MSR Hubba Hubba NX Tent Review

The Description

A lightweight, freestanding 2-person tent.

• Three season
• Minimum trail weight: 3lbs 7oz
• Packaged weight: 3lbs 13oz
• Packed size: 6 x 18 inches
• Floor dimensions: 84 x 50 inches
• Pole material: DAC aluminum

The Test

With a 1000km trek across Israel planned, I knew I needed to upgrade my tent from my usual companion, the Vango Banshee. I did a lot of research and eventually settled on the MSR Hubba Hubba NX. At £300, this tent is not cheap so I was a little nervous about getting my moneys worth.

When it arrived in the post, my first impression was how small it was. Much lighter and compact than I was expecting. Great, that was a big requirement considering I would have to carry it so many miles.

I had planned a 4 day trek in Snowdonia to test the tent out properly. On the first night we read the instructions for putting it up. Easy. One pole, 1 inner, 4 corner pegs. Even though it was the first time using the tent. It was up in less than 30 seconds. For hot dry climates, this is all you need and I have used it with just the inner many times.

Tonight we were expecting rain though, so we needed to get the whole tent up. We then tried attaching the outer. Also easy. You match the 2 red tags to the red tags on the inner and the 2 grey tags to the grey tags on the inner. 4 more pegs and the tent was fully up.

The centre pole system at the top of the tent makes it incredibly spacious, ideal for 2 people. And I love that there is a porch on both sides. Especially useful for me and the other half as we both get up so many times in the night to pee when we camp.

It rained in the night and we had fairly strong winds. I was a little nervous about the durability of the tent as it is so lightweight. But it held. I’m not sure I’d want to test it in a full storm (though a lot of my worries probably stem from the fact that it costs so much that I want to look after it). We stayed dry throughout the weekend, although on one night I didn’t notice the sides were touching and we got condensation. I’ll put it down to not pegging the tent down well.

If I thought putting the tent up was easier, getting it down takes half the time. A clever roll-into-the-bag, which has straps to pull it all tight is nothing short of genius.

The Hubba Hubba worked well on our hike in Wales and went on to perform brilliantly on our 2 month trek in Israel. There is only 1 fault that I could find. The tent is designed to go up inner first. There is a way to do it outer first, but it is a bit fiddly and usually the last thing you want to do when the weather is bad and you just want to get the tent up quick.

However, I think it is a minor problem. I love my Hubba Hubba and wouldn’t be seen on any adventure without it.