MSR - Hubba Hubba LT (1, 2, 3-person)

1. Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL3 Weight: ~3 lbs 14 oz (trail weight) Price: ~$650 Pros: Freestanding with excellent interior volume Two doors and two large vestibules High-quality materials and DAC poles Good for long trips and moderate weather Cons: Expensive Thin fabric requires some care 2. MSR Hubba Hubba 3P Weight: ~3 lbs 12 oz (trail weight) Price: ~$600 Pros: Excellent balance of weight and durability Symmetrical design, spacious for two or cozy for three Great ventilation and weather resistance Cons: Slightly tighter vestibule space than Copper Spur

Big Agnes, MSR, and Nemo are 3 of the best tent brands available. I ran the warranty desk for an outdoor gear company, and saw the least amount of warranty issues with those brands. They’re not inexpensive, but, you get what you pay for. I have a Big Agnes tent that’s at least 10 years old, we use it regularly and only have to hose the dirt off. It’s amazing. Nemo is awesome too, I know a lot of people with Nemo tents and they love them. I just got an MSR 3 person tent and absolutely love it. Definitely get a 2 person tent. The general rule is to take however many people will be sleeping in the tent, and add 1. So 1 person = 2 person tent, 2 ppl = 3 person tent and so on. A 2 person tent is more comfortable for having your gear inside the tent, changing your clothes, etc. If you don’t plan to go backpacking with it, I’d get a 3-4 person tent just for the space.

Just a quick note, after Cubs when they get to Scouts there is no more family camping. So I would go cheap on the "family" tent for now, unless you guys are planning on using it yourselves for separate family trips. Most cub packs only camp once or twice a year. I got my son a three person MSR tent and myself a single person tent. The three person fit him and his buddy perfect. Those sizes are also a lot easier to hump to a camp site. I'd put the extra money in an inflatable pad to sleep on. That makes a huge difference. I used my old closed cell foam pad the first trip with my son and I woke up sore. The inflatable pad was so much more comfortable and kept me a lot warmer.

Can't speak to the OHM, but I have the Volt 3. You can compare specs on MEC site. It's bulky and a bit heavy. It fits easily on a tent pad. It fits 2 people with gear, ample space inside. Geometry was great for wind and rain. Any back country camping off a tent pad is a challenge, it has a larger footprint that makes finding decent flat space a challenge. I was extremely jealous of fellow campers in their bivvys or 2p spark or Hubba Hubba 2. Great tent, but I've added a 2p Hubba Hubba to my gear since and have much appreciated the smaller footprint and space in my gear. I won't be using it for 2 people though, maybe me and my kid. But, ill take the Volt 3 for wife and kid and pick my hikes wisely. Good price though!

I know this sounds ridiculous to a lot of people but me and my partner both have our own tents. I'm a horrendously light sleeper and also snore, we actually have separate bedrooms at home too. We both currently have the msr hubba hubba 2p because we like our space, but I might downsize to the new durston x-dome 1+. Having our own space is nice especially when we go on 10+ day backpacking trips and want some alone time.

I'd go for a 2p, but make sure your sleeping pads will fit. Many 2p tents are tapered meaning they can't accept 2 rectangle wide pads. If you're both on 20 inch pads, then it'll be fine. There are tapered wide sleeping pads for just this reason. The MSR Hubba Hubba and the REI Half Dome are examples of tents that have a full non tapered rectangle floor.

I like the Hubba Hubba dual door vestibule design. Can pee out the door without getting out of your sleeping bag.

My friend has an MSR hubba 2p which I find is tight for 2 people (especially in damp conditions) but is great for one and relatively light/compact.

I really love my Mormot Tungsten. It is a little heavier than some of the other Recs but is roomy and has withstood some intense PNW rain. It also comes in an ultra light version (I don’t think it’s actually ultralight, but it is lighter than the OG version). Don’t pay full price for it though, Marmot tents are on sale all the time. I don’t like the zipper geometry on the MSR elixir and hubba for heavy rain and damp/dew- it’s meant so you don’t have to reach so far out into the vestibule to open your fly, but i find it means the zipper can drip into your tent through the open door.

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).

Balanced Weight and Durability: Look for tents in the 1.5–2 kg range rather than the sub-1 kg category. These often have better durability while still being lightweight. • Three-Season Tents: Most UL tents are three-season, so ensure the tent you choose has robust guying points and a stable frame for wind and rain. Well-Reviewed Models: Popular options for bike touring include: • Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL2/UL3: Lightweight, durable for its class, and easy to pitch. • MSR Hubba Hubba 2: A good balance of weight, durability, and weather resistance. • Zpacks Duplex (DCF): Ultralight, durable (for its weight), but expensive. • Tarptent Stratospire Li: Durable DCF fabric and excellent in wind and rain. I use a MSR Hubba Hubba NX 2man tent and love it.