Reader Reviews

Rating: 4 / 5

Bought this tent with the intention of upgrading the factory aluminum poles with custom Fibraplex poles. I saved 8-9oz by doing so making the packed weight of the tent about 3 1/2 lbs. Camped with it once with the factory installed poles and twice now with the Fibraplex poles.

The headroom and ease of entry is terrific. Two vestibules large enough to hold a backpack and boots each make life easy on a wet trip. Two large side doors allow one person to get out of the tent without disturbing the other occupant.

The ventillation is also wonderful and after enduring a four day trip in 50 degree weather with rain each night. No leaks or condensation dripping.

What keeps it from getting a 5. I think that the outer fly could be lightened if it were constructed of lighter weight silnylon. It seems very durable but I would gladly sacrifice some of that durability for a reduction in weight. More color options would also be nice.

Rating: 4 / 5

I also have the 2005 model. A great lightweight tent, but i miss a few elements:
-2-4 more guyline attatchments - it has only 2.
-The rainfly has no ventilation. All airflow goes under the lower edge, which is a bit high above the ground. Sometimes it can get a bit windy inside. I would prefer the rainfly to go all the way down to the ground, and add 2 adjustable ventilation holes in the top.

I have not yet camped in so bad weather that this has been necesary. The tent wprks just fine. But I'm sure it could take on some even worse weather if these improvements were made. My reason for using a tent are for comfort in bad weather. Considering to customize it myself.

Edited by marius on 01/28/2006 02:56:29 MST.

Rating: 4 / 5

I have the 2 door, 2 vestibule version of this tent.

What I like about the Hubba Hubba:

The tent is relatively light, especially spread between two people. Set-up is fast and intuitive, and the tent is sturdy and durable even without staking it out. Great headroom for sitting up in (both of us can sit up at the same time), the doors are nice and large, and entry/exit is easy. You can keep a medium sized vestibule area covered even with one side of each vestibule rolled up for ventilation. The silnylon fly cleans up easily and dries quickly if wet, and so far the tent has kept us dry. It fits nicely into the stuffsack, and the stakes are very light. The footprint snaps easily onto the bottom of the tent during set-up, and works well.

Room for improvement:

Even with the two doors and two vestibules, ventilation could be better. Zipped completely up the tent gets hot fast (even with the fly not going all the way to the ground). Maybe a high-low vent would help with this. We've coped by leaving part of each vestibule open, but I'm not sure I'd want to do that if it starts to seriously rain. Also, although the length is fine, it's a little tight widthwize. Our 2 thermarest pro-lites just fit side by side with very little room in between (less than 1/2 inch), and I've woken up more than once with my face pressed against the mesh side of the tent (or nastier yet, with my arm sweating against the bathtub floor/side of the tent, dampening my fleece and my bag). It's ok (barely) for 2 married folks like us...but I don't think you'd want to be in it with a buddy. Just 5 - 6 more inches would be fantastic. 2 mesh inner pockets would also be handy instead of just the one. The size/pockets/vent thing is probably to keep weight down, but I might carry a bit more weight if it added these features. One last thing about the stakes, they're dang hard to get out of the ground without prying them up with a camp axe...and I'm not sure I wanna start carrying one just for that. Maybe rethinking the head shape would help. The plus side about them is that no storm is going to blow away the tent so long as it's guyed out with these babies.

Edited by cmintzd on 08/21/2006 21:17:22 MDT.

Rating: 3 / 5

I used the Hubbga Hubba for 10 days on a solo canoe trip. It was terrific in every way except that in a hard driving rain the water splashed up at the edges of the fly and through the extensive mesh sides and over the low bathtub sides making much of the interior contents wet. This was a super hard driving blowing rain but still the one function most important of all, keeping dry, was a failure. I would sacrafice weight and convenience in favor of better shelter from rain.

Rating: 4 / 5

Weighing in at four pounds and ten ounces including pegs and poles; this two-person tent is appealing for people looking to shed a little pack weight.

I decided to kick off the spring season with a trip to the shores of Georgian Bay on the Bruce Peninsula. The terrain in this particular area is quite rugged, so to keep my pack manageable I took the MSR Hubba Hubba and its custom footprint along.

Set up for this tent is remarkably easy; it consists of one large main pole with hubs on each end. The side poles, which are also shock-corded to the main unit, push into the metal hub. When you are finished, the whole thing resembles a stick drawing of a dog bone. The pole ends are then placed into the four corners of the tent and the footprint. Plastic clips attach to the frame work which holds up the mesh inner walls. A second pole is added to support the fly and vestibule.

I was a little nervous about the large inner mesh walls being capable of handling the heavy winds now pounding us on the shoreline. I staked the fly close to the tent body fearing that the wind would come through the tent making us unbearably cold. Bedtime came early when the rain and ice pellets forced us to take cover. I was pleasantly surprised that the tent was not windy at all and we were able to rest in total confidence.

Mountain Safety Research didn't just stop at making a weather-worthy tent but they continued with the flexibility to set up the fly on its own, with or without the footprint for the brazen folks who like to sleep under a tarp or for those times when a quick shelter is needed to wait out a storm.

I was happy with the performance of the Hubba Hubba, it offered plenty of head room at 1.1 meters(42") and with a floor dimension of 2.2 meters long (7' 2") and 1.3 meters wide (4' 2") it is big enough accommodate even taller backpackers.

I'm looking forward to using this tent on hot summer nights where we can remove the fly to sleep under the stars, but it's comforting to know that if the weather gets sour we won't have to worry about being warm and dry.

Edited by Laurie_Ann on 12/07/2006 23:42:26 MST.

Rating: 5 / 5

Overview: With dual doors and vestibules, and plenty of headroom, it strikes the right balance of comfort and weight for me. I've used this tent primarily in Hong Kong but also in Sarawak, Malaysia and Mainland China. We have a monsoonal climate here, and when the dry season's over you need pretty serious weather protection if you plan on staying dry. Initially, I was a bit concerned that the Hubba Hubba wasn't quite up to scratch in this regard, but the mix of other features won me over and I decided to give it its day in court. 40º F is about as cold as it ever gets here, and that rarely, so I can't speak to cold weather performance.

Storm Protection: As has been noted previously, the fly doesn't reach ground level. The common complaint is that in serious storms, rain can bounce under the gap and into the inner tent. What hasn't been mentioned is that the fly corners use adjustable straps that can be loosened or tightened to facilitate easy attachment to the poles. And, unless the wind is blowing particularly hard from multiple directions, all it takes to keep the rain out is to loosen the straps on one side and cinch them down on the side facing into the wind. That strategy has done the trick so far, and while I can imagine scenarios where it wouldn't, I've yet to see them. Then again, make the bathtub floor a bit higher at the corners and I wouldn't need to bother. 8/10

Wind Stability: As near to the coast as I camp, it's had to deal with a lot of wind, and so far, so good. I've taken care to keep the broadside 90º to the wind and guy it out properly. It takes all the guy points and a little effort to get a truly taught pitch, but it really improves wind shedding. That said, it's not the sleekest of tents and there are definite limits to what it can handle. MSR rates it for 40 mph gusts, and my experience with it supports that claim. I've got a set of carbon poles waiting for me Stateside, so we'll see how that affects performance. 8/10

Ventilation: Here's the next best reason to guy it out properly: If you don't, there's a good chance the inner-mesh is going to come into contact with the fly and transfer condensation into the tent. If you can keep the two separate, condensation rolls down the side and out pretty reliably. Even with a fairly taut pitch, a stiff breeze is capable of shaking some water loose, but it beats the hell out of a single wall shelter in this regard. Humidity is no joke down here, and condensation is a fact of life. The gap between the fly and ground provides decent ventilation on windy nights, but in a lot of conditions, it needs a little help. Dedicated vents would be preferable depending on weight added, but unzipping the vestibule(s) halfway and rolling it partly back is adequate, and still provides plenty of rain coverage. 7/10

Interior Space & Storage: Kind of a mixed bag here. The length is fantastic; there's room for long bags, and backpacks at their feet. The width is a little less gratifying. When you stake it out tautly enough to get a good pitch, the sides bow in significantly. There's still room for a pair of Thermarest pads side by side, and since it bows in the middle of the tent, shoulder room isn't affected drastically. Disregarding the bowing, there's still not a ton of horizontal space and it's worth checking to see if it's wide enough for your individual requirements. Headroom is probably the most impressive dimension. The cross-pole creates nearly vertical sides, and while the amount of horizontal space is less than ideal, it's all highly useable space. There's a big mesh pocket on one end for easy access storage. A matching pocket on the other would be welcome, but I'm not sure I've ever filled up one. The dual vestibules provide plenty of space for shoes, backpacks, cooking in the rain, and easy access for two. Can't ask for much more than that. 9.5/10

Setup: Absolute easiest setup I've seen. You just lay it out, stake it, connect the poles, and clip the inner tent to it. Throw on the fly, and you're in business. Really a triumph of function-oriented design. 10/10

Weight: This is not a minimalist tent and not the lightest tent in its category. But, other than carbon poles and titanium needle stakes there's not much I'd want changed for the sake of decreased weight. I often hear the less weight translates into more miles argument, and obviously I subscribe to that or I wouldn't subscribe to this site. At the same time, a good nights sleep doesn't hurt my mileage either, and in this case, comfort wins the day. At 4.25 lbs it's hardly a backbreaker. Divide that by a pair of hikers, and it's hard to argue the features aren't worth it. Subtract 9.5 oz for carbon poles. 8/10 (9/10 w/ carbon poles)

Overall: 8.5/10

Edited by drewstricklin on 02/11/2007 12:31:58 MST.

Rating: 4 / 5

I've had my Hubba Hubba for 3 years now and still love it. It offers great views without the tarp. Access from both sides is wonderful. Set up is a breeze, and it has been bullet proof so far. My only wishes are that is was a little wider and a little lighter, but I knew that when I bought it, so I have to say I love it.

Edited by jnboone on 08/12/2007 05:07:47 MDT.

Rating: 4 / 5

I've had this tent for a couple of years now, and on the whole I've been quite pleased with it. Pitching is quick and painless, and if you get the footprint you have the option of pitching the outer first and clipping the inner to it whilst sheltered which I've found very useful on several occasions.

It is very spacious for 1, but for 2 the 130cm inner means that there's just enough room for a couple of sleeping pads to squeeze in. Having two entrances means this isn't too bad though, and at least there's plenty of space in the porches.

Its served me very well in good weather, though the yellow colour tends to attract insects. In poorer weather, such as strong winds and low cloud, the mesh inner isn't so much fun. I've not had issues with rain coming under the fly yet, as in poor conditions I've pegged one side of the tent down closer to the ground at the expense of the other, which has kept wind and windblown rain out.

The weight is good for a 2-person 2-3 season tent, but not amazing. That's more a sign of what's considered 'lightweight' these days, of course!

I supplement my Hubba Hubba with a 3-season solo tent and a winter/mountain tent; I probably wouldn't use it as a single, all-purpose tent (at least here in the UK).

The HP version looks to have fixed many of my complaints, with a non-mesh inner and a lower fly and even shaving a few hundred grammes off the weight to boot, making it a much better choice as a multipurpose tent.