit of a chore.
After a year of very heavy use, the poles are still straight with no bends, shock cording is still good, zippers still work well and the rainfly is still waterproof.

A lack of any handy internal pockets is a small negative, probably saves only a few grams. I added a mesh loft from an old Sierra Designs tent and the problem is solved.

This is a very good tent for the money and is light enough for solo packing if you want to store your pack inside.

Highly recommended.

I used this tent for 10 days at Philmont Scout ranch in New Mexico on a backpacking trip. We had rain almost every day and hot days and cool nights. The ideal situation for testing out a tent.

It takes two people about 2-3 minutes to set it up. It is so light for a 2 person tent. The mesh gives awesome ventilation. The vestibules on both sides and dual entrances are very nice. It can actually keep you quiet warm for so much mesh. However the rainfly is light but, in downpours a mist comes into the tent. Also on the last day a pole attachment place broke off.

Overall it is a very good tent. However it is very pricey!

Used for cycle touring in Australia and South America.

Pros: Lightweight; two doors; freestanding; fly very waterproof; generous headroom; can be pitched fly first; can be used without fly or without inner; nice pegs; non-drip vertical doors; plenty of room for 1 person + gear and adequate for 2 people (head to toe).

Cons: The bright orange colour is too conspicuous; full-mesh inner means it gets very cold; very wobbly in wind; water soaks through floor, even with footprint; vestibules cannot be staked taught.

Okay it's orange. I know. Get past this and you discover that it's actually a very very nice piece of kit. It has a simple one pole design that fits into the inner to create the shape. It's nice and lightweight which makes it ideal for cycle touring or anyone who's looking to shave those grams out of a pack. The inside of the tent is very spacious and it does keep the wind out rather nicely - although I do feel that it does have a slight tendency to lie down a bit when the wind really gets up. It's not really ideal for anyone hoping to engage in some stealth camping but it does make it easy to spot from a distance in inclement weather. To see shots of this bad boy in action go to www.cyclingsouthamerica.co.uk

Okay, so this is a great tent for your basic backpacking needs. It's light, and there is enough room for two 6-foot males in the tent. It's a little tight in the shoulder space, but it is 7 ft long.

All that said, the tent is not very sturdy in its pitch. High winds and snow would not be a good situation for this tent. It is fine for heavy rains, but don't pitch it were it will get very windy. I am comparing this to my Hyperlight AST that pitches tight and solid! But that tent couldn't fit two 6-footers without jamming up on the tent walls. So, I think this is a great tent for moderate weather backpacking.

This tent is great! It is light, so it's amazing on backpacking trips and it is just as good at base camp!
It is big, so two 6.5 foot men can lay side by side. This tent is a must-have.