MSR - Hubba Hubba (Original)

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).

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 have an X Mid Dome 2 freestander: https://durstongear.com/products/x-dome-2-ultralight-tent It’s much pricier at $470 but weighs only 2.7 pounds. One great feature is after the first time setup, you can keep the fly and tent connected and pitch it all at once quite easily. I had a Hubba Hubba 2 person (much heavier, a little bit cheaper) and used it a lot. I keep thinking about a 1 person or the X Mid Dome 1+ but in the end I keep coming back to loving the room to stretch out (esp nice if you have to hunker down in bad weather).

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 have two MSR tents for over 20 years.  Both have been outstanding.  That said...it's been 20 years so I cannot vouch for current quality. Make sure you look at all the features you want.  Do you want free standing?  Does it have a vestibule?  Is it long enough to fit your body?  Are you camping in snow (get a four season tent, otherwise 3 season is the language you want to see).  Single wall or double wall. Recommend double unless you need very light weight. If you want a capable tent without a huge outlay of cash...look at the REI ones.  The halfdome specifically has been around for many years. They often go on sale. They also sell other top brands and often on sale or closeout so check that out.  If you buy from REI pony up the extra 20 bucks for the membership. On a tent purchase it will likely pay for itself. I'd also recommend getting the footprint to protect the bottom but you can always improvise one or go without.

Yes! I have the hubba and the hubba hubba.  Both on their second fly (just due to wear not failure) and I did have them send me a couple poles noting taking it in the snow wasn't the best idea.  Still worked though! I forgot we also have the REI 6 person - the basecamp.  It's been great for car camping.

I have two MSR tents for over 20 years.  Both have been outstanding.  That said...it's been 20 years so I cannot vouch for current quality. Make sure you look at all the features you want.  Do you want free standing?  Does it have a vestibule?  Is it long enough to fit your body?  Are you camping in snow (get a four season tent, otherwise 3 season is the language you want to see).  Single wall or double wall. Recommend double unless you need very light weight. If you want a capable tent without a huge outlay of cash...look at the REI ones.  The halfdome specifically has been around for many years. They often go on sale. They also sell other top brands and often on sale or closeout so check that out.  If you buy from REI pony up the extra 20 bucks for the membership. On a tent purchase it will likely pay for itself. I'd also recommend getting the footprint to protect the bottom but you can always improvise one or go without.

Yes! I have the hubba and the hubba hubba.  Both on their second fly (just due to wear not failure) and I did have them send me a couple poles noting taking it in the snow wasn't the best idea.  Still worked though! I forgot we also have the REI 6 person - the basecamp.  It's been great for car camping.

Same. Have hubba and hubba hubba. Both have been outstanding. Second fly for both.

Same. Have hubba and hubba hubba. Both have been outstanding. Second fly for both.

TLDR - Vango make solid cheap tents. If you want fancy go MSR or Nemo. Mid range Terra Nova Wild Country make some exceptional stuff. Avoid OEX. Alpkit make some cracking stuff. For convenience go dome style self standing tents ( ie elixr or Nemo Dagger or MSR) I work in a hiking shop in Scotland and I'm an avid keen hiker and camper. One thing I'd suggest is the tent you use to wild camp, if you care about it, I wouldn't take it to festivals. This is for me any way. My tents are precious you wouldn't see me putting my nice MSR or Nemo tent in a boggy field full of drunks. Personally I'd take any old Decathalon tent to a festival one with a front entry and cross bar easy peasy. Any way wild camping it's a whole different box of frogs. I'm not going to tell you the best because that is largely dependent on what you want out of a tent. So here are some questions you need to be asking yourself and what your priorities are. Am I back packing long distance or do I want luxury? - weight - pack size - Head room - strength of the face fabric Am I a fair weather camper or am I putting my tent through serious duress? - strength of the tent - hydrostatic head - construction of the tent (so these are how the poles are orientated) - shape effects how well it handles wind (wedge low profile = better for wind however less room for you) Do I want free standing or a tent I have to tension? - free standing is great for convenience - tents you have to tension are normally lighter and more Packable. Do I need storage? - Somewhere to store gear from the rain - Vestibule for things like beer and festival stuff Where am I camping? - depends what you mean by wild camping - is it campsites - am I camping on a windy peak or near a loch/ lake Few more things to consider. -I'm sorry but no one is back packing or wild camping in a 3 man tent. You go wild camping in England in a 3 man tent chances are you'll be moved on very quickly. In Scotland. It's very different. 3 man tent you're not bringing very far and I'd be surprised if you can find many spaces in Scotland to put a big 3 man tent. Also do you want to carry a 3 man tent? I certainly don't. You CAN break it up a 1 Carey the poles 1 carry the top sheet and 1 carry the inner. -2 man is a much more sensible option. -Make sure your camping mat fits in it. -Most or if not all 2 man tents are going to be fairly straightforward to put up if you know what you're doing -Go to a hiking shop and ask the folk there. You can actually get in them and have a look yourself. - side entry is a lot easier to climb in and out of. Couple tents I'd suggest that are roughly around your price range I'd say £250 + that covet these aspects 1. Good head room, strong, easy to put up, spacious However they lack in packablity and wouldn't make the best pack packing tents. These normally have 2 side entries. 2 vestibule for cooking in and a cross bar or dome style tent for better space MSR - Elixr 2 Terra Nova - Helm Compact 2 Wild country - Axis 2 (they may not make these any more) 2. Light weight is always going to cost more or you're going to have to compromise on headspace and luxury. Lighter back packing tents tend to be single pile or a 2 poke wedge style tent Terra Nova wild country - Coshee 2 (small wedge - tiny pack size but not a lot of head room) MSR - l hubba hubba like the elixr but light and more expensive Vango - Helvellyn (cracking inexpensive 2 man with decent head room and front entry) 3. Cheap and cheerful no frills place to get your head down for festivals (this is what I'd pick) Quecha - 2 man HM100 (self standing cross pole 2 man. What more can you ask for ) Vango - Nevis 200 (bit of a darling in the hiking/ tent world everyone has a soft spot for this tent. 1 pole bang. Up. Inexpensive. Easy tent and isn't too heavy. Top picks for me. If it was up to me if you want strong and longevity get the MSR Elixr. Little bit of the heavier side but it can handle a lot. If you want a reliable tent thats solid for medium length backpacking and wild camping. Get yourself a helm compact 2 Cheap and cheerful - anything by Vango is going to be solid. Avoid OEX like the plague their stuff is dogshite. I'm sorry they have some serious major design flaws. Avoid the Phoxx 2. Alpkit have some decent tents around that price range - for example the Auronaught 2. Bonus if you made it this far https://www.ddhammocks.com/collections/tents?utm_source=google&utm_medium=paid&utm_campaign=google_shopping_ads&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=21929368775&gbraid=0AAAAAD-IR3dVnNRUuSjzhMDqi_nR2JXg9&gclid=Cj0KCQjw_dbABhC5ARIsAAh2Z-TBB2Q7VWM_b9wkYJ452ExPlpsaw1A2Hp7gwwht6DVUNVt8JbEmWt4aAqscEALw_wcB These guys sell big pyramid tarp style tents. That require one pole and some of them are for entire families. They range from £100 to £150+ they also have midgie nets and ground sheets you can use in conjunction with. Great for a bit of everything. And they have your superlight backpacking/ wild camping stuff I hope that helps.

We just returned our Hubba Hubba (broken pole after a few uses) and got a Nemo Dagger. The Nemo seems more durable so far, very impressed with the design.

By the way I’m a member of r/snowpeak and thought your question asking about the Alpha Breeze entertaining to a bunch of Snow Peak nut jobs. lol I’ve had various tents for various situations over the years. Earliest memory was using a Coleman four man tent with my family when I was a kid, an acceptable tent for a child, but I also didn’t know any better. I would say any sub $200 tent now probably falls in the same quality of cheaper tent fabric and lower quality poles. In my teens and throughout my 30s, I got big into backpacking so it was with brands like MSR and Big Agnes. In that time of lightweight backpacking tents, I really loved the original MSR Mutha Hubba (3p), it was lightweight and very packable and was spacious relative to its total weight. I’ve since gotten a newer MSR Hubba Hubba (2p) which I like, slight lowering in quality since the 2000s era of MSR quality. Which brings us full circle to the Alpha Breeze, it’s now my dedicated car camping tent, having also slept in and seen other tents that friends bring on car camping trips. It’s something I view as a long term investment that features thoughtful tent design along with the durability that comes with quality. Last thing, the price is high, but I’m seeing this as something that will last me +10 years, if not 20. Which over time breaks down to about $60/year if using 10 years.

It depends really. I hike in the UK with a MSR Hubba which is inner first. Out of a hundred or so pitches I only had issues with torrential rain a few times. Drizzle is fine, it only takes a minute to stake out the inner and secure the poles so it doesn't get too wet. If the rain is worse I either head for some woods to pitch or throw the fly over everything and set up under it. If it is windy as well then it's a struggle but it always is in that weather. I followed a YT video and made up an outer first hack, basically a length of cord with four rings that you can attach the frame to do that you can go fly first. I've never had to use it.

From the standpoint of flexibility - I have a 10F down quilt and a 40F synthetic quilt along with a 3.5R pad and the cheap 2R waffle pack thing from Walmart for when I go out in anything under 20F conditions. It is cost effective, warm, and I saved a bunch of money by having four pieces that mix/match to cover camping year round. Granted this is for Scouting and I'm normally walking in only a mile or two to get to our site, so weight isn't a huge deal, but the overall penalty isn't that big anyway. My tent is the previous version of the Hubba Hubba and it works beautifully in winter as well. Coldest trip so far is 6F with a couple inch accumulation overnight. I will say the warmest I've slept in these conditions is when my 16 year old decided to share my tent because he was too lazy to put up his own. I put the 40F quilt over top of both of our bags and it was nice.