MSR Hubba 1 person tent

“Anyone have one of these?
Trekkngirl and I looked at one of these in a gear store in Ocala this past weekend.
Advertisted weight is 3 pounds.
Comments????

http://www.msrcorp.com/tents/hubba.asp
last edited: 2/08/05 8:36:47 AM”

“I bet Mapleleaf could get her knees up in that.”

“bit - true dat!”

“The tent just looks so narrow.
A little too narrow.
Any real life users out there?”

“hubba hubba”

“Where's Pennsy? He's bound to have one, that gear slut! ;-)”

“Mapes, the 'Hubba Hubba' is the two person verson.”

“lol”

“Yah, enough from for Mapleleaf to get her legs up and Treebeard at the same time!”

“I guess both COULD fit if stacked up on top of each other, but the outside of that poor little one person tent would look like two bulldogs fighting under a blanket.”

“i have a bullfrog.”

“No I meant the Hubba Hubba.”

“so hubba is one man tent
hubba hubba is a two man tent

hubba hubba hubba is for realy big people?

this is craking me up. I would buy it just so i could go around saying
hubba hubba hubba hubba baby”

“..but the visuals would be more fun with the solo version... ;-)”

“Sounds like something you put on with a shoe horn rather than crawl into.”

“I looked at that tent in Damascus. It is awsome...as for narrow...not really, what its for is sleeping, but the side entry allows for great access to the vestibule area. Its a brilliant tent. I'd be gettin one, if I didn't already have a Mountain Hardware Trilight 1. It was the first freestanding 3lb tent made. If I had a reason (meaning girlfriend who backpacks) I'd get the 2 person tent. 4.5 lbs and a full rain fly is far superior to my Northface Slickrock.

I suggest that you get it and let us know how it performs. and if you don't like it, just take it back and then I'll go and buy it at the reduced sale price.”

“A single pole balanced on cross-beams. Sounds really cool from an ultra-light perspective. The narrowness wouldn't bother me; I currently use an MSR Zoid 1, which is actually smaller.

I wonder how stable this is in the wind?”

“The side entrance is a big selling point with full situp room at the middle.

It looked damn unstable to me in the store if the wind was coming strong from the back of it, but maybe a good stake would hold the fly tight.

I liked the fact that the fly could be peeled back to the top or removed for starglazeing.”

“It might be possible to stake it down, but then you lose the freestanding feature, no?

I personally really like my Zoid. It's a great balance between size, weight, functionality, and it even has a door on the side, and the inner wall is almost all mesh, much like this.

You do, however, need to get at least the 3 key stakes (head, toe, and vestibule) in for a nice, tight pitch, which, up here in the Northeast, can be a little challenging with all the rocks.”

“The fly will require front and rear stakes anyway. Most 'freestanding' tents require staking for the fly.”

“Hittin' the Mountain to Sea trail for the first time in North Carolina, would like some advice about what to pack (other than essentials) if anybody has every packed this trail.”

“I've got the Hubba and love it. I'm 6'2", 200# and it has plenty of room for me. The side entry is nice and the vestibule is roomy for a one-person tent. I highly recommend it!”

“I've also go a Hubba. Not a big fan of the shoulder width. I agree that the side entry is nice and there is plenty of room to sit up in it. I haven't used it yet without the stakes. I am not sure that it would hold up the best without them in a big storm. Had it for a year and I am ready to look at something else.”

“Hey Stovestomper. My friend in Knoxville had the tent....got it probably 4 or 5 months ago....I think he likes it so far. I have the Mountain Hardwear Solitude....and it looks to have much more room than that...I sat in it and liked it.”

“Extrudinator....do we know anyone with that name??? lol
How ya doing guy....long time no see!”

“stove stomper, i'm now looking at getting a tarp tent, after seeing four of them with us this week-end i'm assuming they are pretty good. i have a one man pct, but i think i will start looking for a used tarp tent on ebay. great week-end, the knee is killing me today, i let my meds run out.”

“cyndeee - The Henry Shires newest version of the TarpTent looks great. Much more headroom than the older designs like we all had at ocala.
I consider the old design two man TarpTent to really be a large one man.”

“I've always been partial to the Hubba Hubba 2-man version. Lots of tent area, lots of mesh around the tent area, and lots of coverage over the tent. What I didn't like is the vestibule enrty was up the middle of the vestiblue and went right up to the tent, leaving alot of area to get wet and even inside the tent when entering during a downpour. I don't really know if that is the case but it sure looked that way to me. And the color is a little too bright, imo.

This shelter is going into it's 2nd year so I can't wait to see the upgrades/changes...if any.”

“when you want to unload the hubba...I'll take it off your hands...Contact me and I'll be glad to buy it from you.”

“Hey UPluver, I am doing good. I have been on a little hiatus. Hope everything is going well your way.

stikmon, I will let you know when I do.”

“thanks.”

“I tried out the Hubba this last weekend on a snoeshoe backpack. I only took the groundsheet and fly/pole. I have set the tent body up. I did like the height when sitting up but didn't like the width and the length could be longer to keep a bag off the walls. The bottom sides of the tent tend to 'roll up' and make the width even less than stated. By the way I'm 6'1" and #195.

I liked how stabile the tent was with just the one pole. You can actually freestand this with just the fly and pole. It's very easy to set up. Of couse it weighs more than they state. I weighed mine at #3,13 including stuff sacks. It's a very well made tent IMO.

My bottom line is that I'm returning it. It's just too small for me.”

“Bummer, ltwtbkpkfiewrjasdgr.

I've only slept in it two nights, but I have the MSR Missing Link and really like it. You might want to consider it. I also wanted something lightweight (weighs the same as the Hubba), but roomy. I'm 6'1" and 175 lbs, and there is PLENTY of room inside. It does get a lot of condensation inside, but for a single-wall, that's to be pretty much expected.
last edited: 3/08/05 7:52:37 PM”

“i have been using the msr hubba for about four years now and i have decided it is a piece of crap. i guess i should qualify that. if you like being sold a "bomber" tent and then getting wet during moderate rain then this tent might be for you.

fundamental flaw: partial rainfly. on the "front" is a full rainfly that forms a good sized vestibule. on the "back" is a partial rainfly that doesn't come down full to the ground (the fatal flaw).

also, after 4 years of moderate use the seam tape is starting to come loose. that's a ding on quality in my opinion. this tent is headed for the trash.

i wouldn't let my dog sleep in this tent.”

“i will add that msr just came out with the "msr hubba hp" which is a non-mesh version. they claim that by replacing the mesh with solid fabric it makes the tent lighter... what's up with that? another mod not mentioned? a FULL rainfly. the one in the back appears to form a second vestibule rather than be a partial rainfly... looks like zippers on both sides rather than just one. so it looks like they at least learn from their failures, but i wish they wouldn't do it at the expense of my pocketbook like with the msr miox.”

“Don't send it to the trash, send it to me.”

“I think we should get mildbill's opinion on this seeing that he thru hiked the AT with it...
i have one and love it (for what it is; a mesh three season tent)”

“Well, I have to agree with the fly issue. The back side needs to go a little closer to the ground. I have discovered when setting it up, if it looks like rain, I make sure the top, short pole (that runs from front to back), is under the the longer pole, this way the fly is a little closer to the ground. In my case, it's not the rain itself coming in, it's water splashing up from the ground.I talked to the MSR people at Trail Days about this, and they told me it was designed like this for better ventilation and less weight.

My Hubba did fine until I got to Maine. During heavy rain it started leaking by the seams. I did not use a ground cloth and the tent was pretty dirty by then too.
When I got home, I washed it, put some seam sealer and water repellent on it, and was going to give it another try, but I found another Hubba on sale so I bought it. I sold my old one to some dude down the road, who fell on it while camping in the snow and tore it up.

Over-all, I like the Hubba. It is easy to set up, free standing and weighs 3 lbs.
last edited: 8/09/09 7:17:27 AM”

“I may just go back to my sierra designs light year cd. I always stayed dry in that tent. I gave it to my son because it was a tad small for me, I was always impressed with this tent esp since it generally goes for under 170 and a lot less if you look for a sale. I am not a fan of msr or cascade designs but this tent was one of the lighter and better tents I owned.”

“If you seriously want to get rid of the Hubba let me know.”

“I also have a msr hubba and like it, though my preferred residence is the Virga tarptent. The Viagra tarptent, however, stands up for hours in all conditions.”

“ok nimble, i have to say (politely) that i disagree on the whole tarptent/virga thing.

i have two virgas which i have owned and used for 5 years and they are TERRIBLE in the rain. now i have also done a lot of tarp camping and the experience sleeping under a tarp in the rain is almost identical to sleeping under a tarptent in the rain. don't get me wrong. i love my virga... but it's more a tarp than a tent. i think a lot of people don't realize this when they buy them. the "double rainbow" from henry shires is a classic example.

in my opinion the virga is one of the better UL shelters out there and henry shires never made a better tarptent than the original virga. i own a 1-person -and- two-person virga. i just think it's important people realize when they buy one that they aren't buying a tent... they are getting into tarp camping... and not everyone is prepared for the issues this presents. i have seen a lot of people frustrated by these shelters, mainly because they have poorly-set expectations. they are what they are. for what they are they are OUTSTANDING. for what they are not they suck.

i have found the better backcountry shelters are made by the companies that make serious mountaineering shelters... the stuff you would see at a high-camp in the himalayas. black diamond, the north face, mountain hardware, etc. these companies KNOW how to test their gear before putting it out and they have a definite reputation to protect. mountain hardware in particular has an amazing setup for testing their tents for effectiveness... a 130mph wind tunnel simulating levels of precip most hikers wouldn't see in a lifetime.

this is all my opinion, of course. i only popped up this thread because i am re-evaluating my selection of shelters because of all the tents i own only one has really held up over the years and i am trying to remember (other than size) why i stopped using that tent.”

“We'll have to agree to disagree. I used the Virga on most of my thru hike in '05 and the only time I was wet was either operator error or it was already raining like hell when I pitched it (and, therefore, everything was soaked by the time I climbed in). The bathtub floor worked great and the mesh screening let the air in and kept the water out.
last edited: 8/09/09 9:53:15 AM”

“you are fortunate to have had such luck with such a lightweight shelter. like i said, i love mine but keeping dry in it is hit or miss. i prefer to use it when there is little chance of rain and there are bugs (if it's warm, dry and no bugs i cowboy camp).

we went out and bought a big agnes seedhouse 1 ul... never had a tent from the before. we shall see. i am already a hell of a lot more optimistic about it than i am about that crappy tent from msr.”

“i will add that i looked at the sierra designes light year tent... the one i gave my son is a very old model. there are many improvements, especially in how the tent body clips to the poles and ESPECIALLY the way the rainfly attaches. i swear it's larger inside, especially down by the feet. that was the main reason i gave it to my son... the size.”

“No luck, just the superior craftsmanship of Mr. Shires. I have also owned the Virga2 and the Contrail, neither of which came close to the original Virga (bathtub floor) for weight, ease of setting up, weather proofing and reliability. I don't care for the fact that I couldn't sit up in it, but after a rugged days hike, these old bones don't sit up long anyway:)”

“the seedhouseUL is ok however, when it rains and you neeed to get into the tent or out, rain drips into the bodt of the tent. I purchased the copper caynon ul2 Now they have a ul1, pricy. and it rocks tad bit heaver but sometimes dry must have some sacrifices. Yo bear!”

“I don't know jerbear. Set it up and it is ok but damn that tent uses a lot of stakes. I really didn't see anything that thrilled me.

Both my 1p and 2p virgas are the original model. They had a sewn in floor, but I am pretty sure they aren't a bathtub floor. I didn't know that was an option on the ealy models. I find if you somehow get clothing near the walls during the rain that the splash gets the clothing wet and it wicks the water into the tent. This has always been a pita but no more than my bpl spinnaker (sp?) tarp.

I have not tried the contrail personally nor the rainbow, but I have known a few people that have. The reviews seem mixed to the point that I have stayed away from all the newer models.

I still think my best 1p tent is my 'berg akto.”

“5 stakes”

“5 to 13 I think. I fully staked it out and used every stake that came with the tent and was still 4 pegs short! I imagine that thing could take a lot of wind with all the pegs in. The rain fly comes awfully close to the mesh on the sides and the first time I pitched it the fly was touching the mesh on one side. Not good. As with any tent I am sure there is a learning curve.

Not a lot of ventilation and also the vestibule is a tad small, but it is an outstanding fit in my pack. Prolly a lot of tent for its weight. I am lookimg forward to testing it out.”