MSR Hubba Hubba Review

Likes
The MSR Hubba Hubba is a simple, lightweight, comfortable, and good-looking three-season backpacking tent. Since its introduction in 2004 the Hubba Hubba has been an award winning and extremely popular two-person tent. Its pole design, which uses a single pole with two metal hubs, looks like a giant X with a straight section between the two ends, and a short cross pole in the middle. Besides being very light, the single pole design is extremely easy to set up.

The body is also lightweight. With the exception of a small nylon top panel (for strength), it’s made entirely of mesh. The floor and fly material is a lightweight yet strong 40-denier ripstop nylon with a 1500mm Durashield polyurethane coating. New for 2011, this coating last up to four times longer than its predecessor; it’s one of the best three-season fly materials. Two U-shaped doors curve from the top cross pole down to finish parallel to the ground. Inside, 29 sq. feet of floor space, 17.5 sq. feet of vestibule area, near vertical walls, and a 40” peak height give two people plenty of space for sleeping and hanging out. There are two mesh pockets, one on each end of the tent.

Aesthetics are an important component of tent design. With sleek lines and an exposed pole structure, the Hubba Hubba is a very attractive tent. Its color has changed from red to yellow, and now green for 2011. This change was intended to make the tent more camouflaged. A minor detail that we appreciate is the tent’s reflective guy lines. These reduce the probability of an accidental nighttime trip up. Very much appreciated.

The Hubba Hubba includes MSR’s Needle Stakes. These are very lightweight.

Of the Hubba Hubba’s many positive attributes, its greatest advantage is its high space-to-weight ratio. The tent provides a comfortable shelter both for base camping and mobile adventures.


Dislikes
While the Hubba Hubba is a well-designed, versatile, and attractive tent, it has a series of drawbacks that, when taken in aggregate, significantly reduce its functionality. First and foremost, the tent is not strong. Balancing weight and strength is the fundamental challenge of tent design. Where the Hubba Hubba gains points for low weight, it loses more for its lack of strength. The pole design is to blame for this. Only the lower portion of the tent ends remains stable in wind. To make matters worse, the Hubba Hubba lacks adequate guy points; there are only two and both are on the ends of the tent. This leaves the entire middle and upper area unsupported. A lack of stability restricts the Hubba Hubba to well-protected areas, but even then it’s less storm worthy that seven of the eight tents tested here. In our six-month test period we endured several nights of high winds, driving rain, and snow. Despite selecting well-sheltered sites, the Hubba Hubba proved incapable of providing a confidence inspiring shelter. We spent most of an early season Utah storm awake holding up the collapsing vestibule/ roof area. Without our tireless support, it would have likely broken and punctured the fly.

A simple way to test a tent’s strength is to push down on it. With minimal effort the Hubba Hubba will bend and collapse several feet downward. The REI Quarter Dome is significantly stronger.


Another drawback to the Hubba Hubba is its short and ventless rainfly. While it's adequate in length around the tent’s edges, the vestibule is higher off the ground than most other tents tested in this class. Consequently, dirt, sand, and snow are more apt to blow under the vestibule and through the mesh walls. Yes, this is a common problem with all mesh bodied tents, but we found the Hubba Hubba’s shorter rainfly to be particularly good at letting the elements enter from below. Although the 2011 model increases the sill height around the ends to prevent splashback (rain entering at an angle and ricocheting into the mesh), we’d still prefer to see a slightly longer fly. Similarly, the Hubba Hubba’s fly lacks vents. While some would argue that vents aren’t necessary on a mesh-bodied tent, all other tents tested here had two vents and/or a rainfly that could provide both ventilation and rain protection. The Hubba Hubba provides neither; its straight vestibule zippers can’t vent without inserting a pole and then rain will enter the vestibule. A lack of vents and a shorter fly make the Hubba Hubba less storm-proof and less versatile than other tents tested here.

The inability to open the inner tent doors with one hand is a further inconvenience. Again, the pole design is to blame because it doesn’t adequately tension the body. Not only will you need to use two hands to open the zipper, you’ll also need to stake the body out. (While we recommend staking every point on a tent out, we recognize that most people don’t always do this.) Not staking the body out makes the doors harder to open and pockets less supportive.

On that note, another limitation is the Hubba Hubba’s saggy pockets. These span the width of the tent’s ends, but are not taut. They store headlamps and other small items well, but can’t handle heavier items such as a full water bottle. Of the eight tents reviewed here the Hubba Hubba has the worst pockets. A few reinforcing seams would bring them up to par.


The above drawbacks are significant. In our assessment of three-season tents the Hubba Hubba ranks higher than most, but not as high as we initially expected. On the whole, the tent is a fine shelter that balances weight and comfort, but lacks strength and several key features found in other tents. We recommend the tent, but believe the REI Quarter Dome T2 is a better alternative because it has nearly the same specifications but provides a stronger and more livable shelter.

Best Application
Backpacking in sheltered areas.

Value
The REI Quarter Dome T2 is a better value. We recommend it over the Hubba Hubba.

Other versions and accessories
New for 2011 is the $150 Gear Shed. This is an extended vestibule (26sq. ft) that clips to the tent body and expands through one door to provide a very large covered space. While we haven’t tested this, we think the feature is a great addition to the Hubba Hubba because it transforms the Hubba Hubba into a gigantic basecamp tent. Cooking and storing gear is now easier than ever. It’s also backwards compatible to work on all other Hubba Hubbas since 2005. The downside is its price: $150 is very expensive. It also makes the tent even less stable. Other accessories include a triangular gear loft ($22) and footprint ($55).

Video
Hubba Series Video
Hubba Hubba Setup Video