Reader Reviews

Rating: 4 / 5

MSR -Hubba
http://www.msrcorp.com/tents/hubba.asp

Weight: 1.6kg

Fits one person.

In benign and bugfree conditions it can be used with the fly and poles alone to create a tarp-cave. On sandy or soggy ground, add the optional footprint. Even if the weather requires the maximum protection of the full tent body and fly, the weighs three pounds.

The fly fabric is 30-denier ripstop nylon, polyurethane and silicone coated.

The fly is cut so as not to drip inside the tent, so you can open the tent doors for maximum venting in most conditions. The generous vestibule provides shelter for your pack, boots, etc.

-Comes with light needle stakes that are almost unbendable
-taped seams
-reinforced stress points
-light stake loops
-reflective guy cords
-user-friendly door toggles.
-Floor is made of 70-denier taffeta nylon
-Fly is made of 30-denier ripstop nylon, polyurethane and silicone coated
-Canopy is made of 20-denier polyester micro-mesh netting and 70-denier taffeta nylon.
-Poles are made of DAC SL aluminum.
(I believe carbon poles are availble, some where)
-Floor area is 1.6 sq. m. Vestibule area is 0.9 sq. m.
-Minimum weight is reported to be 1.3kg, packaged weight is 1.6kg.
-Packed size is 51 x 15cm.

I am 6' 1.5", 200lbs and I fit in this tent. Snug, but I fit.
Excellent head room.
Long enough to lay out and not touch the ends.

A good solid feeling tent.

Good ventilation with the door open or partially open.

Three improvements I would like to see.
1. ceiling vent!
2. about 6" wider, it is fairly narrow
(but then there is the Hubba Hubba)
3. Top front & back guy points (for wind)

Could I compare it too two lighter single wall tents?
-Six Moon, Lunar solo, http://www.sixmoondesigns.com/shop/shopexd.asp?id=36
-Tarptent, Rainbow, http://www.tarptent.com/rainbow.html


All the best,
Doug


.

Edited by Hustler on 01/21/2007 17:11:50 MST.

Rating: 4 / 5

I've used this tent extensively in the Northwest, and it can stand up to any rain that I throw at it. I've set it up in the boggiest of campsites and never even come close to getting wet. Excellent mesh door, plenty of room to sit up (although not side to side).

Downsides to this tent: can be hard to stake down the non-vestibule side (the guyline goes down nearly vertically). It's a bit heavy for UL.

Rating: 5 / 5

I fully agree with everything Douglas Hus had to say about this tent. It's my tent of choice. However, like most MSR gear, it's heavier than comparable competing products. (I still like MSR gear, and use it a lot, because it strikes a good balance between light and bombproof.) If you're willing to carry the weight, you get a lot of flexibility. You can pitch it without the fly on a nice, clear, night and essentially be sleeping under the stars but without the bugs. You can also pitch just the fly on a rainy day to create a nice lunch shelter. On a hot, sticky night the all-mesh body, pitched without the fly, lets you avoid that stuffy feeling you can get in a non-mesh or partly mesh tent.

It's also a little snug, which limits your ability to stow bulky gear in the tent. My Vapor Trail pack goes under my legs, extending my 3/4 pad to full length. If your pack won't store that way, you'll have to use the vestibule (which is fairly small) or leave it outside. There is a small rear vestibule, but it's useless because you have to go outside the tent to access it. (a small zippered panel in the back wall of the tent would solve the problem, but would make it even heavier.)

The narrow footprint that makes it snug is also an advantage that lets you use smaller tent sites, which gives you a larger site selection. The free-standing capability also lets you camp on hard surfaces, such as the shore of Lake Superior (Isle Royale NP) or the gravel tent pads some campgrounds require.

The side entrance is nice, and well-protected by the vestibule. The vestibule is also a split vestibule, which means that you can sometimes leave half of it open in a light rain, for ventilation.

The only down side is that it's a little heavy - but the extra weight earns its way.

Edited by garkjr on 08/10/2009 10:29:18 MDT.

Rating: 5 / 5

Great tent! Not the lightest out there, but it's one of the few for us tall guys! I'm almost 6'4 and can sit up with plenty of head room. Lying down also plenty of room for tall bags and pads.

My scale weighed it in at 3 lb 12.5 oz with EVERYTHING (stuff sacks, poles, stakes, tent, fly, and footprint). This is not the lightest, but I have tried other tents and can't fit, so it works for me. You can save another 6 oz by buying carbon fiber poles, which you can get from Fibraplex on eBay.

My only gripe, like one other reviewer said, on the non-vestibule side is that the fly needs a guy line to be staked out properly.

Rating: 5 / 5

While I'm not thrilled with the weight, the utterly storm-proof nature of this shelter, combined with its very small footprint, makes it my go to tent. That it's free standing is a nice bonus when you come across super hard (frozen/ice covered) ground or when you're on a very small site (easy to move if you're a few inches off between trees).

I've used the Hubba in a variety of conditions - torrential down-pours of near freezing rain, well below freezing temps on an ice field, and hot and humid summer nights. It has handled it all very well. I can't think of another tent that has the same kind of range for the weight. Not a drop of rain has ever entered the tent, condensation has never been an issue, and I love that I can take the top off and do some star gazing on clear nights (inner tent is virtually all mesh).

Every time I think about another system, I think about the guy I tarped with who got bitten by a Brown Recluse and the two weeks of cold rain I breezed through in utter comfort in Maine with this shelter, and keep coming back to it. That's why I give it a 5.

Maybe I'd feel differently if I weren't a claustrophobic side sleeper and could use a bivy. Then again, maybe not.

Edited by archer on 01/15/2008 05:35:53 MST.

Rating: 5 / 5

Outstanding rain protection. Plenty of room to sit up and move around a bit. Full mesh allows you to see the stars clearly on clear nights. Lightweight and perfect for nastier conditions when a tarp won't cut it. Great single person double-wall tent.

Rating: 4 / 5

When I decided I needed to go lightweight, I made a two hour drive to Campmor's store in Paramus and tried out every single-man tent they had. The Hubba was the ONLY one that I could sit up in, and I'm shorter than some of the other reviewers at 5'11". There were lighter and less expensive tents, but I chose the Hubba mainly for the sitting-up feature. Being a middle-aged desk jockey, the last thing I need is to pull a muscle or throw out my back while trying to maneuver in a claustrophobic tent. Mine weighs 3#12oz with everything, including a 2mil plastic footprint.