MSR Hubba Hubba 2 man tent

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Seany88

Original Poster:

1,245 posts

219 months

Wednesday 27th August 2014
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Has anyone got any comments/experience with these? It'll be my first proper tent, and I want it to be good. I'm a mountaineer and backpacker (though so far have always stayed in cheap hostels but want to start camping) so I want it to cope in Scottish Winters the lot.

The main downside I see is the price, and that the inner needs to go up first, but I'm sure you could put the outer up first and then faff a bit with the inner?

Otherwise what other good options are there?

scdan4

1,299 posts

159 months

Wednesday 27th August 2014
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Seany88 said:
Has anyone got any comments/experience with these? It'll be my first proper tent, and I want it to be good. I'm a mountaineer and backpacker (though so far have always stayed in cheap hostels but want to start camping) so I want it to cope in Scottish Winters the lot.

The main downside I see is the price, and that the inner needs to go up first, but I'm sure you could put the outer up first and then faff a bit with the inner?

Otherwise what other good options are there?
You can.

I love mine, it got used heavily before I gained a wife. Now we have a family tent (that takes 4 times as long to put up and always involves an argument).


It's not the warmest tent - lots of airflow. Using the inner only acts as a great mosquito net. Tent poles may be a bit long depending on what you want to pack it into.

Pricey, yes, but a good bit of kit.

Seany88

Original Poster:

1,245 posts

219 months

Thursday 28th August 2014
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What temps were you comfortable down to? Would it work for winters over here?

scdan4

1,299 posts

159 months

Thursday 28th August 2014
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About -5 had me wearing full thermals, a heavy coat over my 2 season sleeping bag (bit of a mistake there I admit) and looking for stuff to pile around me to stop the drafts.

--

Mine is a bit careworn and doesn't get a lot of use now, so if you wanted to borrow it for a trip to see if it suits that would be fine. (You'd have to collect from swindon and one of the pole sections needs attention (from memory - i can't remember if i mended it yet!) but it would give you a trial run before shelling out your hard earned if you are interested. smile )

neilski

2,563 posts

234 months

Friday 29th August 2014
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I looked at the Hubba Hubba last year as a warm weather replacement for my Hilleberg Soulo for camping in Australia, NZ & the Americas but after doing a bit of research online stumbled on this 25 tent review where it came absolute last which kind of put me off a bit.

http://www.outdoorgearlab.com/Backpacking-Tent-Rev...

I also wouldn't consider a tent with an all mesh inner for winter camping somewhere as cold as Scotland and see the Hubba Hubba more as something I'd want to use to keep the mosquitoes off somewhere hot. The review of the Hubba Hubba on that site does link to a new version for this year, the NX.

http://www.outdoorgearlab.com/Backpacking-Tent-Rev...

In the end I opted for a Hilleberg Rogen which was pricey I'll admit but it's now my home until I get back to the UK and Hilleberg tents are built to last plus I like the fact the inner and outer pitch as one. It's also free standing and has stood up to some pretty horrific winds on the Nullarbor Plain in Oz and up on the Andean Altiplano without missing a beat.

If it's any help, my mate that I cycled across some of Central Asia & Australia with swears by his Vaude Hogan.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Vaude-Hogan-Ultralight-Per...






Seany88

Original Poster:

1,245 posts

219 months

Friday 29th August 2014
quotequote all
Thanks for the replies. Very good point about the mesh inner!

That Vaude Hogan one looks a bit small though, I don't think it'll hold much gear beyond 2 people...I saw the Terra Nova Voyager XL 2 Tent, which looks pretty good?

neilski

2,563 posts

234 months

Friday 29th August 2014
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The trouble with Terra Nova (and I did a lot of research before buying a tent for my trip) is that for them it's all about chasing the numbers to say they've just made the lightest tent in it's class at the expense of longevity. A lot of the reviews I read commented that they're just a bit too flimsy for more than a couple of seasons' use.

Good point about the Vaude. My mate is about 6'6" and while he fit ok, it would have been a squeeze to get a second person in. Probably why they call it a 1-2 man not 2 man.

Hubba Hubba NX any good? Any others from that list of 25?

tenohfive

6,276 posts

181 months

Saturday 30th August 2014
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If you're looking at proper Scottish winter camping (as you've already worked out) you want a solid inner, and you'll need a tent that can take the weight of an overnight dumping of snow at the very least. That's quite a weight that most tents aren't designed to handle.

To that end, having done countless hours research I've heard very good things about the Tarptent Scarp 2 and once funds allow that's what I'm getting for Lake District 4 season camping up high. It comes with a couple of options (mesh or solid inner - solid being a no brainer) and an optional crossing pole set is recommended for 4 season use, and makes it very solid in heavy wind or snow conditions by all accounts (taking the total weight from 1.7kg to 2.2kg - but for 3 season stuff I plan to leave the crossing poles at home.) And from owners I've heard it's very roomy, with dual porches and a lot of interior space.
It's got a solid reputation despite being relatively unheard of outside of backpacking circles. The only down side is that it's import only from the manufacturer in the US, so import duty can come into play but I'm anticipating it being £300 after import duty.

If budget is less of an issue though have a look at some of the Hilleberg options, they've got a solid reptuation for bomber tents that'll handle anything. You pay for that though.