Hubba Hubba 2

I have the MSR Hubba hubba 2 and also the naturehike cloud up (although not sure if 2 or 1??) Happy with both, although the MSR tent definitely feels a bit sturdier. I’ve had it for 7 years and used it extensively and it’s still in great shape. Very comfortable for one person, a bit tight for two people!

My wife and I backpack a fair bit (multi day up to two weeks). Our primary tent is an MSR Hubba Hubba 2 from a couple years ago (not sure if I’d recommend them now as company changes have affected their gear a bit, but just using it for reference). The tent floor is 84”x25”. We use Nemo Tensor Regular Wide sleeping pads which are 72”x25”. So, they fill the entire floor width with only a handful of inches top or bottom. I am 5’10 with wide shoulders and over 200lbs. She is 5’4.5 (the extra half inch is important to her) and 130’s. We are able to put our packs at our feet and sleep fine. She sleeps on her back. I tend to sleep on my side or stomach (and then feet end up on the pack or under knees if I do end up on my back for a while). We also have Nemo Fillo Elite pillows (with and inch of memory foam on top of the air bladder). Comfort is import to us while trying also be efficient about size and weight (but not ultra light). For packing, we mostly carry all our own individual stuff (quilts, clothes, headlamps, personal items, food, water, etc). A few random things get split; stove versus battery versus shit kit, etc. For the tent, the way we handle it is I carry the whole tent, but she then gets my sleeping pad and pillow to offset the volume and some of the weight. This is what works for us. For a two person backpacking tent, you will be cozy and hopefully like being near the person you’re sharing it with. I wouldn’t want to share it with a random person or someone I wasn’t very comfortable sleeping very close to. Carrying a 3 person backing tent would not be a bad decision if you want the extra space. You pay for it with about an extra pound of weight and a slight bit more volume in the pack, but it’s your choice to make on what is important to you (as well as what money you can spend). I personally prefer freestanding tents (and then still stake them down as best I can) because I’m in Colorado and find that staking can be hard enough to do that I really don’t trust trekking poles type tents that rely on staking. Too much risk of a staking pulling out due to poor ground. Means I will never have the lightest tent due to carrying tent poles, but I’m the one that has to carry them (not the randos online that are measuring the eight of a ziplock bag).

MSR Hubba Hubba 2. Double walled free standing. Got me through an AT thru last year and NEVER leaked. Very roomy.

I will second this. When I’m using a trekking pole tent, the x-mid 1 is my go to. I use both a free standing Hubba hubba 2 (love that tent) and an x-mid 1 for backpacking. The choice depends on the terrain primarily and a little bit on weather.

I just replaced my ageing MSR Hubba 2 with the Mongar, which is almost a clone. Still lightweight and actually roomier for the same weight. And a lot cheaper with only slightly less durability.

Can confirm, pitched my hubba 2 on wet ground while it was drizzling. Woke up and thought it had rained overnight.... Nope just condensation... I had both "vents" open too.

I have an older Hubba Hubba, but I bought the knock-off Naturehike Mongars for my kids. It has worked out pretty well. The Mongars are not as feature rich as mine, but they are a fraction of the price and are sturdier. The fabric would probably hold up well with a dog going in and out and the basin does fit two side by side 25inch mattresses - so plenty of room. If you are someplace where it gets hot, the inner is mostly mesh - so breathes well. Bonus points for being able to pitch outer first using the ground cloth for initial structure when you find yourself in the rain.

I have that Durston, and I've got friends with the MSR. I definitely wouldn't recommend a 2 person for 1. The extra space really isn't any use inside the tent, and the 1 persons are 1+, so they have plenty room. Generally you want to bring as little into the tent as possible. Leave as much on the bike as you can. Otherwise it's just a time sap. I think the Hubba is overpriced, and it has some irritations, like it being pitched inner first, which makes using it in the rain difficult. The Durston fixes that, and is a bit lighter, but it has its own irritations. Like the zips aren't supported well, so usually you need two hands to get in/out, which to me is a bonehead mistake for tent design. The ground sheet doesn't have any meaningful raised threshold around the edge, which is a serious oversight. For one, a decent downpour could quite easily see water flowing into the tent. But more regularly, it's impossible to keep the inner clean. Sand, mud, leaves, everything else constantly flow into the tent, because when you open the door the bottom zip pretty much falls to the ground (even when fully pegged out). Also, it doesn't come with guy lines, which you're going to need if you plan to camp outside, because it is NOT stable in the wind. I have a lot of experience with Terra Nova tents, and their design and quality leaves others in the dust, but they seem to be dying a slow death, and haven't updated much in recent years, which is a real shame. They don't really have a good, roomy but lightweight option for bikepacking.