User Review: MSR Hubba Hubba

MSR Hubba Hubba
Above: The current Hubba Hubba, which may differ slightly from the version reviewed.

Reviewed September 4, 2006 by Craig Tangner

Rating:
Design: 3-season freestanding
Sleeps: 2
Ease of Setup: Very easy
Weight: 4 lbs, 4 oz (company stated weight)
Price Paid: $215

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.

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