MSR - Hubba Hubba (Original)

I've had my MSR Hubba for 8 years now, still absolutely perfect imo. Only had to replace the shock cord after my last trip a month ago. It's on the more expensive side but I'm very pleased about it.

Also, if you do happen to buy the MSR Hubba: buy the extra footprint aswell.

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.

Hubba hubbas aren't particularly great once the wind gets up. The pole design just isn't up for it. If you want to go lighter than the HUbba Hubba , pretty much any good trekking pole tent if well pitched, will do better. That means well pitched tautly with decent long stakes fully in the ground And all guys deployed. Tarptent or Durston both do roomy two person shelters. But if you don't mind the weight, there are plenty of other tents that will do better than Hubba Hubba.

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.

If you want a free standing tent and like your MSR Hubba NX, you can’t go wrong with a copper spur. I own an MSR Hubba Hubba, Copper Spur HV UL1, and a Zpacks duplex. The MSR and copper spur are basically the same tent with a few minor differences: - copper spur is marginally lighter - msr has more metal clips so is likely more durable than some of the plastic clips on the copper spur (although I haven’t had any issues) - I prefer the interior pockets on the copper spur vs the msr and like that it’s two perpendicular zips per door instead of one big curved zip which is sometimes harder to open when not pitched perfectly taut.

I don’t know why. I have a Marmot Limelight 4 and I used it for years. I did have one very bad camping experience but the tent was pretty low on the list of annoyances on that trip. But I am not typically an early riser and even sleeping in until 8am was…uncomfortable. It was just unpleasant. I had an MSR Hubba before that was dark green, and now I have an REI tent that is beige and green. It’s much better for waking up in and it blends in with the surroundings. Sleeping in a bit is not an issue anymore.

Both are single wall tents, which means condensation is a bit of a challenge to overcome. No amount of airflow will completely prevent condensation, many people in that type of weather usually have a door open if weather permits. I’d personally go for the Durston, because well… it’s a Durston, but the Dipole has 4 more sq. ft. For a third option, freestanding tents are always an option, and you can always split up the parts to make it lighter. I like the MSR hubba hubba because it’s close to 20oz per person, and it’s fairly spacious. Any double wall tents help with minimizing condensation, but might feel stuffier.

I do agree with this, but it also depends on the tent. If you get an MSR Hubba Hubba it can be easily big enough for 2 and your gear and sit outside the tent, but inside the fly. I love MSR tents and have been very happy with them.

Hubba tent has a single top tube, this design is made to be lightweight but it cannot withstand wind. You have to choose tents with another type of construction: half barrel designs (papa hubba type but smaller ones), two arches crossed two times designs (elexir type) or several arches forming a dome designs (3f ul Taiji and it's Hilleberg original).

Try to find one that is braced on four points or strong winds will be a problem. That one has the same layout as the msr hubba hubba and the one I was using got shredded in strong winds

Thanks for sharing. Don’t see a lot on Litefighter which in this day (of easy youtube reviews) it might be a little concerning, but the specs seem to be pretty nice, either way. Nowadays, I’m pretty fond of my HMG Ultamid 4, since it’s so light and versatile.. and I sure love to cook in the same place as I sleep. I have extensive experience with Bibler (Eldorado), TNF Westwind, and many of the venerable Moss Tents from 20-30 years ago (bought by MSR). Interestingly, one will often pay more $ on EBay for a good conditioned Moss tent than they were ever sold for when they first came out. They were the only manufacturer whose tent fly seams never required seam sealant due to the type of thread that they used. But based on what you’re looking at, Kuiu might have some good offerings to compare to as well as the top lines of all the major tent makers. My sense is that once one is committed to a certain level of quality and durability, most of the tent makers will have some tent model which should be “pretty good” at what your going to use it for. Yet I have a hunch that Hilleberg seems to be in their own category, but don’t have any personal experience to corroborate that. And I’m sure someone can still find one of those TNF/Eureka ECWT designs out there which appear to be as strong as a tent could get, I’d suspect.

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

I’ve seen to many guys in these courses get a four season tent and then have condensation. You need a three season tent. I love my hubba hubba. Would recommend the ultralight.

MSR makes a 1p that is under 2 lbs and the poles are super small. I have a MSR 2p now as I don't care about weight. I used the 1p on my first outing and it was very awesome. MSR Freelite https://cascadedesigns.com/products/freelite-1-person-ultralight-backpacking-tent?_pos=3&_fid=c788cde60&_ss=c